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Five Jeweler’s Secrets to Caring For Jewelry

You’ve invested in some attractive pieces of jewelry– some of which you wear just about daily and some only on special occassions. Now how do you care for them the way that the professionals do? You’re not looking for the answers they give you so they can sell you something. You want to know how they do it themselves. These are a few of their secrets brought to you by one of their own.

Store it in zip lock bags.

We all love getting jewellery in a posh velvet box or a velvet pouch, but apart from looking nice these do little to guard our valuable jewellery. But if a jeweler handed you your pricey silver ring in a plastic zip lock bag you’d certainly give them a doubtful look. The truth of it actually is however , that almost all jewelers store their shop’s jewelry in these inelegant but functional bags. The main reason that jewelers use these bags is to give protection to the jewelry from the oxidative results of air. Oxidation is what gives jewelry that lifeless tainted look. So if you actually use these zip lock bags for your jewelry, be certain to seal them well and get as much air out of them as possible.  A 2nd function of storing jewellery in zip lock bags is to prevent pieces from contacting and scratching each other.

Keep it away from direct sunlight.

Many stones, for example citrine, amethyst, topaz, coral, turquoise and Oregon susnstone, can be permanently spoilt by the sun. You will once in blue moon see these stones in the windows at your neighborhood jewelry store for this very reason. Sunlight causes the colors of many gemstones to vanish or change. This is particularly true of heat treated stones or stones that are “color enhanced”. And because so many stones today had their color “enhanced” ; ( another dirty small jewelers secret ), the damaging results of sunlight are forceful and fast. The lesson is don’t leave your jewelry by the side of the pool in the sun, or on a window sill where it might lose its glorious color.

Buy cheap polishing material wipes

A lot of jewelry stores will sell you a dear polishing material while using a cheap throwaway one in the back. Cloths like Connoisseur’s brand disposable wipes work best on both gold and silver. Each wipe will take care of many pieces of jewelry and there are 25 in a conatiner. Will that last one or two years for the average jewelry owner who cleans at most once a year? Yes.

Easy does it.

Don’t over clean your jewelry. Jewelry store proprietors know that one of the best risks to their collection is over-handling and over cleaning. Proper storage (like in zip lock bags above) lessens the need for cleaning. Handling and cleaning leave micro-scratches on the finish leaving the piece lifeless over time, and for more delicate pieces like rings, over cleaning increase the risk of bending or destroying the piece. It is much preferred to have a slightly tarnished piece than a broken one. So clean you jewellery when you are ready to wear it not so it is nice in storage.

Something fishy here.

One item that helps jewelers keep their jewelry from tainting can be discovered at another sort of local shop : the pet shop. Turned on charcoal is sold in bulk for aquariums to filter the water but it is the same stuff that’s sold in expensive miniscule strips for preventing tarnish of jewelry. Put some in a pouch in your jewellery box to help stop oxidation or pour it into the individual bags where you store your valuable things. This is excellent for minimizing taint on pieces you store and only wear a couple times a year. The drawback here is that you may replace the turned on charcoal every year to keep it fresh.

By following these simple lesson, you are ensuring the survival of your jewellery like your wedding rings.

About the Author

Jason Robinson is the owner of The Crown Jewel, a jewelry store in Ashland, Oregon.

If you have more tips, he’d love to hear about them.

Submit your jewelry care tip.

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