Do you have some jewelry that you are very happy with? And do you want to make sure that it always sparkles and looks nice? The right cleaning and maintenance helps ensure that you can enjoy your jewelry now and for many years to come. Here we give you the best tips on how to best care for your jewelry .
You're going to a festive event and you know exactly which jewelry will go well with the outfit you want to wear. You open the box and see, to your great chagrin, that several of them have started to look ugly or boring...
You are far from the only one who has experienced this. It is quite common with jewelry, as it needs both good storage and care to stay beautiful. However, you do not have to throw away your jewelry or put it aside, as a little loving care is all that is needed.
How to prevent wear and tear on your jewelry
Whether you are the lucky owner of a beautiful silver ring from Susanne Friis Bjørner or have some fine gold-plated jewelry to keep in your jewelry box, they all get worn out over time. However, jewelry made of precious metals generally lasts longer than jewelry with surface treatments.
That said, the same treatment and prevention of the jewelry is required to prevent it from becoming worn.
You can prevent a lot of wear and tear by doing the following:
- Take off your jewelry when you are active, sleeping, or showering.
- Store the jewelry in a dark and closed jewelry box.
- Avoid contact with creams, hairspray, perfume and other styling products
- Remove jewelry when cleaning or washing hands.
By following the above, you will ensure that your jewelry will not get scratched or worn, and will be able to stay shiny for much longer.
How to avoid discoloring your jewelry
It is not only important to be aware of when you wear your jewelry and when you should take it off. It is also worth paying attention to keeping it away from certain types of foods and products.
When it comes to silver jewelry , the following can cause discoloration:
- Vinegar
- Lemon
- Onion
- Salt
- Hairspray
- Perfume
- Latex gloves
- Cleaning products
- Chlorinated water
Gold is a little easier to deal with, as it is primarily chlorine and bleach that can discolor gold. However, we still recommend that you take off your gold jewelry when or if you are going to be near foods with a lot of acid.
Cleaning jewelry – what can you use to clean silver?
When you have silver jewelry, it is difficult to avoid oxidation. It is completely natural. Because it is due to chemical reactions that cause the surface of the jewelry to change. When silver comes into contact with oxygen, a chemical process occurs that causes the silver to oxidize. This can be seen by the formation of silver oxide in the form of dark spots on the surface.
This does not mean that your jewelry is broken.
You may have heard of the tin foil method? It's actually quite good. Because you can clean silver jewelry with salt, tin foil and boiling water. Here you put tin foil in a bowl together with a tablespoon of salt and a silver piece of jewelry. Then you pour boiling water into the bowl and let it stand for 5-20 minutes depending on the size. Then rinse with cold water and dry with a tea towel.
If the oxidation is not completely gone, or the jewelry has a dull appearance afterwards, you can also choose to polish it with a polish for silver jewelry. This way you can be sure to have shiny jewelry afterwards.
Cleaning jewelry – what can you use to clean gold?
Gold jewelry is not affected by oxidation to the same extent as silver jewelry. However, it also becomes dull to look at over time if it is not cleaned. Here it is a little simpler than with silver jewelry, as you only need a mild soap solution. In fact, you can just use the washing-up liquid that you have on hand.
Use warm water, not boiling. Use a soft cloth that you can use to remove dust and light dirt. If there is stubborn dirt, you can also use a soft toothbrush. It is important that it is soft so that it does not wear down the surface too much.
If there are any stones or pearls in the jewelry, do not use cleaning agents as this may cause discoloration.
You can also choose to use polish made for gold jewelry.
Cleaning jewelry – what can you use to clean white gold?
White gold is a beautiful precious metal that can become greyish over time and lose its whitish colour. It is a naturally greyish material. However, to achieve the white and shiny surface for which white gold is so popular, rhodium (a white platinum metal) is added to the white gold. Over time, it will wear off and may need to be rhodium plated from time to time by a jeweller.
Jewelry cleaning – gold-plated jewelry
Gold-plated jewelry is beautiful, but it also loses its shine over time. Gold-plated jewelry has either a gold or silver surface. Unfortunately, this wears off easily if you clean the jewelry often. You should therefore be careful about how you use the jewelry and how and how often you clean it.
They should be treated with extra care and should only be wiped with a clean, slightly warm cloth. It is best not to use polishing cream with abrasives, as this will remove the surface in just a few polishings.
Care and cleaning of pearl jewelry – here's how
If you have a silver or gold piece of jewelry with one or more pearls, it is important that you pay extra attention to how you care for and clean the jewelry. Pearls consist of living, organic material, which is why they cannot tolerate acidic products or harsh cleaning agents.
You should therefore always take off your pearl jewelry when you shower, swim, are active and cook.
As with other jewelry, they should be cleaned occasionally. This should be done gently by wiping with a damp cloth that has been rinsed in clean, slightly warm water. It is a good idea to have the pearl and setting cleaned by a jeweler once a year.
Store jewelry with pearls in a velvet bag, but not airtight, as the pearls need to be able to breathe.
Care and cleaning of gemstone jewelry – here's how
Do you have a beautiful gold ring that is covered with one or more diamonds? Maybe you have a white gold bracelet with several colorful gemstones? Then you need to take into account what they can withstand. Gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds are very hard gemstones that are difficult to scratch. However, they can look dull over time due to grease accumulation.
These stones can be washed gently in lukewarm water with a little washing-up liquid. However, it is important that you also take care of the precious metal so that it does not get scratched. This is especially true if you use a toothbrush.
It is best to have your gemstone jewelry cleaned by a jeweler once a year, as it can be very difficult to remove dirt from the setting. This can also be checked at the same time, so you can be sure that the stone will stay in place.
Take care of your jewelry with good storage
Your jewelry will look its best and shine the most if it is stored in a dark, soft environment. It is also a good idea to protect it from dirt and grime. It is therefore recommended that you store your jewelry in a box with cushions instead of on a jewelry tree. This also ensures that the silver jewelry does not oxidize to the same extent.
When storing your jewelry, it is important that they are not placed too close to each other. Because when they are, they unfortunately have the tendency or possibility of rubbing against each other. This wears out the jewelry and therefore also reduces its lifespan. Therefore, it is also a good idea to put the jewelry in a bag if you are storing several pieces together.
Jewelry should of course be used and not hidden away. But you will get the most out of it if you take good care of it when it is not in use. This applies regardless of whether it is an expensive diamond ring from Mads Z or a charming silver piece of jewelry from Enamel .
We can repair or clean your jewelry in our workshop.
Do you have a piece of jewelry where the clasp no longer works? Or do you have a setting on a diamond ring that is no longer optimal? Maybe you have one or more pieces of jewelry that you would like to have cleaned by professional and loving hands? Then we can of course help you in our jewelry store in Holstebro .
Jewelry is our passion – and we want you to be as happy with yours as possible, so that you want to wear it and show it off.