In your jewelry collection, chances are you own both costume jewelry and fine jewelry. Whether a piece was a significant investment or not, you’ll want to take care of every piece that you own. Although daily life can leave your necklaces, rings, and brooches looking dull and drab, there are things you can do to take care of your jewelry, protecting it for years to come. So how do you extend the life of your jewelry?
Take Your Jewelry Off Before You Shower
One of the most basic things you can do to protect your jewelry is to take it off before you shower, especially costume jewelry. It goes without saying that water destroys costume jewelry and can also do damage to fine jewels depending on how it’s made. Take your jewelry off and put it in a box before you shower.
Clean Your Jewelry With a Soft Cloth
Life is busy. So it’s tempting to grab anything on the run when it comes to cleaning our jewelry. However, the material you use to clean your jewelry is important. Use material that is rough, and it can damage your jewelry over time, even if you don’t see the damage right away. Always choose a soft cloth to clean your jewels. Examples of soft clothes could be polishing materials specially designed for the purpose, flannel cloths or even a cloth diaper if you wanted to save money on special cloths.
Always Use the Right Cleanser
In addition to the right cloth, always use the right cleanser. If you opt for a cleanser that is too harsh, you will damage your jewelry over time, especially costume jewelry that is not as sturdy as the gold or silver used in fine jewelry. Your best bet is to use jewelry cleaner. But if you want to save money, baking soda and water are gentle enough to clean your jewelry.
Don’t Ignore Loose Stones
As we’ve said before, life is busy. It’s easy to ignore that loose stone that you’ve meant to fix. However, ignore it long enough, and one day it may be gone. When you see a loose stone in a piece of jewelry, take the jewelry to a jewelry store and get the part repaired. If it’s costume jewelry, and therefore, not expensive, weigh if it is worth taking the piece into the jeweler for repair. However, for fine jewelry, always have a professional make the repairs. Fine jewelry is an investment, so paying for a professional is worth it.
Store Your Jewelry in Separate Compartments
How are you storing your jewelry? Are you throwing everything together? When there is no organization for your jewelry, you risk harming them with tangling and abrasions. Always store your jewelry in an organized way in separate compartments. Put your rings in their compartments, bracelets in another, brooches in another. Take extra care in storing necklaces so that they don’t tangle.
Store Your Jewelry in a Cool, Dry Location
Along with storing your jewelry in separate compartments, always put them in a cool, dry location. There is nothing worse for your jewelry than putting them in the sun or a damp place. Jewelry boxes, with lids, are made for storing jewelry properly. Invest in those for proper jewelry storage. They come in many different sizes for your needs.
If you have purchased beautiful fine jewelry as well as costume jewelry, you’ll want to protect your investment throughout the years from all the wear that jewelry gets. Follow these basic tips for ensuring your gold, silver, gems and costume jewelry looks great for years and years to come. For more information visit http://www.shopedc.com/