Jewelry Care
General Care
- Don’t wear jewelry into water, including the shower, hot tubs, pools, dishwashing, etc.. Water and chemicals can damage stones and metal!
- Know your stone(s). Stones vary in hardness and durability. See the Stones section below for more detailed information. Handling your gemstones wrong can change color, cause breakage, and create other problems.
- Be careful with cleaning! Many gems will be damaged by ultrasonics and steam cleaners. Always research whether your stones can withstand these processes. Also make sure your stones are secure before mechanical cleaning to avoid loosening or breaking weak points like damaged prongs.
- Treat it gently. Jewelry is often made with an intentional weak point so a piece breaks instead of cutting the wearer. It’s always smart to be a little careful with jewelry you value.
- Store in a clean, dry place and try to keep pieces from toucing to help avoid scratches, tangling and other problems.
Silver
Sterling Silver
Sterling silver (92.5% fine silver and 7.5% copper) tarnishes. Storing your silver pieces with a small anti-tarnish square can help minimize this. When it’s time to clean your pieces, most silver jewelry without stones can be safely cleaned with a soft brush and soap and water. Brushes can scratch mirror finishes, so a better choice is a small jewelry polishing cloth.
Fine Silver
Fine silver (pure silver) does not tarnish like sterling does. However, it's a much softer metal, making sterling the best choice for rings, necklaces, etc. Generally, bezels (which hold cabochon stones in place) are made of fine silver. You may find that a piece created with sterling and fine silver tarnishes differently, but can be cleaned the same way.
Gold
Pure Gold
Only 24k gold is really "pure gold" but is usually a poor choice for jewelry. It's very expensive but is also less durable than other alloys like 14k and 18k. These alloys are different mixtures of 24k gold and other metals like copper and fine silver. They are sometimes referred to as "pure" gold as the alloy is the same throughout the piece and not a coating or plating.
Gold does not tarnish like sterling silver and is often wearable for people with metal allergies.
Generally, clean these pieces with a soft brush (like a toothbrush) and soap and warm water. If the piece has a stone, be sure the stone can handle this approach before cleaning.
Gold-Filled
Gold-filled metal is created by bonding a thicker gold coating over another metal - often brass and sometimes silver. To keep the gold layer intact and in good condition, be careful not to scratch the surface. Generally, a soft brush and soap and water is the best cleaning solution. As with silver, be sure to consider any stones in your gold-filled pieces when choosing how to clean them.
Gold-plated
Gold-plated metal has a thinner coating of gold, usually applied on the finished piece. The same care recommendation as gold-filled apply, but avoiding excessive wear or any chance for scratching is even more important. It's best to keep gold-plated pieces separate from any other jewelry that may rub against it - whether that's in storage or while wearing.
Stones
Stone vary widely in hardness and durability. Other than diamonds, the stone will often be the most easily damaged part of a piece. Many stone’s color can be changed by light, water and, of course, they can be broken by impact.
Cleaning devices like ultrasonic and steam cleaners can damage organic gems like amber or pearls as well as inorganic stones like moonstone and turquoise (as well as many others). Even a diamond, the hardest stone on earth, with a small fracture or other imperfection could be damaged by these cleaning methods.
Treated Stones
A large number of natural stones are treated in some manner (dye, heat, irradiation, stabilization, etc) In some cases, treatment increases the value of the stone and in others it just covers up a lower quality stone.
Treated gems can require more delicate care. Light and heat can cause problems for some treatments. Water is often a bigger problem. It's always wise to know of any treatments your gemstones have undergone and how to keep them looking their best.