Caring for your jewelry
Sterling silver
Silver is a soft metal in its pure form, too soft to be used for jewelry and other items, so it's mixed with other metals to make it more durable. A popular silver mixture, called an alloy is known as sterling silver.
Jewelries cannot be marked or described as silver, solid silver or sterling silver unless it contains at least 92.5 percent pure silver. The minimum silver content can also be stated as 925 parts per thousand of pure silver, so you might see the figures 925 or 92.5 used to mark silver content. Copper is the most common metal used to round out the 7.5 percent alloy balance in sterling silver. It adds hardness to pure silver, but brings with it a tendency to tarnish--a darkening that occurs when sterling silver reacts with gases in the air or with other substances that it comes in contact with.
Storing Sterling Silver Jewelry
Store your sterling silver jewelry in tarnish prevention clothes or bags. The treated cloth slows down the tarnishing process and keeps the jewelry from rubbing against harder jewelry that can scratch it. Try to to keep your sterling silver jewelry in a cool, dry place. Silver will react with chlorine. Never take silver jewelry into pools, hot tubs, or the ocean.
Cleaning Your Sterling Silver Jewelry
Clean sterling silver with a phosphate free detergent. A low abrasive silver polish, is a good choice for removing light tarnish. Apply the polish with a soft cloth, gently working it into stains and wipe away excess polish and buff the jewelry with a soft, lint-free cloth until it's shiny.
Some people use toothpaste to clean their sterling silver, but most silver experts caution against it because they feel toothpaste is too abrasive and leaves dulling scratches.
Cleaning Your Glass Crystal Jewelry
Crystals can get dusty & hazy too. So you might find the following method helpful.
If your necklace is strung on wire or chain, you can spray your glass cleaner or water mixture directly onto the piece, then rinse it & pat it dry. Or just spray your glass cleaner on a soft cloth or paper towel and wipe the crystals down. This method will make an amazing difference to your jewelry.
Cleaning Your Gemstone Jewelry
Clean your gemstone jewelry with polish cloth and warm water, towel and air dry. Avoid using cleaners or harsh chemicals, as they may alter the color of your gem stone. Try not to get makeup, perfume and hairspray on your gemstone jewelry. Ultrasonic cleaning machine is not a good option since the vibrations may damage brittle gem stones.
The best way to store your gem stone jewelry pieces is to put it separately in tissue or cloth and in separate compartments of a jewelry box. The original gem stone jewelry box is usually the best one for storage
Cleaning your pearl Jewelry
Pearls aren't as hard as mineral gemstones and they requires care. Wear your pearls only after applying makeup, hairspray, perfume or other potentially harmful substances that might stain them. Keep your pearls stored in soft cloth away from other jewels in order to prevent chipping. Also, oils from your skin can actually help keep pearls moist, so even soapy water is unnecessary for cleaning pearls. Do not clean pearls with any type of solvent or abrasive. Rather, wipe them after use with a soft cloth, like those used for eyeglasses to best maintain them.
