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Jewelry Care and Cleaning Tips

Care Of Earrings

  • Use rubbing alcohol or other disinfectant to clean ear wires each time before you wear them.
  • Take them off before going to sleep. This prevents damage to either you or the earrings!
  • Before wearing, check to make sure the parts are intact, i.e. no loops have not opened, so you will not lose part of your earring while you wear it. Use a narrow nose pliers to fix the problem.

Techniques For Cleaning Stones And Some Cautions

  • For organic materials such as amber, bone, coral, horn, ivory, and pearls do not use ultrasonic cleaners as they will cause permanent damage to the beads. The same is true for opals and turquoise. When using an ultrasonic cleaner, be sure to follow the directions!
  • Ultrasonic cleaners are only safe for very hard stones such as diamonds, rubies, spinels, Alexandrite, sapphires and Zircon.
  • Pearls require special care: after each wearing, gently wipe them with a soft cloth to remove body oils, perfume, etc. as these can spot the beads. Store them separately from other jewelry in a protective pouch or box enclosure to protect them from scratches. Don't get them wet. Pearls are usually strung on silk cord that is knotted between each bead. As the silk is organic, it will break down after 10 to 25 years and so would have to be restrung by a reputable jeweler or someone who specializes in this type of work. They usually charge by the inch as this is a very time consuming process.
  • Opals are very soft stones. You can rinse them in water, and as they will absorb some of the water, some of the bright colors will be restored. To make the colors last longer, soak overnight in mineral oil.
  • For other stones, rinse in a sink or basin using a solution of soapy warm water. If needed, scrub gently with a soft brush (a soft toothbrush will do), rinse with warm water and lay them out to dry on a towel.
  • However, organic materials and soft stones such as opals, amber, pearls, and peridot can be damaged by the use of soaps.
  • Any stone can be safely wiped with an untreated (no chemicals, soaps or abrasives) soft cloth.
  • Do not boil your stones. It can destroy all but diamonds!

Care Of Jewelry

  • In general, don't wear jewelry to bed, it prevents possible damage to both you and the jewelry!
  • Also, some stones are dyed (such as some howlite, turquoise, imitation lapis) so it is best if you do not swim or bathe with jewelry on. Before purchasing clothing with stones sewn on, be sure to ask if the stones were dyed!
  • In general, ceramics and water do not go together very well. Neither do polymer clay beads.
  • Sterling Silver jewelry can be kept at it's best with non-abrasive polishing cloths now available at many jewelry stores. They are about $4.00 to $6.00 each and worth the price if you have a number of pieces.
  • Liquid silver (those tiny sterling silver tube beads that are usually found in multiple strand necklaces) can be cleaned using baking powder. Do not wet the powder. Put some on a soft dry cloth, then run the strands through the cloth rubbing gently. Shake the powder off when done.
  • In general you can rinse a piece of jewelry in a solution of mild soapy warm water, rinse with warm water and lay it out to dry on a towel. See stone cautions above!
  • To keep gold or silver chains from being tangled or knotted, store each one in it's own elongated box or hang from a chain keeper. You can buy simple chain displays (gray or black flocked or velvet padded cardboard on an easel stand that hold 8 or more chains with or without pendants) from stores that sell jewelry displays. They are about $6.00 each. Look for the stores in your local or regional Yellow Pages.
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