How to care for your Jewelry

Taking care of jewelry is really quite simple, as long as you keep a couple of simple things in mind.  There's a few ‘old wives tales' out there that we'll discuss shortly - with some appropriate alternatives - and a couple of easy suggestions for you.

First, the simplest thing you can do is keep your jewelry separated in your jewelry box.  Remember that diamonds are the hardest substance on earth and they will scratch everything else - other gems, gold, pearls, whatever.  The simple solution: make little fabric pouches for everything in your jewelry box.  They don't need to be fancy, and you can buy little snap-close pockets if you like, but a little pouch to keep everything separate avoids a lot of wear and tear.

Second, keep it clean.  Your hands, in particular, come in contact with many things during the day and your rings are exposed too.  Washing your hands and putting on some hand cream keeps them clean and soft, but those two things are what builds up in and around the stones of your rings and makes them look dull and lifeless. 

There's two solutions: one, take them to a jeweler and have them professionally cleaned.  If you're coming to visit us here at Royal Jewelers bring your pieces with you and we'd be happy to clean them for you, while you watch...it only takes a couple of minutes.

Second, for a quick clean at home use a little Vodka and a baby-soft toothbrush.  That's right - Vodka!  Gin, whiskey or any other clear liquor, works just as well, but avoid liquors like Kahlua or Bailey's...not a good idea!   (Do NOT use rubbing alcohol - that's a different kind of alcohol than what's in liquor.  If you can drink it, it's safe for your gems.)  Just put a little hooch in a small bowl (or even a shot glass!), just enough to cover the jewelry, and let it soak for a minute or two.  You'll see the alcohol in the liquor begin to dissolve the greasy build-up from the soap and hand creams.  To get the last of it off, take a soft, soft toothbrush and GENTLY work the bristles around the setting.  You DON'T want to scrub and accidentally dislodge an already loose stone, you just want to make sure the liquor is getting everywhere.  Give it one more rinse in the liquor and a wipe dry and you're done.  This is safe to use on any gemstone but NOT ON YOUR PEARLS!

Pearls are strung on a piece of string, usually silk, that will obviously get wet and will take days to fully dry out, during which time the string can break down and weaken.  Have your pearls professionally cleaned, and have them re-strung while they're at it to make sure your string hasn't become frayed and weakened.

Here's a tip on how to find out if you have loose stones.  Hold the piece right up to your ear and tap it lightly with your fingertip.  You'll hear a little ticking sound if any stones are loose. 

A word on ultrasonic cleaners: they work great for diamonds and some of the harder gemstones, but there are several stones which should NOT be cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner.  These cleaners work by soaking the jewelry in a bath that then has high frequency sound vibrations passed through it.  These small but very intense vibrations literally shake the dirt off, but some stones can shatter.  We never use ultrasonic cleaners for emeralds, tanzanite or opals.

Now for the ‘old wives tales'.

Myth: toothpaste is good for cleaning jewelry.

Fact: this may be good advice for cleaning a diamond, but it doesn't apply to cleaning a diamond RING.  The abrasives in toothpaste are about a 4 on the hardness scale, which won't damage a diamond which is a 10.  However gold is only about a 3 or 3.5 on the hardness scale, which means you're going to dull the surface of the gold.  Also, many gemstones (emeralds, opals, tanzanite, pearls, coral) are right around or slightly lower than 7, and toothpaste will mark the surface of these gems.  Best idea: use toothpaste on your teeth.

Myth: store your OPALS in water.

Fact: There is some truth to this one, but it's a matter of degree.  Opals do contain water and, if they're kept someplace dry for a long time, they can begin to dry out.  You'll see it on the surface first with a dullness and even light crazing.  Your opals DO appreciate a little water now and again, but if you're wearing them regularly they'll get all they need from the occasional hand washing.  Once in a while it's a good idea to put a little oil on your opal - just the lightest touch of olive oil, or even just a little oil from your forehead - will seal the surface, fill in any surface imperfections and keep it looking beautiful.  So, you don't need to keep them WET, but they don't like to be too dry either.

Fact: there really isn't a myth portion to this one, but a good piece of advice when it comes to your PEARLS is this: they are the last thing you put on when getting dressed , and the first thing you take off when you get undressed. 

Here's why.  Pearls are made up calcium carbonate which reacts with the type of alcohol that's used in perfumes and hairsprays.  Those sprays will land on your pearls while you're getting ready and will pit the surface of the pearls, dulling them dramatically.  Once those things are on and dry (ie; the alcohol has evaporated), then you're fine to put on your pearls, they can't be harmed any more.  So, they are the last thing you put on before you go out the door, and they go back into their little storage pouch in your jewelry box when you're ready to undress.