How to Care for Your Jewelry
Whether it’s fine jewelry, an antique heirloom, or even cheaper, costume jewelry, it’s important to take care of your jewelry. Jewelry is special, especially if it’s an extremely sentimental piece like an heirloom or you wedding band, and it’s only expected that you’ll want to wear it forever. However, like everything else you wear, jewelry is susceptible to wear and tear, even if you’re not wearing it daily. To help lengthen the lifespan of your jewelry, follow these simple tips on basic care.
Keep Your Jewelry in an Airtight Bag
While it may seem strange to put your jewelry in an airtight bag, especially if you have a nice jewelry box, it can help keep your jewelry in top condition. When jewelry is exposed to the environment things like moisture can cause it tarnish quickly. By placing your jewelry in a bag instead of leaving it exposed to the air and surfaces that have been chemically treated, you can lengthen the lifespan of your jewelry significantly.
Keep Your Jewelry Dry
While keeping your jewelry in an airtight bag will reduce its exposure to humidity, it’s still important to make sure you’re keeping your jewelry dry while you’re wearing. It may seem like a simple enough task, but it goes much further than just avoiding swimming pools, showers, and saunas while wearing your jewelry. You should also take of your jewelry before you apply anything to your body such as lotion, perfume, or even hairspray. It’s also a good idea to skip on wearing jewelry if you plan to sweat a lot, as it can also tarnish it.
Gently Clean Your Jewelry
It goes without saying that you should regularly wipe down your jewelry, but how you do it is important. Jewelry, especially gold, is highly susceptible to scratches. That means that if you use a rough material, such as a rag or toothpaste, you’ll risk scratching your precious jewelry. Instead, use a non-abrasive cloth designed specifically for jewelry. This will remove any debris or moisture without damaging your jewelry.
Protect Your Costume Jewelry
While you may want to skip this step for your fine jewelry, costume jewelry, especially cheap pieces that are prone to tarnishing and turning green, can be persevered with a simple thin coat of clear nail polish. This will keep out moisture and oils while also acting as a barrier between your skin and the metal.
Take Your Jewelry to a Professional for Repairs
Small cracks and areas of tarnishing will quickly grow if not taken care of as soon as possible. Wear and tear will occur naturally in your jewelry, especially if it is a piece you wear often. If you notice a damaged area on your jewelry, consider taking your jewelry to a professional such as Westwood Jewelers where trained experts will restore your jewel back to top condition, lengthening its lifespan and allowing you to enjoy it for many years to come. Westwood Jewelers is also trained to fix specialty pieces, such as watches.
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