Taking Care Of Your Jewelry
The main, if not sole purpose of all jewelry is to beautify and to complement its wearer. Jewelry should be visually appealing and attention-grabbing, which is why most are made out of either colorful or shiny materials. This is also the reason why gold, silver and platinum are often used in jewelry, especially diamond engagement rings. These precious metals are able to keep their beautiful lustre for a long time.
However, all materials, no matter how hard it may be, are susceptible to the elements. Metals oxidize and tarnish, and just like everything else, accumulate dirt. This is what causes jewelry to lose their shine. Even diamonds, once regarded as the hardest material on earth, isn’t invulnerable. Although it does not oxidize, it will lose its brilliance once dirt and oils stick to its surface. While some pieces of jewelry intentionally sport an “aged” look, wearing dull or tarnished jewelry is generally considered to be tacky.
Jewelry have to be cleaned once in a while in order to restore their appearance. It can be easy to remove dirt, oils and grime from non-metallic surfaces. Typically you will just need to brush it off using some warm water and soap. You can clean mounted or loose online diamonds on your jewelry this way. You will have to take extra care when cleaning other precious stones since these won’t be as hard as diamonds. Most of the time it will be enough to just wash them by hand. Those which are opaque in appearance like opals, agates, turquoise, lapiz lazuli and others can even be porous and should only be wiped clean by a wet cloth.
Real gold or high quality gold won’t tarnish easily, but will lose its polish overtime since the other metals mixed with the gold are still susceptible to tarnish. To get rid of the dirt, simply wash it in warm water with soap or dish washing liquid. Don’t use ammonia or other harsh chemicals as this can just damage your jewelry.
Silver, on the other hand, tarnishes easily, but there are a couple of household items you can use to clean it. You can brush your silver pieces with toothpaste, since it most brands contain baking soda, or dip them in a water and baking soda solution. Basically the idea is to use the baking soda to cause a chemical reaction on the surface of the jewelry to get rid of the tarnish. Be careful when cleaning silver with these chemicals as these can be quite abrasive when used in excess.