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Care and Cleaning of your Jewelry
Handling:
Be aware of tarnishing which may occur as a result of oxidation, caused by the
interaction of metal, silver or gold plated costume jewelry with certain elements such as
oxygen or sulfur as well as with certain acids.
Avoid wearing your jewelry while bathing or swimming.
Use lotions and perfumes before putting on your jewelry. Some solutions can discolor
gems.
Avoid contact with the following:
- Pool and sea water
- Hair spray
- Perfume
- Household cleansers
- Well water
Cleaning:
The safest technique for most jewelry is to rinse each piece in a solution of soapy warm
water. You can scrub each item with a very soft brush (if needed). Rinse with warm
water and lay the jewelry out to dry on a towel.
Invest in polishing cloths specifically for karat gold or sterling silver. Do not use paper
towels as they can scratch the metal.
For stones such as amber, bone, coral, horn, ivory, and pearls NEVER use ultrasonic
cleaners, as they will cause permanent damage to the beads. The same is true for
opals and turquoise, which are very soft semi-precious stones. When using an
ultrasonic cleaner, be sure to follow the directions.
Special care should be taken with pearls. They are much more fragile than most gem
stones. Clean pearls with a clean, dry, soft cloth after wearing them.
Always check the instructions on your jewelry cleaning solution before cleaning any
items with stones. Some stones, such as turquoise and freshwater pearls cannot be
placed in most jewelry cleaning solutions.
Storage:
Jewelry with semi-precious stones, crystals silver or gold can be placed in a Zip Lock®
bag for protection to prevent tarnishing.
Always store you jewelry separately to prevent pieces from scratching each other.
3M™ has Anti-Tarnish Strips which can be placed in the storage container to help
prevent tarnishing.
Silver Safekeeper jewelry boxes available on QVC are specially lined to keep silver
from tarnishing. The soft anti-tarnish lining prevents your silver jewelry from tarnishing
for up to 25 to 40 years with proper use, while also helping to keep your gold and
gemstone jewelry shiny and clean.
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