Jewellery Care
Storage of Your Jewellery Keep silver jewellery out of the air and light when stored to prevent tarnishing. A protective jewellery pouch, a lined box or just wrapping in tissue or soft cloth are all suitable.Each piece of jewellery should be stored in a separate compartment to prevent scratching as a result of pieces knocking together. Gem-set jewellery will undoubtedly contain gemstones which are harder than silver and will therefore scratch the surface of the silver if allowed to jangle together. This holds true for gold as well. General Care in Wear Treat your jewellery with loving care and respect and it will stay young looking - like most women. Washing Up, Spring Cleaning or DIY? Remove your jewellery when carrying out cleaning or other chores. Cleaning fluids can dammage both the metal and the gemstones. A mis-hit with the hammer could end a beautiful relationship with not just your engagement ring. Going out? Remember to put your jewellery on after applying make-up and the hairspray and avoid contact with perfume. Going swimming? Remove all jewellery before entering a chlorinated pool. If you're contemplating a sauna, remove all jewellery as it will burn you when it heats up. Many gemstones are damaged by prolonged exposure to heat. Going on holiday? Most of us come off the beach on the first day with the 3 s's all achieved - rings caked in sand, sea-salt and suntan lotion.Nude sunbathing, as far as silver and gold jewellery is concerned, is a must!Remember also that sand will scratch the surface of precious metals. Tour de France or Running the Marathon? Sweat will not enhance your jewellery and no-one will be looking at it anyway. What is Silver? Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and is sometimes referred to as "pure silver". The remaining 7.5% is usually copper but can be other metal and is used to give this precious metal strength and durability. Silver which is 99.9% silver is too soft to be practical for most day to day uses. Generally, the higher the silver content the brighter or whiter the metal but beware of antiqueing effects that can make a piece of sterling silver jewellery or decorative silverware look dark.Sterling silver will tarnish over time and oxidisation (moisture from the air or skin acids reacting with the copper) will casue the silver to go black. With care and regular cleaning sterling silver can be restored to its "good as new" sparkling condition. How Do I Clean Silver? Natural body oils, soap and regular daily dust can build up on your jewellery.A mild soap in water is usually enough to clean it. If gem-set, use a soft toothbrush to gently clean the surfaces of the gemstones. Remember the backs!Gently pat the jewellery dry. Do not use tissue or anything other than a jewellery cleaning cloth to polish your jewellery as unseen tiny hard fibres will scratch the surface.If more serious cleaning is required, then use a good jeweller's rouge or jewellery cleaning dip. However, if your silver is gem-set see (link to the the relevant section) for that gemstone to be sure of what is safe to use. Some cleaners which are ideal for sterling silver may be too harsh for the set gemstone.Ultrasonic cleaners are not recommended. They can dammage pearls and gem-set jewellery. How Durable is My Gemstone Jewellery? First of all a note about the hardness and therefore relative durability of gemstones. To measure hardness, the jewelry industry uses the Mohs scale. This gem-trade standard, conceived by Friedrich Mohs in 1812, measures the ability of a gem or mineral to resist abrasion damage. Diamond at 10 is the hardest whereas talc at 1 is the softest. Popular gemstones like amethyst and citrine register 7 whereas rubies and sapphires register 9.Most substances your jewellery is likely to come into contact with will be around 7 on Mohs scale so any gemstone with a hardness higher than 7 is unlikely to scratch.Precious metals (silver, gold and platinum) are quite low on the Mohs scale - less than 4.5 - and will scratch. How Do I Clean Semi-Precious Gemstones? Turquoise Mohs scale 5-6
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