Jewelry is more than just an accessory; it holds a special place in our hearts and lives. Whether it’s a gift celebrating a milestone, a cherished family heirloom, or an aspirational style statement, each piece carries significant monetary or sentimental value. Treating your jewelry with the care it deserves ensures that its beauty and meaning endure for generations.
To help you keep your jewelry looking as shiny and polished as when you first had it, here are some jewelry care tips from Minddha’s jewelry experts. In this ultimate jewelry care guide by Minddha, we’ll take you through the proper ways to care for different types of jewelry, including:
- Fashion jewelry care tips
- Stones and gold jewelry care tips
- Gold plated jewelry care instructions
Let’s get started.
1. Take Your Jewelry Off Whenever Necessary
It’s best to remove your jewelry before applying lotion or body oil. This helps minimize the accumulation of grime, which can impact your jewelry’s sheen and brilliance.
We also recommend removing your jewelry during strenuous activities like sports or even when cleaning. Cleaning chemicals, in particular, often contain acids and other elements that can damage your jewelry.
Additionally, taking off jewelry also helps prevent scratches and any other physical damage, ensuring it stays in pristine condition.
Also, take off your jewelry before taking a swim or indulging in a hot tub. The chlorine in these can break down the alloy metals in your jewelry. Rings with prong settings may also lose precious stones this way.
We recommend rinsing your jewelry with water if it comes in contact with chlorine or any other chemicals.
2. Organize and Store Properly
When your jewelry pieces are off duty, ensure you store them in roomy and velvet-lined organizers to prevent tangling and scratching. Cramping them in small boxes will cause them to jumble and make it harder to sort them.
Make sure your organizers have enough slots for your jewelry and organize them based on type, material, or frequency of use.
Remember, a diamond stone rubbing against another diamond could result in scratches. Pearls are also easily scratched by gemstones, so ensure to store them separately.
Keep your jewelry and jewelry storage away from sunlight, excessive heat, or moisture. Choose a cool, dry place like a drawer or shelf in your room away from the window or humidifier.
3. Check Regularly for Any Damage or Signs of Wear
Your jewelry, whether made with precious gems or crafted as fashion jewelry, requires regular checking. This enables you to spot if it has developed any blemishes, damage, or wear and tear that needs professional fixing or cleaning.
Look out for damaged or missing claws, loose stones in their setting, any fracture of the metal, loose threads for pearls, jewelry that needs re-sizing, and any loosening or damage in locks, chains, and clasps.
Neglecting or failing to clean regularly may cause gold or silver jewelry pieces to lose their luster. Diamonds and other precious stones also need attention and care to preserve their quality, brilliance, and overall beauty.
4. Clean Them Properly and Safely
Do not use an abrasive solution or cloth when cleaning your jewelry, as the friction can cause damage. Instead, for DIY cleaning, use warm water, mild detergent or dish soap, and a soft, lint-free cloth. These are enough to cleanse necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets, and rings.
A soft-bristled toothbrush may also be useful for cleaning jewelry with hard-to-reach parts, such as rings with filigree design, complex stone settings, and tiny stones.
Do let them dry before storing them to avoid moisture, which could tarnish some metals like silver and copper.
We recommend taking your pieces to professional jewelry cleaners if you want a deep clean or if your jewelry is a bit tricky to clean.
5. Avoid Potential Impact
Be proactive and keep your jewelry away from any possible impact that may cause it to be knocked off — we’re talking about things like playing sports or lifting heavy objects. Some jewelry pieces have delicate settings such as prong and tiffany, making them prone to falling off upon strong impact.
The impact from hard objects can cause physical damage to your jewelry and could also weaken its structural integrity and design. Ensure you keep your jewelry out of the way when involved in intense activities, especially those involving hard tools and objects.
Love and Longevity
Jewelry pieces, like humans, shine longer when they are valued and cared for. You can make your collection or even a single piece of jewelry as beautiful and impressive as when you first wore it. Invest in high quality storage and organizers and use only gentle cleansers to keep them in best shape.
We also recommend you buy jewelry only from trusted makers who can provide you with premium quality pieces that can last many years with minimal maintenance.
