How to take care of jewelry?

Jewelry is precious things. They need special careful handling. Constant active wear combined with aggressive external factors leads to the fact that an expensive item can lose its pristine appearance. Jewelry care requires a special approach – you need to start with the basic rules, removing jewelry before going to the gym or for a jog. They also do not like high humidity, which is in the sauna and bath. In addition, detergents (in particular with abrasives) are certainly not able to favorably affect precious metal and stones.

The above treatment is not enough. All the same, as a result of the influence of the external environment and aggressive factors, jewelry can lose its luster. Cosmetics, sun rays, household chemicals, moisture and even air – all this negatively affects jewelry.

In addition, jewelry deteriorates as a result of mechanical action. Small scratches appear on them, which leads to the fact that the metal loses its beautiful shine. Cosmetics also provoke the appearance of stains on the metal surface. Gold does not like alkali. Silver can deteriorate even from contact with air. It contributes to the darkening and oxidation of the metal.

In addition, stones during heating become a real magnet for grease and dust, so the glare of light will not play on the cut. Some species do not tolerate the sun's rays well – amethyst, topaz, and pearls. As a result of this exposure, they may lose their color. Also fragile stones (emerald or chrysolite) may suffer as a result of a fall or a strong blow.

Depending on the specific precious metal, the jewel requires special handling. If you want to keep the jewel in its original form, then our jewelry care memo with useful practical tips will be useful to you.

How to care for jewelry made of gold

Gold is the most popular precious metal. It is resistant to a variety of aggressive factors. But still, over time, such jewelry may lose its luster and attractiveness. In this situation, special care for gold is required, which consists in the following

· always, when removing jewelry, wipe them with a microfiber cloth (suede fabric or flannel will also work);

· at home, you can clean the thing from minor impurities with soap and ammonia – to prepare a solution for 1 tbsp. water, add up to 10 drops of ammonia, after cleaning, rinse the product with running water and dry it.

If you are interested in caring for a gold ring or any other product with sufficiently strong impurities, then in this situation it is best to soak the product for the whole day in a solution of ordinary dishwashing detergent diluted with water. Please note that the composition of the presented household chemicals should not contain substances that spoil gold.

Onion juice will help to restore the lost luster to the decoration. If you rub gold with it, then after a couple of hours it will shine better. After that, it is enough to rinse the jewel with water and dry it.

Rules for the care of silver

To know the rules of how to care for silver, it is necessary for everyone who has jewelry made of this metal, since the presented products are most susceptible to loss of luster, in comparison with other various valuable metals. Silver jewelry needs more frequent care.

It is best to clean this product with a thick soft cloth – the best option would be a flannel cloth or microfiber. It is not necessary to use aggressive means, as they can damage the decorative coating applied to the decoration itself.

If there is a plaque on the jewelry, then to eliminate it, you need to put the jewelry in a soap solution, and then wipe it with a thick soft cloth, after dropping a little ammonia on it. Upon completion of care, you need to rinse the silver under running water and dry it. Keep in mind that this cleaning option is NOT SUITABLE for jewelry with blackening.

If you do not want to risk the beautiful appearance of silver jewelry, it is best to use special jewelry cosmetics – professional cleaning products.

Practical recommendations for the care of jewelry with jewelry enamel

The next most popular search are ways to clean jewelry with jewelry enamel. The presented jewelry attracts with its unique design, but at the same time they need special treatment.

In order for the decorative coating not to lose its attractive appearance and brightness, it is necessary to adhere to certain recommendations:

· Enamel is a thin layer of glass that is very sensitive to mechanical influence. If you drop the product, hit something hard, the coating may crack or break off.

· Do not allow direct sunlight to fall on the products and do not expose them to temperature fluctuations. Otherwise, the enamel will lose its saturation or be covered with microcracks.

· Protect jewelry from chlorine, acids and alkalis. In simple words, you should not use household chemicals when you are wearing these jewelry. Cosmetics and salt water can also damage the enamel.

· These items should be stored separately from jewelry made of other metals.

In general, there is no way to restore enamel on silver at home. This can only be done by professionals, so it is best to prevent serious damage by proper storage.

As for the cleaning of the products themselves, they should be washed in a cool solution of water and a few drops of ammonia. You can remove dirt with a soft brush and tooth powder. After the product is cleaned under running water and dried.

Recommendations for proper storage of jewelry

In order for jewelry to retain its attractiveness for a long time, it is necessary to know not only the rules of care for jewelry, but also how to store them correctly. Even when you don't wear the products on yourself, they can deteriorate. In this situation, you need to follow several recommendations:

· store jewelry in a separate jewelry box (from the inside it should be finished with a soft material), placing them separately from each other;

· so that things do not touch, you can shift them with organza or microfiber cloths.

If you have jewelry with semi-precious inserts, then they should also be put in a jewelry box, since the sun's rays can change their color. At the same time, the box itself should stand away from heat sources – not on the windowsill and certainly not next to the radiator and other things.

Do I need to give jewelry for professional cleaning

Every year it is worth taking professional care of jewelry – to give these things to a jeweler for cleaning. In this situation, the specialist will use special compositions that are suitable for a particular metal and stones. To restore the shine to the metal, a small polishing is often carried out with washing in a ultrasonic bath. But this procedure is not suitable for all products.

Taking care of jewelry with precious stones from a jeweler allows not only to return the products to their original appearance, but also a specialist checks the reliability of fastening the stones to prevent them from falling out. Despite the many home recipes, cleaning with the help of special jewelry cosmetics, which can be bought in the appropriate stores, still gives the best result.