Jewelry Care Guide

Jewelry requires careful maintenance to keep its brilliance and shine for a long time. As a result, we've created this Basic Jewelry Care Guide to direct you in the proper care of your jewelry. We hope that you'll find these guidelines helpful and if you have any further questions, contact us.

Basic Jewelry Care

All fine jewelry needs proper care. While certain pieces may need select care, most jewelry should be cared for using the following basics:

Fine Sterling Silver

You can avoid tarnish by wearing your jewelry often, as the oils on your skin will "clean" the silver and keep it looking shiny. But sterling silver will still become dull or darken with normal wear. This is because lotions, direct sunlight, soap, detergents, perfume, contact with household chemicals, salt water, chlorine in swimming pools, and even perspiration all take their toll on fine jewelry and tend to accelerate tarnishing. It's a good idea to take off your jewelry before applying creams and lotions. Gemstone settings can get clogged up with cream easily. To maintain silver’s white, we recommend using either a non-abrasive silver polishing cloth or a liquid silver cleaner.

For All Kinds of Gemstones on Jewelry

Certain precautions should be followed in caring for any piece of gemstone jewelry. These include avoiding: wearing during activities that will cause impact or abrasion (i.e. gardening, weight lifting, or sports), extreme temperatures (hot or cold), and contact with cosmetics, perfumes, or household chemicals. All stone settings should be examined regularly to ensure the stones are held securely.

Prongs in particular are vulnerable to bending or breaking during wear and can result in lost gemstones if not checked and repaired when necessary. Regularly wipe your precious stone jewelry with a clean, soft damp cloth after wearing, and take them off when you put on lotions and creams. If creams or lotions at the back of the stone make it look dull, a moist cotton bud can work miracles. Just make sure the metals are dried after. Please note that pearls and opals should be stored in fabric instead of plastic because they like to "breathe".

Do’s & Don’ts

• The following guidelines will help to ensure your fine jewelry remains beautiful for your lifetime and future generations:
• Examine your jewelry routinely for secure settings and clasps.
• Make sure your jewelry is properly sized.
• Do not use gold interchangeably. Gold cleaners should be used only for gold and silver cleaners only for silver.
• Avoid storing or wearing your gemstones and pearls in locations that receive extended exposure to sunlight.
• Avoid storing or wearing your silver jewelry in salty air.
• Never use paper towels to clean pearls or jewelry.
• Avoid home ultrasonic cleaners unless you are certain that it is appropriate for your gemstone or jewelry.

Remove jewelry when:

• Lifting weights or shoveling.
• Engaging in manual labor or hand-intensive chores.
• Cleaning the house or using harsh chemicals.
• Painting or refinishing furniture.
• Applying cosmetics such as lotion or perfume.
• Doing laundry.
• Bathing.
• Experiencing extreme cold, heat, or change.
• Between them.

Storage

• Store your jewelry in a container and prevent pieces from moving around. Keep your jewelry in a fabric-lined jewelry case, or in a box with compartments and dividers. If you prefer to use ordinary boxes, wrap each piece individually in soft tissue paper. We recommend you store your jewelry box in a dry, cool and secure location.