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Care for your jewelry, keep it clean and ready to wear, gently wipe off excess make-up and skin oils after each wearing. Use a smooth, 100% cotton cloth, gently wipe the piece clean by hand. Store in jeweler's tissue or a soft bag.
To prolong sterling silver from tarnishing, wrap in jeweler's tissue paper and place it inside a plastic zip lock bag and seal.
Keep in mind when you clean sterling silver it is a very soft metal and can easily be scratched by a fingernail or object pushed roughly against it's surface. It's best to use one of the following methods to clean heavier soils and tarnish:
To remove fingerprints, light grease or dirt, add a small amount of mild liquid soap to a half cup of warm water, soak 2-3 minutes, rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry completely before storing in an air tight plastic bag.
TAKE CAUTION when using any soaking method to clean jewelry that has soft stones such as amber, lapis lazuli, or turquoise. Extended soaking in any solution may harm the polish on the stone.
To remove excessive tarnish, polish with a 100% cotton cloth and a quality nonabrasive jewelry cleaner. Be sure to remove any remnants of the cleaner from gemstones and rinse thoroughly with clean water.
When caring for your jewelry, never use anything but 100% cotton as a polishing cloth. Paper, polyester, and coarse fabrics often contain wood fibers or syntheticswhich may impart fine scratches, especially on sterling silver.
Care of Fine Jewelry
Always remove your rings and fine jewelry before using any product that contains BLEACH! Bleach can cause gold and other metal alloys to breakdown leaving the metal irreparably damaged. This includes swimming pools and bathing in hot tubs as chlorine products are added to prevent bacteria growth.
When using jeweler's cloths to keep your jewelry clean and shiny, be sure to use fresh cloths since the dirt and grit left on the cloth from a previous use can leave scrapes and pits in the piece you are trying to clean and polish.
Never use TOOTHPASTE or other abrasives to clean metal or stones. This is NOT an acceptable method of caring for your jewels. The abrasives can damage the surface of the metal requiring the skill of a professional to buff and refinish. Toothpaste will also scuff the surface of amber, lapis, turquoise and other stones leaving the natural shine dull and damaged.
Ultrasonic cleaners are great for cleaning some jewelry (all metal), however, they may damage many gemstones. The chemicals in ultra sonic cleaners are not recommended for pearls and many other fine stones. Repeated use over time can loosen the settings and result in lost stones.
Common Chemicals & Solutions to Avoid
Chlorine bleach, denatured alcohol, turpentine, acetone, and ammonia may all dull or pit the surface on soft gemstones. Petroleum based products may "melt" amber if allowed to remain in contact for an extended period of time. They also can do significant damage to pearls.
Gems Requiring TLC
Opals require special care. Never use an ultrasonic, never use chemicals and avoid heat. Don't expose opals to direct sunlight it can dry out the water in opals which could cause hazing and/or color change.
Pearls. Protect from scratches; perfumes and household chemicals which can wear away the nacre and/or cause color change.
Soft stones like lapis, malachite, turquoise, amber and opals can easily be scratched protect them by wrapping in jeweler's tissue and storing separately.
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