|
|
Caring for your Gold Jewelry: 4 Must-Know Tips
Whether you want to keep your new jewelry looking great or want to make a vintage piece shine like new, these tips will help you care for your gold jewelry.
Gold is a very durable metal, but it can lose its shine over time. In order to prevent this from happening to your most prized pieces, you need to follow these steps.
First, as much as you may love your gold jewelry, it's going to be easy to take good care of it if you don't wear it all the time. Many people make this mistake, particularly with earrings. If you have a favorite pair of gold studs or hoops, give them a rest at night.
There are a few different reasons why wearing your jewelry all of the time is a bad idea. Many personal care products can be damaging to the luster of gold. Your lotion, perfume, makeup and hair care products can harm your gold. Also, having the gold jewelry against your skin constantly will, over time, reduce the shine and harm the jewelry.
Secondly, you should avoid chlorine at all costs. Never wear your jewelry while cleaning with chlorine bleach. You should also remove jewelry when swimming. If you aren't absolutely sure that the cleanser you are using is chlorine free, remove your jewelry just to be safe. Many household cleaners have bleach in them, including ones that you wouldn't normally expect. Bleach can harm your gold jewelry because it oxidizes the metal. You can see evidence of oxidizing in gold jewelry that has turned black.
Third, you need to clean your gold jewelry correctly and often. Inspect your jewelry from time to time to see if it needs to be cleaned. Use a jewelry cleaning product and a brush with soft bristles. You probably don't need to buy a special jewelry cleaning brush. A soft toothbrush will work just fine. Rinse your jewelry in warm water after scrubbing it with your brush. If your piece has a lot of tarnish, consider visiting a jeweler instead of trying to clean the jewelry yourself.
Finally, the best way to care for your jewelry is to store it properly. Jewelry that is just thrown in a drawer will tarnish faster than pieces that are properly stored. Keep diamond jewelry separate from your other pieces because diamonds are so hard that they can actually scratch and nick gold.
Invest in a jewelry box with separate compartments for all of your jewels. Alternatively, you could wrap each piece in tissue paper or have small bags for each piece of jewelry.
With these tips, you'll be able to store and clean your jewelry correctly so that it stays looking beautiful for years to come.
|
 |
Please Rate: |
|
Rating: |
 Processing ... |
(Average: Not rated) |
| Views: | 13 | |
|
| More Articles from Society and Culture | | |
| Top Articles in Society and Culture | | |
|
