For many women and men, pieces of jewelry possess emotional value. These shiny accessories make a statement and accentuate an outfit. Furthermore, family heirlooms often carry sentimental value. To ensure your Jewelry retains its shine for a long time, proper care plays an important role. Especially with real jewelry, gentle cleaning is required so that chains, rings, or bracelets do not lose their luster.
What is important in jewelry care?
Whether subtle or extravagant – jewelry enhances every look. For many people, it is part of their everyday outfit. Just like their wedding ring, they do not take off their bracelets or anklets. When they put on their favorite pieces of jewelry, these symbolize elegance and style. Owners guard real jewelry in particular – for example, a gold ring – like a treasure. They pass it on to their children or grandchildren. Therefore, memories are often attached to these valuable accessories. To keep your jewelry in good condition, special care utensils are used. In addition, individual jewelry storage is considered sensible to protect chains, bracelets, and rings from dirt and impact. Whether you choose real or costume jewelry – both variants consist of different materials. In addition to real gold and silver jewelry, platinum pieces have a high value. Manufacturers make fashionable accessories, for example, from plastic, inexpensive metals, and decorative stones. These appear as sparkling rhinestones, glass stones, or zirconia.
For all types of jewelry, jewelry boxes or cases prove useful for storing these treasures. Providers line the caskets with velvet or silk. For rings, velvet ring rails are usually available. If you keep your treasures in a jewelry box, you prevent scratches and damage to them. In the individual jewelry compartments, the pieces have enough space to prevent, for example, the chains from tangling. In addition, the boxes are suitable for transporting these beautiful accessories.
Generally, it helps to store jewelry in a dark and cool place. In heat, many materials take on a brittle structure and break over time. You should also prevent moisture from reaching the accessories. Wetness threatens to tarnish silver jewelry. With pieces made of inexpensive metals, rust marks may appear. If there are black spots on your jewelry, they are signs of neglected care or improper storage.
Tips against jewelry tarnishing
Especially silver and metal jewelry show blue to black spots after prolonged wear. These often transfer to the wearer's skin. These are tarnished areas. They arise when the jewelry comes into contact with body or skin care products. These contain sulfurous substances that trigger a chemical reaction. The same happens when certain household chemicals touch the accessories. These also tarnish during wear. This results from body sweat and chlorine-containing water that touches rings or chains.
If you place the jewelry on cotton wool, the fluffy material accelerates tarnishing. With real gold and silver jewelry, tarnished spots accumulate with open jewelry storage. Therefore, you should not place the pieces on the bedside table or an unprotected jewelry stand. To remove the black tarnish, jewelry cleaning with special cleaning agents helps. Alternatively, you can prevent the chemical process.
This works by keeping the jewelry away from contact with cosmetics and chemical substances. Therefore, avoid having the following products come into contact with your favorite accessories:
- Alcoholic cosmetics,
- Creams and lotions,
- Hairspray,
- Powder,
- Deodorants,
- Nail polish,
- Perfume,
- Sunscreen,
- all cleaning agents.
In addition, you should take off your jewelry in certain situations. When bathing and showering, remove rings from your fingers to avoid unpleasant water spots on the material. Especially with hard water, white residues form, which leave scratches in silver or inexpensive metal when removed. When visiting a swimming pool, you should refrain from wearing the jewelry so that it remains protected from chlorinated water. In the sauna and during sports, there is heavy perspiration. The sweat causes the treasures to tarnish.
The same happens when sunbathing. If you also apply sunscreen, its ingredients may accelerate the discoloration of your favorite jewelry. If you swim in the sea, you should store costume jewelry and fake jewelry in your hotel room. Due to the salty seawater, they are subject to severe damage. With real jewelry, seawater in small doses provides a cleaning effect. If there are gemstones on rings or chains, take them off before bathing. Opals and pearls in particular are considered highly sensitive and can become contaminated through contact with salt water.
Basically, it helps against the dulling and tarnishing of your jewelry to put it on after styling, doing your hair, and applying makeup. If you apply hand cream several times a day, remove rings before skin care. Wait until the cream is absorbed before putting the accessories back on. Despite good care, your favorite jewelry may still tarnish. To remove the black spots, there is a simple trick.
Line a plastic bowl with aluminum foil and fill the container with warm water. Add a tablespoon of salt to the liquid. Then place your jewelry in the bowl so that it touches the silver foil. Wait several minutes before taking the pieces out of the plastic bowl and rinsing them under running water. Rub off the last film of moisture with a soft cloth. Afterward, you will benefit from gold and silver jewelry that shines like new.
Closed containers are suitable for jewelry storage
Especially with real jewelry and pieces with gemstones, protection against environmental influences is important. For this reason, closed containers are suitable for keeping the treasures safe from dirt, dust, sunlight, and moisture. In addition, gold and silver often react to oxygen, so discoloration is a risk. If you have the jeweler's original packaging for your favorite jewelry, it proves useful as a jewelry box. These are usually hinged boxes that contain a soft base for the real jewelry.
Alternatively, wrap the pieces in soft fabric and place them in a larger casket or a small plastic bag. A jewelry box is a good choice. It impresses with its elegant and compact design. Furthermore, it provides various storage options for different pieces of jewelry. For example, there are separate compartments for your rings, earrings, and chains.
Cleaning and care tips for your jewelry
Skin flakes, dust, and dirt settle on the jewelry and get stuck in its links. If you wear the accessories frequently, discoloration occurs faster than with pieces worn rarely. For delicate real jewelry, specialty shops and jewelers offer gentle cleaning. Alternatively, you can purchase a gold or silver bath in stores.
