Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Simple Way to Clean Your Jewellery

By Anita Hale


Do you spend a lot of money on jewellery? If you do, then it makes sense to know the proper way to look after it. It's really not that hard if you follow these simple steps. This will help you to maintain your rings, bracelets and necklaces and keep them looking lovely.

For starters, virtually all jewellery will shows affects from wear over time. Sadly, this is unavoidable. But don't despair, it is possible to significantly reduce this damage by reducing the situations in which you decide to wear your jewellery. For instance, you should remove necklaces, rings and bracelets prior to bedtime. This will counteract occasional scuffing. Sweat is known to cause discoloration in many metals. Therefore it's always best to remove accessories when doing sport. Nail polish remover, perfume and hairspray can all contain chemical contaminants that can damage jewellery. That's why it's best to ensure these don't have physical contact with your favourite bracelets and rings.

And now let's focus on oxidised metals. These have recently become more prevalent in jewellery design. It basically is a treatment that metal undergoes to make it look black. However, it also requires additional care to maintain this appearance. Chlorine is particularly bad for oxidised metals and gold and silver. To avoid damage, never wear your jewellery in the swimming pool. Also, never be tempted to use silver polish on oxidised metals or pearls because this will reduce the darkened effect.

For jewellery not made from oxidised metals you will want to ensure that this doesn't take place. Sulphur compounds can lead to oxidation and tarnishing and these are found in mustard, air pollution and selected types of rubber. Tarnishing will cause metal to discolor. That is why it's important to keep silver jewellery away from such agents that contain these compounds.

If your jewellery does get tarnished you can treat it with some special silver polish. But such agents should be used in moderation. It has been found that some of these are abrasive and might harm silver more deeply. For day-to-day cleaning try a simple silver polishing cloth. In order to get rid of dirt, soapy water will do the trick. And a toothbrush is good for getting into the fiddly little embellishments of some lavish pieces.

To finish, it's worth mentioning that purer metals are far less scratch resistant due to their softness. For instance, high quality gold is very soft and prone to marking. Those that are less pure are mixed with a larger density of alloys. This consequently renders them harder and more solid. This is why you should never where mixed metals next to each other. It would be very easy for a cheap ring to scratch a lovely gold ring on the finger next to it.




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