How to take care of your handcrafted jewelry

Taking care of your jewelry can mean that you have beautiful pieces for some time. With just a little extra love and care you can maintain the beauty of all your jewelry.

Remember to take it off before bathing, cleaning and swimming. Some chemicals and harsh additives can destroy your jewelry such as chlorine and bleach. Abrasives can scratch and damage stones and metals. One good tip to remember is apply lotions and perfumes, etc. before you put on your jewelry. Another would be to wipe it with a 100% cotton cloth that is lint free before storage then store it in a zip lock bag can also keep it from tarnishing.

Don’t store pearls or opals in the sealed zip-lock bags. Both stones are sensitive to humidity and could be damaged from improper storage. It is best to keep pearl and opal jewelry in the soft cloth bags or wrap in tissue paper.

These bags and cloths also keeps it from contact with others pieces which can cause unwanted scratches and the loosing of stones. Always check for loose stones and fittings before wearing or cleaning your jewelry.

I have heard of using toothpaste, but never use toothpaste because it has abrasives. You can clean it with a mild soap and warm water. Then with a  soft bristle toothbrush just gently clean your jewelry. Allow it to dry completely before storing it back in the bag.

The greatest method to reduce tarnish is to wear you jewelry often. Our natural body oils helps keep fight against tarnishing. This is also great for pearls because our body oils can keep them from drying out. 
To remove tarnish on your Sterling Silver try this method which  is something you can easily do at home with

• glass dish,
• hot water
• aluminum foil
• baking soda

Place a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of a shallow dish.  Set the tarnished item directly on the aluminum foil. For this to work it has to come in  contact with the aluminum foil.
Heat a quart of water to boiling in a saucepan, then carefully and slowly add 1/4 cup baking soda. Be careful, because it could fizz up and spill over, So you may want to do this in the sink or a deep container. Now mix until the baking soda is dissolved. Pour the water into the dish until  you have covered the jewelry completely. The more tarnished the pieces the longer this process may take.

Jewelry cloths and liquids cleaners are also a popular cleaning item but before you purchase one - Read the cautions listed on the cloth. These cloths are chemically treated and can't be used on :

       Amber * Coral * Emarald * Ivory * Jadeite *  Lapis Lazuli * Malachite *  Opals * Pearls *

Remove 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.  You must be very careful 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.

 
You can also store your handmade jewelry  in a dry dark  place. Try to avoid  places with lots of moisture because this can cause jewelry to tarnish and corrode.  The less exposure to the light the better because this   can cause metals to tarnish and some stones, like turquoise to fade and loose it's beauty.

We also sell antique jewelry which we believe that you should take your items to a reputable jeweler to have them clean it for you. Special care must be taken because glues and stones can become loosened over time.

If you have tips or ideas on cleaning your handcrafted jewelry we'd love to hear from you.