Friday, February 1, 2013

Jewellery Cleaning

By Anita Hale


So you've spent a month's wages on the most beautiful piece of jewellery you've ever seen. All you want to do is wear it for everyone to see and show it off as much as possible. However, there are some basic guidelines when it comes to looking after your jewellery that everyone should be aware of. After all, the last thing you'd want is to shorten the shelf life of your beloved bracelet or necklace.

To begin with, more or less all jewellery will suffer from abrasions over time. This is an inescapable reality. But don't despair, it's still possible to substantially minimize this deterioration by cutting down on when and where you wear your jewellery. For example, you need to detach rings, bracelets, and necklaces before going to bed. This is because we never lie still in our sleep and it's easy to mark or scratch your jewellery without even being aware of it. Sweating can also cause discolouration of most metals. This is why it's a big no no to wear jewellery while playing sports. Added to that, it's not practical to use gym equipment if you have rings or bracelets on as these could easily get damaged. Additional chemical contaminants you need to avoid are present in hairspray, nail polish remover and perfume. So best be careful when using these around your jewellery.

Now let's have a look at oxidised jewellery. You may not recognise the name, but you've probably seen such pieces for sale. Oxidised metals have been specially treated to create a darkened or sometimes black appearance. Both oxidised metals and gold must be kept well away from chlorine. Oxidised metals and pearls can also become discoloured when cleaned with silver polish.

On the flip side, jewellery that isn't oxidised must be carefully looked after to prevent this from occurring. This is because oxidation brings about tarnishing and staining in metal. Such tarnishing can take place should sulphur compounds come into contact with your jewellery. These are present in air pollution, certain types of rubber and some detergents.

It is possible to remove tarnishing with silver polish but you must be very careful. Some silver polishes are particularly abrasive and this can lead to further damage of your jewellery. Look for recommended brands and use them very frugally to avoid any upset. If you are more concerned with the regular upkeep of your jewellery then you need not worry. A simple silver polishing cloth will usually do the trick. Likewise, warm water and soap are all that is needed to remove dirt.

And finally, always remember that the purer the metal the softer it is likely to be. This is why precious metals such as gold are so valuable and thus are more prone to scratching. Lower purity metals have been mixed with high density alloys and this makes them harder and more rugged. However, this also means that it is dangerous for mixed metals to come into contact with each other. So be careful when wearing different kinds of bracelets and rings next to each other.




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