Jewelry can last a lifetime, or longer. To guarantee perfect appearance, certain precautions must be taken when caring for your jewelry. Each individual piece should be treated like a personal treasure that can be passed on through generations. Read on to learn the correct way to wear, clean, and store your jewelry.

Wearing Jewelry

Always take off jewelry when doing physical tasks such as yard work, exercising, cleaning the house, or kitchen work. This prevents physical damage and exposure to chemicals or other liquids. Apply lotion, cosmetics, perfume, and hairspray before putting on your jewelry. These materials can contain harmful chemicals that might damage your jewelry. Remove jewelry before entering a swimming pool or hot tub. Chlorine can change the color of jewelry and physically damage it. Never bathe with your jewelry, as soap will create a film that can make the jewelry look drab.

Cleaning Jewelry

For pearls, immerse the jewelry in 1 teaspoon of laundry detergent mixed with 1 quart of water for 15 seconds. Dry with a soft cotton cloth. With gold, mix warm water with a couple of drops of mild dish detergent, and then clean with a soft-thistle toothbrush. Diamonds should be cleaned with warm soapy water and toothbrush. Do not scrub or use a normal cloth on sterling silver, instead, use a specialized silver polishing cloth. Damaged jewelry should not be cleaned; take it to a professional for repair.

Storage

Jewelry should be kept a secure location of your home. If you don’t want to use a jewelry box with a lock, you’ll want to hide your jewelry from plain sight in case of a break in. Keep an inventory of your jewelry so you always know what you have in case it is stolen or lost. Store necklaces separately to prevent tangling. Keep earrings in their own compartment and hang dangly sets. Bracelets can either be placed in a compartment or hung. In order to best prevent scratches, store jewelry in a fabric lined box separately. To avoid tarnishing, use silver anti-tarnish strips in your container.

Additional Tips

-Schedule regular inspections with a jeweler to extend the lifespan of your jewelry.

-Don’t try to repair jewelry yourself, as it can be easily damaged.

-Use a fabric or leather traveling case when on the go.

-Platinum should be repolished every two years. White gold should also be replated once every two years.