Cleaning Jewelry
In our many years of making jewelry and selling to the public, a frequent topic of discussion is jewelry maintenance. Although not an engrossing subject, without proper care, jewelry can suffer the same destructive fate a Mercedes Benz would without oil changes and the occasional tune-up.
It is important to keep jewelry clean mainly because jewelry lasts longer when it is clean. Dust in the air is mostly quartz (hardness of 7) and when jewelry is worn, dust, soaps, grease, dirt, etc. slowly accumulate and act as abrasives until washed off (if ever). Precious metals lose their polish, moving parts and prongs can be unduly worn and even gemstones known to be harder than quartz can be abraded and scratched.
A few types of gems are very delicate (for example: pearls, coral and lapis lazuli) and should be cleaned with professional care. Most other gems and jewelry can be cleaned with a soft-bristle toothbrush, mild liquid soap (NOT toothpaste!) and warm water. This, done a couple of times a week, is a great improvement over no cleaning at all.
To clean a piece inside and out requires the ultrasonic action used by jewelers. Available for approximately $90, these ultrasonic cleaners not only clean better than anything else, they also clean an item to the point where inspection can identify loose stones and other maintenance needs early - before major trauma occurs.
Clean jewelry is not only more beautiful, it will last longer as well. People seem to be more careful with jewelry when it looks better and, best of all, they enjoy wearing it more.
