| Cleaning Your Fine Jewelry Our first
word of advice is that any time you would like any piece of jewelry
cleaned, please feel free to drop in and have the piece inspected for
excessive wear or damage and have it cleaned and adjusted if necessary.
It's a free service and we do it while you wait.
The other general rule is to stay away from chlorine bleach, hot tub
and over-chlorinated pools - take your jewelry off! Chlorine has been
found to break down the nickel in white gold and turn silver, well,
...yucky.
That said, there are some general times for specific types of jewelry.
Sterling Silver Jewelry
Sterling silver is very popular today due to it being perceived as
casual and its price modest. The downside of silver, and the one of the reasons
it has never been the metal of choice for most jewelers, is that silver
oxidizes (tarnishes). While this is occasionally desired in some jewelry
styles (antique Toldeo silver, for example), most people aren't quite
happy with the brown or black marks on their formerly bright, white metal.
Silver seems to polish itself as you wear it. Pieces that come in
constant contact with your skin or clothing usually looks nice and
bright. When you take a sterling piece off, try to store it in a
tarnish-preventive bag. Keep pieces separated - it scratches easily. It
can be regularly cleaned with warm soapy water, rinsed with water and
patted dry with a towel. When a piece gets really grungy looking, have
us clean it or purchase a silver "dip" cleaner and use a polishing cloth
- that usually restores the piece fairly close to its original luster.
Platinum
Well, the good news is that platinum is so pure that it will not
tarnish. The bad news for those who like their jewelry bright and shiny
is that platinum is easily scratched. If the piece is worn for some
time, it the scratches develop into a beautiful, rich patina - a brushed
finish that shows its glow in a subdued way. The only way to remove the
scratches, or patina, is to refinish the ring. Lucky for you, we do
that.
Gold
Most manufacturers recommend that gold jewelry be removed before
washing - I guess the soap scum that's found in showers probably stays
on jewelry as well. We all know what a pain it is getting bracelets and
anklets on and off so the convenience of just leaving it on is probably
worth it. A little warm water with a mild ammoniated solution scrubbed
with an old toothbrush will keep most gold jewelry cleaned. For some
pieces a ultrasonic cleaning is necessary - pieces like rope chain and
intricate woven pieces. Commercial gold cleaning solutions are available
for somewhat tarnished pieces, but please read the directions - some
gemstones should not be cleaned using those solutions.
Pearls
Cultured pearls are precious jewels and should be treated as such.
They're also the products of living creatures. Cultured pearls are
formed when an irritant is introduced into a mollusk which secretes a
substance called nacre which covers the irritant and produces the pearl.
Nacre gives pearls the rainbow of colors and luster that makes these
gemstones so treasured, but its delicate nature also makes pearls
particularly susceptible to damage.
Apply cosmetics, hair sprays
and perfume before putting on any pearl jewelry. When you remove the
jewelry, wipe it carefully with a soft cloth to remove any traces of
these substances, trying not to pull the beads. You can also wash your
pearl jewelry with mild soap and water. Do not clean cultured pearls
with any chemicals, abrasives or solvents. These substances can damage
your pearls. Place cultured pearl jewelry in a chamois bag or wrap them
in tissue when putting them away - other metal jewelry and gemstones can
damage the pearls.
Cosmetics, perspiration, oils and ordinary wear weaken and stretch the
silk cord on which the pearls are strung. When the knots are dirty or
the pearls shake from side to side it's time to have them restrung. Make certain the pearls are strung
with a knot between each pearl. This will prevent loss of pearls if the
cord should break.
Watches
Watches need the same amount of attention as fine jewelry. Most of
today's watches have a degree of water resistance - far more than most
wind-up watches. Because the crown (the part that was turned to wind the
watch) had to be easily manipulated, the case very rarely offered much
water resistance. Today's quartz watch movements are better suited to making the
cases more water resistant - no winding and only changing
the time twice a year allows manufacturers to virtually seal their cases
shut.
If you have a traditional wind watch, wind your watch in a clockwise
direction, preferably about the same time each day. Remove the watch
from your wrist when winding so as not to place undue pressure on the
stem.
No matter how handy you are, don't attempt "do-it-yourself" watch
repairs. Only an expert jeweler/watchmaker should be trusted to put your
watch back into working condition.
Give your watch a quick check on a regular basis, making sure that the
strap or bracelet is securely attached to the watch face. Replace broken
or scratched crystals immediately. Sometimes even a hairline crack can
let dust and moisture into the watch, which screws up the face of the
watch and may allow dust into the watch movement.
Unless the degree of water-resistance is clearly specified on your
watch, do not wear it into the shower, pool or spa.
When the watch stops, replace the battery. Cheaper watch batteries
can leak or corrode (you know, like the batteries in that flashlight under the sink)
ruining the timepiece. You can save the energy on a cell by pulling the
crown into the 'set'-position, but we recommend that only on newer
watches. Quartz watches have wheels in them like the old wind watches
and as they get older the watch circuit has to work harder to keep the
time accurate due to the oil drying out and getting gummy. If the watch
is stopped for six or eight months that oil may harden further and stop
the watch. For $5 it's worth it just to let the watch run. If the watch
matters to you, do not attempt to change the battery in a watch yourself
- there are things in there that will kill the watch if touched.
Oils from your skin can build up on a watch case or bracelet. If your watch is
water-resistant, you can give it a quick cleaning with a mixture of warm
water and either a mild soap or a dish detergent. Dry the watch with a
soft cloth after cleaning. If your watch has a strap made out of leather
or another material, you should clean only the watch face and not the
strap. If your watch is not water-resistant, or you're not sure, do not
immerse it in water. Clean the piece with a slightly damp cloth and then
dry.
|
