Keeping the Spark Alive: Caring For Your Jewelry
We all know that jewelry is a personal expression that says a lot about you and your style. You don’t want that message to be anything less than dazzling. Caring for your fine jewelry will not only extend its life well into the heirloom-passed-down-from-my-grandmother stage, but it will keep it looking new and fresh. Just like your marriage takes work to, well, work, so does your jewelry box. Waiting for something bad to happen to inspire you to start a maintenance regime is not the best plan. You wouldn’t do that for your marriage; why would you do that for the ring that represents it?
Keeping your jewelry in impressive condition starts with prevention. I don’t wear my wedding rings when I clean with chemicals. Aside from the fact that it doesn’t fit well under cleaning gloves, the bigger issue at play here is that I don’t want my ring to be damaged. Gold alloys (which means all yellow and white gold jewelry that isn’t 24 karat) are particularly harmed by chlorine bleach. Bleach can cause pitting, which is basically a collection of small pin point holes and craters. This can dull the shine and luster of gold jewelry. It’s not just household cleaners to consider. Before jumping into a chlorinated pool, take a moment to set your wedding band and other fine jewelry aside. Even everyday items like hairspray and perfumer and aerosol sunblock or deodorant, can contain chemicals that are not altogether jewelry-friendly. I like to put all of my jewelry on last when I’m getting ready in the morning; it’s the final touch, like the icing on the cake. Your diamond studs will probably not get enough hairspray exposure to damage them in the long run, but that hairspray will definitely gunk up the surface of your stones and make them look dull. This is the same reason that I NEVER put on hand lotion while wearing my wedding rings. All that lotion gets into the delicate milgrain work and around the center diamond. Not a good look.
If your jewelry has any colored or organic gems (notably, pearls), you’ll want to be extra careful with light and heat exposure. Now, don’t start panicking because you wore your pearl jewelry to chaperone the zoo field trip with your kids and spent the day in the beating sun. This is more about long-term repeated exposure, like you left your strand of pearls on the backyard patio table for half the summer. The heat and light work in different ways and cannot only alter the color and appearance of stones (amber gets darker for example, while opal gets bleached out or loses some of its color refraction), but also the condition. Pearls take an especially hard hit from too much light and heat exposure. Excessive exposure dries out the lustrous nacre that gives pearls their well-known look. The nacre can crack, ruining the pearl.
The best way to care for your jewelry is regular cleaning. Reducing your jewelry’s exposure to light, heat, and chemicals are all solid ideas, but even with great intentionality, your rings and other pieces will still get dirty. Small ultrasonic cleaners can be purchased for in-home use, but they are not appropriate for all pieces of jewelry. I always take my rings to my most trust local jeweler (Andre’s Fine Jewelers in Brighton, MI, for those in the metro Detroit area). Not only is my wedding set (and other pieces of jewelry) cleaned in the safest and most effective manner, but the jewelers there inspect my jewelry. Long before I, the customer, see a problem, a skilled jeweler can notice the signs of wear or damage. This expertise is invaluable in detecting problems before they are problems. A good jeweler will also clean and inspect your jewelry at no cost, so you’re not out anything by having the professionals take care of your jewelry.
But let’s face it: making a trip to the jewelry store is not always practical. In those times, it’s important to know how to clean your jewelry at home. According to the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), the most-trusted authority on diamonds and gemstones, the easiest ways to clean your jewelry at home are also the safest. A soft brush and mild dish soap is the best combination. They also made a brilliant recommendation for rinsing off your jewelry: rinse your pieces in a glass of clean water. That way you won’t risk dropping a loose stone (or dropping your whole ring) down the sink. I can attest to the brilliance of this plan. I was cleaning a diamond pendant over my bathroom sink several years ago. I definitely dropped it and watched in horror as it slipped down the drain. One messy plumbing escapade later, I had a dismantled elbow bend, but I also had my necklace back. Learn from my mistakes; don’t give your wedding rings a chance to go for a swim in your plumbing.
The importance of caring for your jewelry, especially your treasured wedding band, cannot be overstated. Your wedding ring and your anniversary band, if you have one, say a lot about your life. They shout to the world that you are happily living life with your soulmate. Maintaining the beauty and life of your jewelry is just one more way to bring honor to your spouse and your marriage. Caring for what they’ve given you speaks to how you value and care for them. Make sure your gold stays polished and your diamonds sparkling.
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