Jewelry is more than fashion. A properly maintained jewelry collection can be an asset. The gold lockets I have made are now worth at least twice what customers paid in gold weight alone. Your fine jewelry, art jewelry and even your costume jewelry can grow in value over time when it is properly maintained and cared for.The manner of care depends on what metal and gemstones are contained in the jewel in question.
First, I urge jewelry lovers NOT to purchase ultrasonic cleaners or chemicals labelled as jewelry cleaning and polishing agents. These can do more harm than good. In most cases, a discarded toothbrush, gentle dish soap and warm water are all you need to clean your jewelry at home. The following are some do's and don'ts of jewelry care at home.
Gold and Platinum:
Gold and platinum jewelry can be cleaned at home with warm water, gentle dish soap and a soft toothbrush. Gently brush the article with the soapy toothbrush.
Avoid: using conventional polishing cloths and compounds as they remove layers of the precious metal. To remove deep scratches, bring jewelry to your local jeweler, or contact me and I can clean, sand (if needed,) and buff out the scratches. Dented rings can also typically be restore to their original shape and finish.
Never: Expose gold or platinum jewelry to harsh chemicals, including sanitizing cloths containing bleach. Contrary to common wisdom, gold is not impervious to oxidation if it is exposed to harsh chemicals. Bleach can oxidize gold and make it difficult to restore its original luster.
Silver:
Silver jewelry should be cleaned the same way as gold: with warm water, gentle dish soap and a soft toothbrush. Use the softest toothbrush you can find in order to avoid scratching your metal. On most silver jewelry, it is ok to use a commercial polishing cloth, like the yellow sunshine cloths I send with silver orders.
Avoid: Using polishing cloths on hand engraved jewelry and oxidized black silver jewelry- it will polish away the patina.
Never: I advise against using chemical silver polish, such as TarnX. They tend to turn the silver white and then it can be very difficult to restore a polished finish to the jewelry. These chemicals are also unsafe to handle without gloves, and it is inappropriate to rinse them down the sink. Consult the Material Safety Data Sheet for chemical cleaners so that you can use them safely and in a way that protects the environment.
Diamond Jewelry:
Brushing your diamond jewelry under warm water with dish soap will restore the brilliance of diamonds that is so easily hindered by grease and grime.
Bring diamond jewelry to your jeweler once every year to be inspected. Over time diamond jewelry usually needs prong re-tipping, prong replacement. Most jewelers offer guarantees against loss of diamonds if their diamond jewelry is brought in for inspection every one to two years. Consult the jeweler you purchased from on their policy. Usually cleaning and polishing is included in their service guarantee.
Wedding rings will need to have the bottom of the shank partially replaced after many years of wear. I estimate re-shanking is needed about every 20 years, especially for ladies engagement rings.
If you notice a gem seems loose, bring it in to the jeweler right away!
Never: Use an ultrasonic cleaner on diamond jewelry, especially jewelry with diamond melee. It can loosen the settings and lead to your diamonds falling out.
Gemstones:
All gemstones have different qualities and require different treatment. In general, avoid ultrasonic cleaners, chemical jewelry cleaners, impact and heat when wearing and cleaning gemstones. It is also a good rule of thumb to avoid gemstones touching your skin directly, or coming into contact with lotions and perfumes.
Hand-Engraved Jewelry:
Gently brush with a soapy toothbrush and rinse with warm water. If the item has no gemstones and is silver or gold, an ultrasonic cleaner can be used.
Never: Use a polishing cloth, sand paper or rotary polishing lap. If the item needs restoration, bringing to the original jeweler is ideal. Never use commercial silver polish/cleaner such as tarnX. It will be impossible to restore the polished marks characteristic of hand-engraving.
Mokume Gane Jewelry:
Gently brush with a soapy toothbrush and rinse with warm water.
Never: Use an ultrasonic cleaner.
Vitreous Enameled Jewelry:
Vitreous enamel is glass fused to metal. The best way to clean it is to gently wipe the article with a lint-free cloth. For some enameled jewelry, it could be appropriate to gently brush with a soapy toothbrush and warm water.
Never: Use ultrasonic, chemicals. Never bump or drop.
Gold Plated Metal:
I will again recommend the toothbrush/dish soap/ warm water method. This will help to protect the jewelry from losing its coat of metal, which might be quite thin depending on the method used to plate it.
Never: Use polishing cloths, abrasives, or chemical silver polish such as TarnX on plated metal jewelry. It can iredeamably destroy the plating.
Alternative Materials:
Powder-coated steel and anodized aluminum are being used in place of gold, silver and platinum nowadays. Some modern art jewelry is even made with biological material that is made by bacteria. Up-cycled plastic, fiber, and paper are also popular materials. With any non-metal jewel, I would caution against the soapy water/toothbrush method. Consult the maker for care and storage instructions.
How to know what your jewelry is made of:
Precious metal jewelry should be stamped with the metal type and the artist's makers mark. Common stamps vary based on the country of origin. Sometimes stamps are not completely reliable as proof, and in that case metal can be chemically tested for its karat and alloy components.
This is also true of gems- chemical tests, spectrometry and fluorescence testing done by informed gemologists can provide authentication needed for appraisal. There is even testing that can discern natural from lab created diamonds. GIA can perform such testing for a nominal fee. The center stones I use in my Bridal Jewelry are all natural GIA certified diamonds and come with original GIA certificates.
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