Nothing takes the place of bringing your jewelry into the store to have a professional jeweler clean and check stones, settings, and give a light polish, soak and steam...but when people are staying in during this unprecedented time, it's good to have a few tips to keep your jewelry looking like it hasn't been quarantined!
From the moment your engagement ring, or any jewelry for that matter, leaves its box and becomes a daily staple in your wardrobe, it's hard to keep it clean and sparkling. From everyday wear to exercise, hand washing, daily beauty regimes and more, your ring will naturally begin to lose its luster. Like most things, your car, your leather shoes, etc. your ring needs proper care and cleaning, likely more often than you thought. So the following are some tips for keeping your jewelry sparkling the best you can at home.
Go Ring-less
Invest in ring dishes, stands, or a fun ceramic bowl and keep them scattered around your house, particularly near your sinks. They'll not only serve as a visual reminder to remove your rings before cooking and hand-washing, but will ensure you have a safe place to stash your ring in a hurry. It's smart to have a safe place your ring to avoid exposing it to strong cleaning products. Keep in mind, even paper towels can scratch the metal on your ring, so it's best to remove your bling once you have a secure place to store it.
The same can be said for working out and cooking. I always recommend taking off your rings when sleeping, exercising, bathing, or cooking. I recently read, "If you wouldn't wear a silk blouse to do the activity, don't wear your ring." I tell my customer's that the first thing I do when I get home is to take off my jewelry, or at the very least remove your jewelry when you are doing certain tasks that could damage your stones or settings.
However, when you are not at home, please never take off your jewelry when you wash your hands. Speaking for experience, I did that once, and of course, left my ring in a public restroom at a hotel. Luck for me, someone kindly turned it in to the front counter, and it had only been a couple of minutes since I realized I had left it on the sink.
Know Your Jewelry
It's important to understand the durability of your stone and metal. Diamonds are a lot more resilient than gemstones, like rubies, emeralds or quartz. Rings with lots of small stones like micro pave settings and prongs are also more susceptible to damage and loose stones getting knocked out of place. Cleaning your ring, ensuring the security of the setting, and avoiding contact with potentially damaging substances are hugely beneficial to the life and longevity of your jewelry items. Never spray perfume, hairspray, or use lotion around pearls, or soft stones, such as emerald, and tanzanite.
At Home Cleaning Even if you don't wear certain pieces everyday, you will still need to clean your rings and other jewelry from what collects from wearing it over time. Less is more when cleaning your jewelry at home. Simple dishwashing soap like Dawn and warm water. I always say treat your ring like a dirty dish, and sometimes you may need to soak it for awhile. Then use a soft toothbrush if you need to, but be careful of prongs and areas that can snag. I say to stay clear of any abrasive cleaners or toothpaste.
For sterling silver, if you don't keep it in a bag and away from air exposer and oils from daily wear, tarnish can develop. For that, you may want to invest in a polishing cloth or polishing compound. However, you want to be carful on which products you use, depending on the piece you are cleaning. Again, you always ask your jeweler and like I do, most have polishing cloths you can purchase, or just bring your piece to the store for cleaning and polishing. Please be safe and be well during this strange time and together, we will get through this.
Comments