Precious and semi-precious stones are natural crystals that have entrancing durability and sheer beauty. Set in gold, silver or platinum, theeur shine attracts admiring glances.
For your jewelry to last a long time and be proudly passed down, it needs special care. They must not only be properly cleaned, but also protected from negative impacts and carefully stored.
What is “contraindicated” for jewelry
Gemstone jewelry will look new if handled with care. The jewelry has “peur ":
- mechanical damage (micro-scratches may appear) – they must be removed during physical exertion, visits to the sauna, sports and housework. It should be noted that crystals as fragile as chrysolites and emeralds can crack when struck or dropped;
- environmental influences (they loseeur shine) – water, household chemicals, cosmetics and perfumes (cause stains), ultraviolet rays can harm the appearance of expensive jewelry;
- temperature fluctuations – gemstones “don’t like” heating, as they magnetize grease particles and dust to themselves. Especially under direct sunlight, pearls, topaz and amethyst lose theeur basketeur;
Noble metals must be protected from exposure to chlorine and iodine (gold), water with abrasives and even air (silver).
How to take care of diamonds
Diamond is one of the hardest and most durable diamonds. It is at the top of the Mohs scale. But it should be remembered that it is also subject to wear - covered with a whitish film, which can only be removed by repeated cutting. For a diamond to sparkle with all its facets, it must be taken care of and not let a greasy or soapy film disturb the magical sparkle of the crystal.
How to take care of a diamond:
- Wash in a solution of lukewarm water with a weakly alkaline shampoo (liquid soap or dish detergent), gently rubbing each side with a soft brush. Rinse under clean running water and pat dry with a paper towel. The stone cleaning procedure should be carried out every six months. You can also clean jewelry with opals, malachites, agates, moonstones, amber, onyx, turquoise and aventurine.
- Add a few drops of ammonia to a glass of water and hold the diamond there for about half an houreure. Dry gently with a soft flannel.
- Additionally, diamond jewelry can be dipped in vodka or diluted alcohol for a few seconds, and stubborn dirt can be removed with a cotton swab dipped in these liquids.
- ultrasonic cleaning. This service can be ordered in a jewelry workshop.
Diamond jewelry should not be cleaned with strong abrasives (soda), hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, iodine, potassium permanganate, laundry soap and strong alkaline solutions.
To protect diamonds from dust and micro-scratches, they should be stored in velvet bags or in a box made of natural stone – serpentine or agate.
How to take care of topaz
Topaz is a beautiful crystal, often of coleur blue or blue. This gem has an 8 on the Mohs scale indicating its durability – it has no peur weak hits and accidental drops.
To remove dirt from topaz jewelry, you can prepare a solution of water, ammonia and soap, soak the jewelry in it, clean it gently with a soft brush and rinse it well with water. This cleaning procedure is suitable for topaz in gold settings. This method can also be used to clean other hard stones – rubies, alexandrites and sapphires.
If you are the owner of silver jewelry with topaz, then such cleaning is contraindicated for him - soap can damage the silver surface. It is recommended to contact a jewelry workshop for the topaz cleaning procedure.
How to take care of pearls
Pearl is the only natural stone that does not require additional treatment, it is very fragile and beautiful. Pearl jewelry should be worn often enough to prevent the pearls from tarnishing. You also need to protect the stone from contact with various cosmetics.
Pearl Care Rules:
- dirt spots are removed with soapy water or potato starch. After cleaning, rinse jewelry with beads well with water and dry it;
- you can clean the pearls (also amber) by wiping them with olive oil;
- periodically, pearl jewelry should be wiped with a velvet cloth;
- once a year, it is recommended to rethread the mother-of-pearl beads.
Pearl jewelry is stored separately from other jewelry. Air should enter the box, and the products are wrapped in a soft cloth.
