Rings: Elastic

Caring for your jewelry

1. Keep Your Jewelry Clean and Dry

Jewelry cleaning is important to restore shine and remove any oils or dirt build-up. But if you’re cleaning a gold-filled necklace or pearl earrings, you may need to use different tools for different materials. 

To maintain your pieces, remember a few things:

• Many jewelry types can be cleaned with warm water and a mild dish soap. Use a gentle cloth or brush for cleaning, especially with soft gems like pearls that are easy to scratch.
• Avoid any cleaning products not specifically designed for jewelry. Many cleaners can contain harsh chemicals that can damage gems or metals. 
• Rinse jewelry, be careful to not lose a piece down the drain.

2. Keep It Out of the Gym and Spa

As a general rule*, if you’re going to swim, sweat, or steam, don’t bring your jewelry with you. It’s common for people to keep a pair of earrings on in the pool or wear a ring in the shower. But moisture, as well as the pool chlorine, (and even the pH of your sweat) can discolor your jewelry.  Here are some suggestions:

• Keep a small cloth jewelry bag in your gym/swim bag to store your jewelry.
• Place a ring bowl by the bathroom sink to remind you to remove your jewelry before showering or washing your hands.
• Wear your pieces only during dry activities and dry places (i.e., take them off when gardening, cooking, playing sports, and cleaning.

Note:  Sterling Silver and Gold-filled jewelry are ok in plain water (i.e. shower, baths, etc), just be careful with water that contains harsh chemicals and/or scrubbing items (loofah sponge, etc.) that could scratch the jewelry.  Gemstones do not like water for any length of time.

3. Avoid Contact with Lotion or Perfume

Precious metals, colored gems, and pearls are very sensitive to chemicals. That can include even the products you put on your skin. If you’re applying perfume, make sure to do so before putting on your jewelry rather than spritzing afterwards. The same goes for any sort of makeup setting spray, lotion, or skin refreshing spray. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Pearls and porous gems (i.e. Gemstones) can have permanent surface damage from some cosmetic chemicals.
• Make sure that your skin is dry after applying any sprays before putting jewelry on. 
• If your precious metals become exposed to any chemicals, immediately rinse and wash off any residue with a gentle cloth.

Note: Metals such as Sterling Silver and Copper will tarnish naturally, you can use a polishing cloth (e.g.  Sunshine Cloth) to bring back the shine on the surface.  Gold-filled typically does not tarnish but if it is exposed to chemicals (as indicated above), it may damage the item.