jack
Jewelry can be many things. It can be sentimental if it’s been passed down through the generations.
It can be valuable if it’s an expensive gift that’s set with precious stones. Or it can simply be something pretty to round off an outfit.
Whatever the piece, should you want to protect it and keep it from tarnishing or being damaged, it’s important that you take the time to look after it.
Whether you’re looking to care for a beautiful bracelet or some studs that you wear every day, you can ensure they stay in tip-top condition when you follow our guide to caring for your jewellery.
Why Care For Your Jewelry?
There are lots of reasons why people invest their efforts in caring for their jewellery. Some of these include:
- Preserving it for their own children so that heirlooms can be passed on
- Maintaining the value ready for a future sale
- The wearer wants it to look its best
Of course, you might have a completely different reason for caring for your jewellery.
Whatever the reason, however, it’s worth taking the time to establish how to approach caring for each piece and following the steps to protect them.
How To Care For Your Jewellery
Here are some steps to take if you want to look after and preserve your jewellery:
Storage
Where do you keep your jewellery when you’re not wearing it? It’s important that you stash it somewhere safe so that it doesn’t get damaged or lost.
This applies to everything from diamond earrings to necklaces. Pop these pieces into a box, protective case, or pouch and keep them in a drawer. If you have children, you might want to keep them well out their reach.
To give your jewellery the best chance at staying in top condition, go to the effort of separating different styles and keeping them in separate areas.
Fine, delicate necklaces can be easily tangled so having a space dedicated solely to these can help reduce the risk of the chains getting caught in other pieces.
Cleaning
Before you put your jewellery away, you might want to take this opportunity to clean it.
There are different techniques to use, depending on the type of jewellery you’re looking at, and you can follow different guides that are available.
However, it’s always recommended that you follow the instructions that came with your jewellery, if you have them. This is the most up to date method for that particular piece.
If you’ve purchased or inherited a vintage piece of jewellery it’s often worth taking it to a professional jeweller for it’s first clean to ensure that the dirt and debris can be delicately removed without damaging any of the older mechanisms or fixings present.
Professional cleaners can also be useful in the case of particularly expensive pieces that you don’t want to risk accidentally tarnishing with incorrect cleaning practices.
Take It Off
We know that you might be reluctant to remove your engagement ring or wedding ring, and taking earrings out all the time can be annoying.
But if you want to keep them pristine, it’d best setting them aside somewhere safe before you swim in the sea, head to the local pool or go out for a run.
Chemicals can damage or tarnish precious metals and abrasive surfaces pose the risk of loosening stone settings.
And if you’re doing exercise, there’s a chance you could lose your jewellery, so it’s worth leaving them at home.
If you’re heading to the beach or the pool after a day of activities where you’ve been wearing your accessories, a small velvet or mesh pouch can be a great option for storing your jewellery whilst you’re in that environment as it can keep your items safe without taking up too much room in your bag.
Insure It
Insuring your jewellery can give you added peace of mind. Whether you want to protect your items in case of a home burglary, or you regularly jet around the globe and worry about misplacing them, there’s different levels of jewellery insurance that can cover almost every need.
If you’re unsure of the exact worth of your pieces it’s often worth getting them valued before, or during, your insurance application process to ensure you’ve got the right level of cover and can recoup the full cost of your belongings.
It’s worth looking into the varying policies that are available if you’re concerned about keeping your jewels as safe as can be.
What steps will you take to protect your jewellery?
