Jewelry with precious stones always attracts attention with its beauty, but it requires special care. Over time, minerals in jewelry can tarnish, become cloudy, or change color. There are many reasons for this, but timely cleaning, proper care and storage will help to avoid most of these troubles.
Reason: wrong storage
If stored incorrectly, micro scratches can form on the surface of jewelry, and both stones and the metals themselves suffer. So, over time, the decoration loses its luster and, as a result, its attractiveness.
Solution
Store your jewelry in special jewelry boxes. These, as a rule, have several compartments at once and are upholstered with soft fabric from the inside.
Reason: skin secretion
Human skin constantly releases a secret: sweat, sebum and other substances. As a result, once sparkling gems can become dull. This is because the reverse side of precious minerals, in contact with the skin, accumulates a layer of skin secretion, which blocks light and makes them cloudy.
The solution
Every time you remove your jewelry, wipe it with a special microfiber cloth. If it is not at hand, soft flannel or suede will do. Hard stones such as sapphires, rubies, emeralds and topazes should be washed periodically in a mixture of warm water and a few drops of liquid soap or lemon. Another way to clean the surface of stones and all hard-to-reach places is to soak the product overnight. After any cleaning, be sure to rinse with cool running water and wipe dry.
Reason: cosmetics
Many cosmetics that we use daily negatively affect the color, luster and transparency of the stones. Any minerals suffer from exposure to chemicals, and especially fragile ones, for example, pearls, coral, amber, turquoise.
What to do
Avoid contact of jewelry with creams, perfumes or hairspray. Put on jewelry with stones 10-15 minutes after using cosmetics, and after coming home, take it off first. Try to immediately wipe the jewelry with a damp soft cloth before putting it in the box.
Reason: household chemicals
Household chemicals often contain harsh chemicals that change the color and transparency of gemstones. The most dangerous of them are chlorine, ammonia, denatured alcohol, turpentine, acetone, formaldehyde and others. Chemicals that accidentally get on the surface of natural stones harm them, and sometimes completely corrode them. No less dangerous for jewelry with stones can be soda, toothpaste and other abrasive substances that leave micro scratches on the surface of the stone, due to which they lose their luster.
How to avoid the problem
If you are washing dishes, washing floors, or wiping down glass or any other surfaces in the home using cleaning products, remove jewelry before cleaning, or use rubber/latex gloves.
Reason: ultraviolet
Many gemstones are affected by ultraviolet light. For example, earrings with topaz should never be stored in direct sunlight. Not only topaz, but also pearls, amethyst, opal, citrine and smoky quartz are afraid of the sun - under direct influence they lose their color and fade.
Ways to solve the problem
Make sure your gems are stored out of direct sunlight, in a dry and dark place. This does not mean at all that you cannot wear jewelry with precious stones in sunny weather - such a short exposure to ultraviolet radiation will not spoil the stones. As for the most ultraviolet-sensitive stones, although they fade in the sun, it is recommended to wear them only during the day. In sunlight, their color becomes visually deep and vibrant, in electric light it becomes dull.
Reason: high and low temperatures
When heated, jewelry stones attract dust and grease, so the play of light on their faces becomes less bright. But sudden temperature changes - from low to high or vice versa, can be even more dangerous, as they provoke the appearance of microcracks.
Methods for getting rid of the problem
Try to avoid high temperature fluctuations. Take off your accessories, be it a diamond ring or pearl earrings, if you go to a bath or sauna, relax on the beach near a cool pond, leave a warm room in severe frost.
Reason: swimming in jewelry with stones
Chlorine, salts and other mineral substances contained in the sea or pool damage not only precious stones, but also metals.
Solution of the problem
If you are going to swim in the pool, sea or mineral waters, remove your jewelry or be prepared for the fact that they may change their color and shine. It may seem obvious, but many people neglect such simple measures, which often leads to damage to jewelry.
