Your jewelry is meant for wearing. Your beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings are of no use if you cannot show them off to the world. While wearing your best pieces can help you feel your best, it also puts them at risk.
Even though jewelry is made to be worn, repeatedly wearing it can cause it to break, fall off or wear down. The more we love and wear our jewelry, the more it deteriorates.
Luckily, you can slow down this process with just a few simple steps and precautions:
- Keep it dry: Getting jewelry wet is always bad. It can lead to cracks, a lack of shine and water stains.
- Keep it away from chemicals: This might seem obvious, but you can find harmful chemicals in lotions, perfumes, and hairspray. Keep your jewelry away from these products.
- Put it on last: To avoid chemicals, put your jewelry on last and take it off first.
- Rotate jewelry: Don't wear the same piece every day. Too much use will wear it down sooner. Give your other jewelry some love!
- Know when to take it off: Most people know to take their jewelry off before they go to bed, but forget to remove it when swimming, gardening, cleaning, and playing sports.
Knowing how to store your jewelry properly is just as — if not more — important than knowing how to wear it correctly. Since your jewelry spends most of its time in storage, you need to learn how to take care of it when you are not wearing it.
To get the most use out of your collection, use these tips when storing your jewelry:
- Wipe it off before storing: Your jewelry can collect dirt, moisture, and grime as you wear it throughout your busy day. If left on too long, dirt can speed up the deterioration process.
- Keep it away from wood: Wood can stain or tarnish some materials in jewelry.
- Keep air out: Moisture, dust and grime can travel through the air. The best storage option for jewelry is a container that lets in a minimal amount of air. Put chalk or silica packs in your jewelry container to absorb any moisture.
- Store different types separately: When different jewelry types and materials are stored together with no barriers, they can become scratched, tarnished, or tangled.
- Travel with a jewelry case: Your jewelry is most at risk when you travel. Be sure to secure it in a high-quality travel case.
When wearing necklaces:
- Be aware of length: Longer necklaces are more likely to bounce around and wear down. They are also more likely to get tangled on other things or with itself.
- Double-check the clasp: Whether your necklace is held together by a ball, barrel, fishhook, or push-button clasp, always double-check to make sure it is secure. If it falls off your neck, it can easily get damaged or lost.
- Avoid layering: Some people like to layer their necklaces for a fuller look but be careful of this. Some necklaces can break, scratch or tarnish from encountering other pieces.
When storing necklaces:
- Avoid tangling: Necklaces are typically the longest pieces of jewelry in any collection, so they are most susceptible to tangling. To avoid this while in storage, lay them flat in a drawer, let them hang freely or organize them with boxes and trays.
When wearing bracelets:
- Do not fuss with them: The key to taking care of your bracelets is to minimize wear. Of all your jewelry, bracelets are most visible. You are more likely to touch or play with them when you are bored or anxious. Not only will it add extra wear to your bracelets, but the oil from your hands will also accumulate faster on the piece. Cleaning bracelets can be a hassle, so it is best to reduce the amount of oil and dirt coming from your skin.
- Watch your gestures: If you are the type of person who talks with your hands, this one is for you. Wild gestures can cause any loose or insecure jewelry to fall off.
When storing bracelets:
- Avoid contact: Store bracelets flat in a drawer, hanging freely or in small boxes and trays — this will prevent them from encountering other bracelets or pieces of jewelry.
When wearing earrings:
- Secure tightly: Earrings are typically lighter than other types of jewelry and are not in your natural line of sight. That is why they are most likely to fall off without you noticing. Unless you want to walk around with one earring, always make sure the fastener is properly in place.
Tip: EarringsTip: Earrings with fishhook fasteners do not typically have an extra security feature to keep them in place. If you are worried about them falling out, take the fastener of a push-back earring and put it on the fishhook. If you do not have one, try spearing a bit of eraser through the tip of the fishhook.
When storing earrings:
- Hanging is best: The best way to store earrings is on something they can hang over or pierce through, ensuring they will not encounter other pieces. Plus, you will be able to display them all for easy selection.
Question's
Whether it’s fine or costume jewelry, there’s always a sentimental reason behind every piece of jewelry you buy, and you’ll want to wear it forever. Here are some quick and easy tips to take care of your jewelry to prevent tarnishing, scratches and dullness.
Popular Jewelry FAQ:
Q: Why is my skin turning green?
A: When any piece of jewelry turns your skin green it’s actually based on the PH level of your skin and how it reacts with the jewelry. Some people have trouble with all kinds, even sterling and some people can wear anything and never have a problem. It's different for every person!
Q: How can I prevent this from happening?
A: In addition to regular cleaning, we suggest lightly coating your jewelry with clear nail polish. This should help protect your skin and keep your jewelry from tarnishing.
Q: What is Sterling Silver?
A: Silver is a precious metal and much like gold it is too fine to be made in a 100% form. To make it durable for jewelry, pure silver (999 fineness) is often alloyed with small quantities of copper (7.5%), thus comes sterling silver (92.5% or .925). Copper is added to strengthen the silver and make it durable to be use as a decorative or in fashionable jewelry.