Your jewelry is precious to you- whether it is because it is expensive or because we hold a strong memory and attachment to it. The shine of the diamond, the color play of the colored-stones, the elegance of the pearls is what attracts us to these natural stones. But like everything else in the house, jewelry too collects dust, and thus loses its sheen and the sparkle. And if you are tired of sending the pieces to the jeweler again and again, or don’t know what to do last minute before an event, here are some tips to make your pieces good as new!
1. SOAK IT AND BRUSH IT AWAY
The easiest and the most common method is to use a few drops of mild dishwashing detergent and warm water. Soak your jewelry in a small bowl with these ingredients and the shine will be back. You can also use a used toothbrush with soft bristle to remove dust. If you don’t have a soft bristled brush, you can use an eyebrow brush or even a lipstick brush.
2. CLUB SODA
Soak your gemstones and diamonds in a glass of soda for a couple of hours. Your pieces will recover their sheen and sparkle!
3. JEWELRY IS THE LAST ITEM!
This isn’t a home remedy, but a precaution- your jewelry should be the last item you dress yourself with. Wear your pieces AFTER applying make-up (you can do the eye makeup though!), hairspray, and perfume.
4. BEER NOT ALE
Beer can be use to bring back the shine on the pieces, however be careful of the smell! Soak your pieces in a glass of beer, and voila! The pieces have their glam back on!
5. VODKA ON THE ROCKS-
A dip of vodka on a cloth and bring back the sparkle on your diamond ring. However, take caution- DO NOT use it on any gemstones- no alcohol should be used to clean stones- Only diamonds and emeralds will benefit from a vodka cleaning.
7. FOILING IT/ION BLASTER-
You can use aluminum foil to clean your silver jewelry. Line a small bowl with aluminum foil and put some warm water, 1 Tbsp. baking soda, 1 Tbsp. salt and 1 teaspoon dish detergent. Soak your pieces in the bubbled mixture for 15-20 minutes. Rinse it gently with clean and warm water, dry it softly on a cloth and the glitter will back!
8. NO SWIMMING–
Chlorine is very harmful to jewelry. Please remove all jewelry when swimming. Chlorine has a tendency to discolor stones as well as gold. To be on the safe side- do not wear jewelry while showering, bathing or even cleaning as contact with soap and chemicals can too cause discoloration.
9. FOR JADAU and KUNDAN JEWELRY-
WRAP IT UP–
To prevent kundan jewelry from spoiling and to store them properly wrap them in a soft cloth or in a zip lock bags as reacting with other metals can cause blemishes.
NO WEIGHT–
Never ever put any weight on jadau jewelry- it can break or damage the pieces.
AWAY FROM WATER–
Jadau and kundan jewelry should be kept away from water and moisture- they both tend to darken the stone and the enameling.
ERASE IT AWAY–
A good and quick home remedy is to use the eraser. (Non-dust!..,Any other eraser works just as well) When a part of your jewelry blackens, use an eraser to rub of the blackened parts- just as you would erase the pencil markings on a paper.
In the end, remember to rinse your jewelry properly. Use warm water. Do Not use hot or boiling water- some stones like opals, pearls and corals, will be damaged under hot water.
You can also rinse the pieces in a strainer- a pasta strainer or even a metal coffee filter.
After rinsing, make sure you air dry your pieces on a soft cloth or towel. Do not wear you jewelry wet. This causes moisture to accumulate and will spoil your pieces; it can also cause skin irritation. And if you would like to buff the gold, use a chamois cloth- its effective, safe and quick!
Contributed by :
Pramiti Goenka
Graduate Gemologist, GIA NY
Owner at Athvlya by Pramiti Goenka
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