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jewelry care tips

With proper care, your jewelry can look amazing for years on end. Unfortunately, improper care can shorten the life of your piece and diminish its beauty. Here’s a quick guide to help keep your fine jewelry looking as good as the day you bought it for many years to come.

jewelry care

From regular cleaning to smart storage, a lot goes into preserving the look and durability of gems, precious metals and the craftsmanship that holds them all together. While periodic cleaning can help keep your jewelry looking great, you can also help preserve its luster by taking a hands-off approach. When you handle your jewelry, the oils from your fingers can diminish its appearance. When possible, try to limit how often you handle your jewelry to reduce the need for cleaning.

When getting ready for the workday or a fun night on the town, it's always best to put your rings, bracelets and necklaces on last. This will help prevent makeup from sticking to your jewelry and keep gems from snagging on clothing and loosening from their settings. You should also familiarize yourself with some fundamental concepts to help you care for your jewelry pieces.

jewelry care instructions

While it's important to know how to properly care for your jewelry, it's equally important to know what not to do. For regular cleaning, you can wipe down your jewelry with a clean polishing cloth and specially made gem and jewelry cleaner. In almost every other instance, ordinary degreasing dish soap is the safest, most effective way to clean your jewelry. Avoid harsh cleansers and don’t use hot water.

Never use toothpaste, chlorine bleach or abrasive household cleaners to clean jewelry.

Avoid abrasive sponges and brushes which damage many precious gems and metals. Many stones are also sensitive to acid, ammonia and hot water.

Try to limit how much you expose your jewelry to heat and direct sunlight, since this can cause the color to fade from aquamarine, citrine, kunzite and many other precious stones.

how to store jewelry

Proper storage can help keep jewelry from getting scratched or tarnished over time. It’s important to keep your jewelry dry since moisture speeds the tarnishing process. Use a dehumidifier to lower the relative humidity of the room if you keep your jewelry out in the open.

To keep jewelry from scratching or getting tangled, store different types of jewelry separately. Because of the exceptional hardness of diamonds, it's best to store your diamond pieces separate from other jewelry to keep from scratching softer gems. You can also wrap your diamond pieces in soft cloths to help avoid any damage.

To best extend the life of your most-loved pieces, we recommend a Lifetime Jewelry Care Plan, which covers inspections and repairs on your jewelry purchases.

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Learn about Helzberg’s Lifetime Jewelry Care Plan and discover all the jewelry we have to offer. Our experts can help you decide on your next piece of jewelry, whether it’s a gift, engagement ring or more. Let's chat virtually or by appointment.

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