By Anita Hale


If you are a lover of jewellery then you will want to know the quick and easy way to maintain it and make sure it continues to be as pristine as the day it was bought. Keep reading for some easy advice on how to care for your necklaces, bracelets and rings.

The fact of the matter is, all jewellery will deteriorate from wear and tear over its lifetime. Unfortunately it's an inescapable reality. However, it's still possible to substantially reduce this damage. The main thing is to restrict when and where you decide to wear your jewellery. Firstly, you need to take off necklaces, rings and bracelets prior to sleeping. This is because we all move about in our sleep, even if we aren't aware of it. And the more you toss and turn the greater the chance of marking your jewellery. On top of this, did you know that sweat is known to cause discoloration of key metals? This is the number one reason why it's best to avoid wearing metal jewellery while playing sport. A number of other chemicals that you need to keep separate from your jewellery are found in nail polish remover, perfume and hair spray.

Now let's have a look at oxidised metals. They have become increasingly popular to use in jewellery-making. These metals have been specially treated so that they take on a darkened appearance. This means that you need to take special precautions to avoid ruining the oxidation process. For instance, you should never be tempted to wear oxidised jewellery in the swimming pool. This also applies to gold and silver as the chlorine can do untold damage. You should also avoid silver polish when cleaning your oxidised jewellery because this can weaken its dark appearance.

Conversely, due care should be taken with regular jewellery to stop oxidation occurring. For example, table salt and synthetic detergents can sometimes contain sulphur compounds. These compounds can promote oxidation after they come into contact with silver jewellery. Oxidation will cause tarnishing and staining in metal.

You can get rid of tarnish with some special silver polish, but be careful about which ones you use. There are some silver polishes that are abrasive and could end up spoiling your jewellery further. As an alternative, for regular cleaning begin using a special silver polishing cloth. In order to get rid of dirt, rinse in lukewarm water with soap. And if you really need to get stuck into the little intricate nooks then simply use a toothbrush.

And lastly, it's worth noting that more pure metals are less scratch proof due to their softness. Low purity metals are mixed with a larger balance of alloys. This renders them firmer and more solid. This is why you should never wear gold jewellery next to cheaper metals. Gold is very pure and therefore very prone to scratching.




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