Jewelry and Gemstone Care & Cleaning Tips

by E-NewsCast Team
April 30th, 2010

Diamond earrings, emerald rings, ruby bracelets, sapphirependants; no doubt about it everybody loves beautiful gem stonejewelry. Gemstones are quite literally hard as rock, buy theycan be damaged from careless handling and negligence. Here aresome tips for keeping your gems and jewelry looking fabulous foryears to come. 1.Remember, even the hardest gemstone variety can be vulnerableto breakage if it has inclusions that weaken the crystalstructure. Exercise common sense: if you have a ring set with asofter gem variety or an included stone, take it off beforestrenuous exercise. Even the hardest gem of them all, diamond,can shatter in two with a single well-placed blow. Never removerings by pulling on the stone: that habit may result in a loose,then lost, gem. 2.Most importantly, store each piece of gemstonejewelry separately so that harder stones don’t scratch softerones. Almost every gemstone is much harder than the metal it isset in. Gems can scratch the finish on your gold, silver orplatinum if you throw your jewelry in a heap in a drawer orjewelry box. 3.Rings in particular tend to collect dust and soapbehind the gem, particularly if you wear them all the time. Youneed to clean them regularly to let the light in so your gemscan shine. To clean transparent crystalline gemstones, simplysoak them in water with a touch of gentle dish soap. Use a bowlof water rather than the sink to eliminate the risk of anythinggoing down the drain. If necessary, use a soft toothbrush toscrub behind the stone. Rinse the soap off and pat dry with alint-free cloth (you want to make sure threads won’t catch onthe prongs) For diamond, ruby or sapphire, a touch of ammonia inthe rinse water won’t hurt a bit and can add extra sparkle (forplatinum and gold only, not silver!). Think twice before puttinggems in an ultrasonic cleaner. Diamonds and rubies and sapphireswill be fine but many other gems many not be, in particularemerald, opal, pearls, peridot: when in doubt, leave it out.4.Organic gems like pearls, coral, and amber should only bewiped clean with moist cloth. Due to their organic nature, thesegems are both soft and porous. Be careful about chemicals inhairspray, cosmetics, or perfume: they can, over time, damagepearls in particular. Opals also require special care. Never usean ultrasonic, never use ammonia, and avoid heat and stronglight. 5.Opaque gemstones like lapis lazuli, turquoise,malachite, require special care because they are rocks, notcrystals of a single mineral like transparent gems. There gemmaterials should just be wiped clean gently with a moist cloth.These gemstones can be porous and may absorb chemicals, evensoap, and they may build up inside the stone and discolor it.Never use and ultrasonic cleaner and never use ammonia or anychemical solution. A little care and common sense can add life, luster andlongevity to your precious jewelry and gems. Protect yourinvestment by following the above guidelines.

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