Caring For your Diamonds:
Diamonds are remarkably durable, resist scratching (except by other diamonds) and maintain their brilliance over time. But diamonds aren’t indestructible. They can be chipped by a sharp blow, become loose or lost in a weakened setting, or be damaged by contact with other diamonds. Wear diamond jewelry with care. Store it in padded boxes or soft bags separate from other jewelry. Clean your jewelry by wiping it with a lint-free cloth or with warm water, mild soap and a soft toothbrush, or by dipping it briefly in a commercial cleaning solution. Have your diamond jewelry periodically cleaned and its setting examined by a professional jeweler to maintain its beauty and integrity over time.
Here are some tips that will help you to preserve the life and beauty of your gemstone Jewelry:
Cleaning of Colored Gemstone Jewelry
Regular cleaning of Gemstone Jewelry is essential to maintain shine and brilliance of gems. On wearing them, they get dirty as you use various skin and body care regimens such as soaps, lotions, and even our skin's natural oils. Even when you are not wearing them, they collect dust. If you are cleaning your gemstone jewelry by your own then it will take few minutes to clean the same but before cleaning, you must be aware of the cleaning at home and cleaning by a professional jeweler:
To clean gemstone jewelry, first, wipe it with a soft cloth to remove any dirt. You can use a small soft brush such as an eyebrow or lip stick brush, soap, and water to clean your gemstone jewelry. Do not use toothpaste or any other abrasive cleaner on stones or mounting. Simply make a bowl of warm sudsy water with a mild detergent and gently place your jewelry pieces in the mixture. Never use boiling or hot water to clean gems. Then brush the gemstones with the soft bristles of the brush while they are in the suds. You will need to make certain that you rinse them clear of the suds after cleaning them. After this process, use a soft cloth or a jewelry polish cloth to pat them dry.
You can also use liquid jewelry cleaners which are sold by many department stores. You can find these liquid jewelry cleaners in kit form. You just need to follow all the written precautions and instructions of cleaning. But a Home Ultrasonic Cleaner should be used with extreme caution. It can be used to clean ruby, sapphire, diamond, iolite, amethyst, citrine, garnets, iolite, chrysoberyl, and unadorned gold jewelry but it may damage gems like emerald, pink tourmaline, peridot, pearls, coral, lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise, and any gem that has many inclusions. When in doubt, don’t use it.
It is also a good idea to have them cleaned once a year by a professional jeweler, where he will check the security of the settings. He will also give advice for repair of loose or bent prongs which hold your gemstones in place. This will prevent your gem from falling out of its setting and becoming lost. The jeweler will usually give your gemstone a professional ‘shine and polish’.
Nowadays ultrasonic cleaning machines are available to clean jewelry by bombarding it with sound waves. This vibration shakes off dirt, but the vibrations can also cause damage to the gemstone, especially brittle stones like emeralds. Any stone inclusions can be greatly enlarged by the shaking, making the gem less attractive and valuable. For the gemstones, caution is recommended when using the ultrasonic cleaners.
Storing of Colored Gemstone Jewelry
Storing of gemstone jewelry is also important as a gem can scratch another gem, as well as other jewelry pieces. Storage of gemstone jewelry needs following precautions:
Gemstone jewelry should be stored individually in a soft cloth pouch to ensure that a gem should not scratch other gems or other jewelry.
Gemstone jewelry pieces are best stored in a fabric-lined jewel case or in a box with compartments or dividers.
Wearing Precautions for Colored Gemstone Jewelry
You should not wear gemstone jewelry while playing sports, working on heavy equipment or relaxing in a pool or spa (especially if you are in chlorine regularly). The gemstone can be chipped by a hard blow, and even everyday activity can loosen jewelry setting.
