Care of Gemstone Jewellery

Everyday Use and Care of Gemstone Jewellery

Most gemstone jewellery is fairly durable, but some care does need to be taken.

• Remove jewellery before doing any housework - household cleaners are corrosive and may permanently damage your gems;
• Remove jewellery before doing any manual labour; or work requiring hands to be immersed in water.
• Remove jewellery before swimming or showering - chlorine, some soaps and just immersing in water, may cause damage to your gemstones or their settings;
• Remove jewellery before sleeping - tossing and turning in your sleep puts excess strain on your jewellery, causing it to become loose or even break;
• Only put on your jewellery after perfume and/or hair care products have dried - these may cause breakdown of the stones;
• Store in a dark place, out of direct sunlight, in a pouch, ziplock bag, or jewellery box - sunlight may cause fading of some stones. and the humidity in the air can cause tarnishing to silver.

General Cleaning

If your macrame jewellery requires cleaning, you can use some mild or diluted liquid soap on the cord only, on occasion. Make sure you rinse the soap off quickly with cold water and dry the cord by pressing between a soft towel to remove excess water.

Silver can tarnish quite easily, leaving it looking black and dirty.  To ensure that your silver is kept shiny it can be polished gently with a jewellery cloth, or you can use a standard silver polish.

Copper is likely to develop a distinctive patina. Patina is not a "defect", it is a natural by-product. If you do not like the patina effect, you can clean copper goods using standard copper polish.

TAKE CARE using polishes and tarnish removers around your gemstones, as these can cause your gemstones to become dull and fade.

A soft cloth can be used to wipe over all your gemstones.  As some gemstones are more sensitive to getting wet than others, it is always better to keep them dry as much as possible.