Protection 

Always protect your jewelry from damage by scratching, sharp blows, chemicals, extreme temperatures and prolonged sunlight.

When not being used, store your jewelry in a soft lined box or pouch and do not commingle pieces so they cannot scratch one another.

Avoid wearing your jewelry when performing sports activities, cleaning or gardening.

Always put your jewelry on LAST after you have sprayed the hairspray and perfume.

Don’t let your jewelry come into contact with nail polish removers, perfume or hairspray.

Never go swimming while wearing your jewelry – the chlorine can cause damage!

 Cleaning your jewelry 

There are many products you can purchase for cleaning jewelry. Be certain before using any product on your jewelry that you carefully read the manufacturers directions.

A jewelry cloth can be used often to wipe the residue off of jewelry before putting it away. You can also use an old cotton t-shirt or flannel shirt. Never use tissues or paper towels as these can scratch.

Do not clean jewelry with toothpaste as this can scratch precious metals and softer gemstones

 Gold

Generally the higher the karat weight of gold, the softer the metal. Gold is combined (alloyed) with other metals in order to provide strength and resistance to damage. 10kt and 14kt gold will be harder and more resistant to damage than 22kt. Generally you will see rings and pieces that need more strength using lower karat weights. Higher karat weights will often be used for lighter chains and pieces that do not require structural strength.

Gold filled vs. gold plated

Gold filled metal is made by bonding a thin layer of gold to a base metal (generally either sterling silver or brass) using high heat and pressure. The result is a metal that is less expensive than solid gold but more durable than gold plated.

Gold plated metal is made by placing the base metal into a solution that contains gold. The metal is electrically charged and the electrochemical reaction causes a thin layer of gold to plate to the metal. Plating can vary greatly in thickness and durability. Often the plating is very thin.

Silver

Sterling silver is an alloy of fine silver and other metals (usually copper) which are used to make the silver stronger. Sterling will be .925 silver and you will generally see a .925 stamp somewhere on the piece.

Fine silver is .999 silver, will not tarnish as easily and will be softer than sterling.

There are variations in sterling depending upon the alloys that have been used and these can cause varied coloring, strength and tarnish rates. A new form of sterling, called Argentium, has recently become more popular as it is supposed to be much more tarnish resistant. 

Silver can be stored with “silver cloth” which has an anti tarnish agent, or in a plastic bag with an anti tarnish strip to slow the tarnishing process. There are also cleaning cloths and solutions that are used for cleaning silver jewelry. Be sure to read the instructions and make certain the solution will not harm any other part of the piece (pearls or opals, for instance, should never be put in silver solution.) Some silver is treated by the maker to make part of the silver darker (for instance in a design piece, the grooves may be darker). This silver should not be placed in a liquid cleaning solution as it will remove the designer "blacking".

Gemstones

Gemstone hardness is based upon a standard called the Mohs scale. The higher the Mohs scale number, the harder the stone is. When the Mohs scale was developed, early gemologists tried rubbing one stone against another to see which stone caused scratching on the other. Quartz (the same stone that sand is made of) is rated at 7 on the mohs scale. Typically any stone with a rating of less than this is easily scratched. Some examples of these are coral, lapis lazuli, opals, pearls and turquoise.

Some stones are also very porous such as opals, pearls and turquoise and should not be left immersed in water for very long.

Stones that can be damaged by sunlight include amethyst, aquamarine, rose quartz and smoky quartz (become paler), Ametrine and citrine (may change color) and Aventurine (translucent types may lose color)

If gemstones are set in prongs, check these often to be certain the settings are snug. Prongs can and do wear down and this can be repaired by a jeweler.

A special note on Pearls: The beauty of the pearl is the coating which is called nacre. This is the substance that the oyster or mollusk has used to coat the irritant in his shell! Nacre is easily damaged by chemicals such as perfume, hairspray and even makeup. You should never use an abrasive or harsh chemical cleaner with pearls and never use an ultrasonic cleaner. All of these can cause damage. They should be wiped off gently after each use and stored in a soft pouch away from other items.