How to take care of your jewellery
How to take care of your jewellery : a complete guide
Few objects last over time. Often, they spoil, or become obsolete.
That is why a piece of jewellery is a special object. All its symbolism lies in the fact that it can be worn for decades.
However, a jewel is also intended to be worn on a daily basis, and will therefore inevitably show signs of time, whatever its composition or its price. Quite simply because he lives with you.
It is quite normal for the jewellery you wear to show signs of the time, regardless of its composition or price. That said, beyond everyday scratches, the more you maintain your jewellery, the better it will age. Like a nice pair of shoes or a nice piece of leather goods, “quality” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful.
This is why we wanted to share with you this guide to the right gestures to adopt so that your jewellery can follow you over time.
1. Remove your jewellery before washing your hands or showering
Removing your rings before washing your hands or showering is a simple and really effective reflex for your jewellery to keep its shine over time. Indeed, the stones can tarnish because of a thin layer of dirt due to the use of our creams, shampoos or other products for the body!
Concretely, deposits can form over time and will veil the cylinder head of the stone because they prevent the light from being perfectly reflected on the crystal. Thus, the stone will have a slightly milky appearance!
To avoid this phenomenon, the easiest way is to remember to remove your rings in the bathroom.
When you wash your hands, put your jewellery in your pocket before running your hands under the soapy water. You will also avoid the risk of accidentally sliding them into a pipe.
All the metals and gems that we offer are chosen to survive a passage underwater: we simply want to guide you to prevent your stones from losing their shine.
925 Sterling Silver is particularly sensitive to humidity, so it is strongly recommended not to immerse it too much, or if this happens, remember to dry it well to prevent it from oxidising too quickly.
2. Avoid chemicals
Activities as mundane as gardening, washing dishes, cleaning or even a dip in a chlorine swimming pool don’t always mix well with wearing a piece of jewellery.
The products we use are certainly harmless to us, but could damage the metal and the gemstone. If you work in a medical setting, we recommend that you remove your jewellery if you are handling chemicals, even while wearing gloves. In general, whether for your job or for a simple cleaning at home, we advise you to avoid wearing your jewellery under gloves.
Even if your rings will be protected from chemicals, you will not be safe from rubbing them or accidentally knocking them.
3. Avoid risky situations
No matter the metal, stone or model, a piece of jewellery is a precious object. Just like a beautiful suede jacket or a pair of leather shoes, it is essential to avoid situations that could damage them.
Beyond the normal signs of time, such as fine scratches on the metal, which are part of the patina of a piece of jewellery, you must be careful not to deform its structure.
Know that a repair on the frame of a piece of jewellery is not easy. The costs are often significant. It is a technical and meticulous work, which in certain cases, requires the complete remaking of the jewel.
To avoid these unpleasant situations, we therefore recommend that you remove your jewellery during any activity that could deform your jewellery following a blow, for example:
Sports: no climbing, volleyball…
Carrying heavy loads: when you move groceries, suitcases or heavy bags, you risk, without realising it, exerting pressure on your ring. Also, repeated pressure can cause the ring to deform.
Manual jobs : to avoid any risk, we do not recommend that people working in a manual trade wear a ring during their professional activity. Whether you are a physiotherapist, cook, craftsman, painter, nurse … leave your ring in its box to find it after your day.
Wearing your rings and earrings while sleeping : even if you are not a sleepwalker, wearing your rings and earrings during a night’s sleep carries unnecessary risks because you do not have full control of your movements. Without realizing it, you can bang your ring against your nightstand while turning around or even fall asleep in a bad position and thus exert the pressure of your own body weight on your ring for long hours, which would risk deforming it.
Pendants can quite be worn when you sleep … except of course if it is a long necklace.
During your vacation : it is most often during the holidays that we forget to pay the most attention to our jewellery, especially when we have the pleasure of wearing them by the sea or a beautiful swimming pool. As an example, unfortunately, many people have lost their rings while swimming in the sea. With the cold of the water, the fingers retract and the jewel becomes too big. And when the jewel falls to the bottom of the ocean, it is impossible to recover it.
4. Remember to store your jewellery when removing it
We recommend that you get into this habit: store your jewellery in their case, a small suede or even better, in a jewellery box each time you take them out. So, your jewellery will not risk falling to the ground or rolling under a bed. They will be carefully kept in a safe place that will protect them.
Remember not to put several jewels in the same suede or pouch in order to avoid friction between them and thus reduce the risk of them getting scratched.
5. Take care of the metals, they are not foolproof
Each metal family has its properties, advantages, disadvantages, and certain metals are more recommended than others for a piece of jewellery worn on a daily basis.
At Moonspell Jewellery, we specialise in solid 925 sterling silver: a metal that requires some maintenance as it ages.
All our silver pieces are plated with rhodium, or vermeil (14K gold, 14K rose gold, 18K white gold) to protect the silver. To take care of it, the advice on this page is essential.
When, after years, the plating starts to disappear, you can take your jewel to a jeweller to remake a new one. Or, if you like the look of the jewellery that has lived, you can just take care of the silver regularly.
925 sterling silver is sensitive to humidity and time: remember the hours our grandmothers spent polishing their silverware. It’s no secret: over time, silver oxidises and turns black.
It is therefore necessary to take care of it to slow down this completely normal phenomenon. Water should be avoided as much as possible.
For this, we also recommend that you regularly clean your jewellery with the cloth, supplied with each order, or using a product to restore its lustre.
There are numerous products specific to cleaning silver, whether for silverware or jewellery. However, the use of these products is not especially necessary or recommended. If you want to use them, be cautious, they can be dangerous for your stones.
Finally, be aware that depending on the pH of your skin, silver will not react in the same way. On some people, it holds up well over time, on others, it oxidises and unfortunately darkens in a short time.
6. Don’t overestimate your chains
Although the bracelets or pendants we offer are designed to be as sturdy as possible, they are obviously still delicate.
Avoid pulling on it sharply or hanging onto it, your chains may break.
Here are two cases that are often problematic:
– You inadvertently pull on your chain while removing a sweater and break the chain in the movement.
– A baby or child is playing with your chain and unwittingly pulling on it, weakening or breaking it.
When you find yourself in either of these situations, remember the words you read here 🙂
A little precaution will prevent you from having to worry about repairing your jewel.