Caring for Gemstone Jewelry

The love for gemstones and gemstones jewelry is not something very recent or new. There is strong evidence of jewelry and gemstones even in the earliest known civilizations, like those of the Mohenjo-daro and Harappan civilisation or Egypt. Royalty, from around the world have fought great battles and plundered nations for dazzling Gemstone Jewelry Cleopatra, was crazy for Emeralds and Mughal emperors including Shah Jahaan had verses of the Holy Quran and even the line of succession of kings engraved on humongous rubies

With the shimmer and shine of gemstone jewelry taking over the fashion world in a big way everybody wants to own as much as possible.  Natural stones are quite expensive and buying them is not an everyday affair but they can become treasured heirloom pieces if they are well cared for. To help you take care of your precious pieces here are a few tips you that could follow. 

Caring for Gemstone Jewelry

Most of the gems are soft and vulnerable to cracking on pressure or impact, hence avoid wearing such gems in rings. Even if you have such rings, try to wear them carefully so that they do not bump in hard surfaces or else they might chip or crack
– Avoid prolonged and continuous exposure of the gemstones to sunshine as the UV rays and heat in sunshine acts as a bleaching agent or sometimes a darkening agent, fading away the color of gems, especially Topaz.  
– Try your best to make sure that the jewelry you wear, does not comes in contact with perfumes and lotions, as the minerals and chemicals in them create a coating over the jewelry and end up diminishing their shine. 
– Proper storage is as imperative as the proper cleaning of precious jewels. So, store them in an airtight box at a moisture-free place in your cupboard and use padded storage boxes for carrying your gemstone jewelry while travelling.

Cleaning Gemstone Jewelry 

The gemstones jewelry that you wear daily like wedding and engagement rings or pendants must be cleaned on regular basis as they gather a lot of dead skin, dirt, grease and particles, ruining the shine and degrading the life of the stones. Here is how to clean them
 – Once you take off your gemstones jewelry, clean them by wiping gently with a soft cotton cloth in circular motion, rather than a coarse rubbing 
– Avoid using hard detergents, chlorine based cleaners or ‘Colin’ like cleaners, and even toothpaste for cleaning your gemstones for they ruin the surface of the ornamental jewelry, particularly the ones with coated gemstones.
–Wash gemstone pieces in lukewarm water using a soft brush  (Like a clean makeup brush) and mild liquid soap and pat dry with a towel
–  Always read and follow the instructions carefully before using ultrasonic cleaners for your gemstone jewelry and avoid using them for fracture filled gems and stones like moonstone,  pearl and coral. 
– Approach a professional jeweler to clean very ornamental pieces for you, rather than attempting to doing it by yourself.

As with any other product, it is important to rest your jewelry in between wears. Frequent cleaning and proper care will help you retain the gleam of your precious jewelry for ages. Do check out previous posts on how to clean your jewelry for tips and tricks. Do you have any more gemstone cleaning tips? If so add them in the comments.

Sponsored post. All Images courtesy Gempundit

I hope you found it interesting 
 Cheers