Jewelry Care 101: Tips for Keeping your Jewelry New, Clean, and Safe

Tarnished metal can be cleaned by buffing it with silver polish on a cotton cloth, washing before and after in mild, soapy water.Jewelry Care Cleaning Tip: Use filtered or distilled water to clean your jewelry. Treated water is full of chemicals, including chlorine, which is especially damaging to many materials used in jewelry.The world of jewelry care can be daunting, especially if you own a variety of precious metals, gems, and stones. While each piece of jewelry requires slightly different maintenance, there are some general jewelry care tips that you can follow at home to help keep your jewelry clean and brilliant, while preventing long-term wear and damage.These jewelry care guidelines should be followed in addition to regular cleanings by a professional jeweler. Professional cleanings allow a jeweler to check the settings and other aspects of your jewelry, preventing loss and permanent damage. General Jewelry Care: Cleaning Nearly all jewelry, even pearls, can be cleaned using mild soap diluted with water. Do not soak your jewelry, as many of the chemicals and additives in water are damaging. Heavy dirt or grime can be removed with a soft, natural fiber brush. Dry and buff your jewelry with a 100% cotton cloth.Jewelry care for metals often requires a little extra work.