You love your jewelry. When you look at your favorite pieces, it evokes a sense of pride and admiration and most likely reminds you of a pleasant memory. So how do you make sure that you can continue enjoying your jewelry for years to come? Just follow these jewelry care steps.

1. There are several things you can do to prevent your silver jewelry from tarnishing. You could store your pieces in an anti-tarnishing bag or cloth. Or you can just wear your silver jewelry regularly. When wearing your jewelry, your silver pieces will most likely rub up against your skin, clothes, or other objects, making tarnish less likely to build up.
2. Be cautious when wearing colored gemstone jewelry in the sun or hot places. Both light and heat can affect a gemstone’s color and durability, so it’s best to leave your colored gemstone jewelry at home when soaking up the sun’s rays.
3. Take your jewelry off when cleaning or doing household chores. Certain chemicals, such as bleach, can damage the surface of less durable gemstones and can discolor white gold jewelry by removing the rhodium plating.
4. To clean your jewelry at home, mix a little mild dish soap into warm water and then use a soft tooth brush to gently scrub your jewelry piece. Then rinse off your piece in a dish or cup of water and dry with a soft towel. We highly recommend doing this far away from the drain unless you want to make an emergency call to your plumber to remove the jewelry you accidentally dropped.
5. Have your pearls restrung every few years. Depending on how often you wear your pearl necklace or bracelet, you should bring your pieces into a jewelry store to have them restrung every 2-5 years. Make sure the jeweler strings the pearls with knots in between each one to make sure they don’t all fall off in case the strand does accidentally break.
6. Avoiding storing your pearl and opal jewelry in a hot, dry location. These gems draw moisture from the air, so it’s important to keep them stored in a somewhat moist area. It’s also a good idea to avoid storing your pearls in plastic bags, which can emit a chemical that causes the surface of the pearl to deteriorate.
7. Keep your jewelry off when swimming in a pool or sitting in a hot tub. Like other cleaning chemicals, chlorine can damage your jewelry so it’s best to keep your favorite pieces at home when making a trip to the pool.
8. Store your necklaces in a way that won’t tangle them. Untangling necklaces can be a frustrating task so make sure you’re not just throwing all of your necklaces on top of one another. Keep them separate from other necklaces by storing them in a special jewelry box or necklace display.
9. If you’re traveling with jewelry, make sure to carry it on the plane with you. You definitely don’t want to check your bags and have your luggage along with your jewelry accidentally misplaced. It’s also important to take only the jewelry you absolutely need on vacation. Don’t pack too many of your high-end pieces, especially if you’re going to a poorer location with high crime rates.
10. Store your jewelry in a box with dividers to separate your pieces. Certain gemstones are less durable than others and more prone to scratching. Because of this, you want to make sure your jewelry isn’t rubbing up against other pieces.
11. Apply makeup, lotion, and hair products before putting on jewelry. All of these products can dull gemstones, so it’s important that your jewelry is the last thing you put on when getting ready.
12. Bring your jewelry to a local jewelry store at least once a year to get your pieces professionally checked. Your prongs may need to be re-tipped or tightened to make sure your gemstones are secure. It also doesn’t hurt to get your jewelry all sparkly and looking like new again!