Whether you want to keep your new jewelry looking great or want to make a vintage piece shine like new, these tips will help you care for your gold jewelry.
Gold is a very durable metal, but it can lose its shine over time. In order to prevent this from happening to your most prized pieces, you need to follow these steps.
First, as much as you may love your gold jewelry, it’s going to be easy to take good care of it if you don’t wear it all the time. Many people make this mistake, particularly with earrings. If you have a favorite pair of gold studs or hoops, give them a rest at night.
There are a few different reasons why wearing your jewelry all of the time is a bad idea. Many personal care products can be damaging to the luster of gold. Your lotion, perfume, makeup and hair care products can harm your gold. Also, having the gold jewelry against your skin constantly will, over time, reduce the shine and harm the jewelry.
Secondly, you should avoid chlorine at all costs. Never wear your jewelry while cleaning with chlorine bleach. You should also remove jewelry when swimming. If you aren’t absolutely sure that the cleanser you are using is chlorine free, remove your jewelry just to be safe. Many household cleaners have bleach in them, including ones that you wouldn’t normally expect. Bleach can harm your gold jewelry because it oxidizes the metal. You can see evidence of oxidizing in gold jewelry that has turned black. Read the rest of this entry »