Best practices for cleaning your precious jewels!
How to clean your jewelry is one of the number one questions I get asked and while I have a small care section on my website, I've decided to jump into the topic a little more and share how I personally keep my jewels sparkling!
When it comes to cleaning your jewelry I truly believe less is more. My standbys are anything soft to the touch, soft clean toothbrushes, soft cloths etc. I tread lightly and try not to mess with anything too much. Jewelry by nature is delicate so you should treat it that way. Only when something starts to look a little dull do I give it a quick clean..
My first course of action tends to be a soft toothbrush and a detergent, like clear dish soap. That normally cleans out anything that may be lingering under stones or in any crevices. If that doesn't do the trick, sometimes something like tarnished silver chains need a little more care, I head to the baking soda trick. Now I only use this method on pieces that either are solid metal or don't have any soft stones, like opals or pearls.
To brighten up your tarnished jewelry, set the pieces on a sheet of aluminum foil in a small glass dish. You want to make sure the silver is touching the aluminum. Then heat up water in a separate container and dissolve baking soda in it, depending on how big your dish is will determine how much water & baking soda to use. (A tablespoon of baking soda to 2 cups hot water is typically a good starting point.) Once the baking soda is dissolved gently pour it into the aluminum and glass bowl over your jewelry, let it sit for a couple minutes. You may need to repeat this a few times depending on how tarnished your jewelry is but I have found that it works pretty quickly! I love this method because you can use things that are already sitting in your cabinets and you don't have to mess with the toxic polishes that can sometimes strip the finishes off your jewelry leaving them in worse condition than when your started! No one wants that!
Now before you go cleaning all your jewelry you're going to want to make sure you're taking special care depending on what stones you have. Different stones require different care. Hard stones, think diamonds, moissanites, rubies and sapphires can handle the harsher cleaners. Softer stones however, like pearls, opals and turquoise are not going to like anything rough. I wouldn't advise cleaning them with anything other than a soft makeup brush or soft cloth and a very small amount of mild clear detergent. Pearls and opals especially are highly absorbent, they're going to suck up anything you put on yourself already, perfume, lotions etc. So if you're cleaning them you can imagine they would do the same thing. To keep your softer stones looking good I would give them a quick swipe with a soft, damp cloth after you wear them. I also follow the rule "Last thing on, first thing off" to extend the life of your gorgeous jewels.
The delicate handling of your jewelry extends to how you're going to want to store them too. Your soft gems should be stored separately from other pieces, you don't want them getting scratched by anything else in your jewelry box, yes diamonds can scratch opals! I also like to keep my delicate chains in small plastic bags with the clasp out so they don't get tangled with other pieces. No one wants to spend their Friday night untangling chains, trust me I've been there.
With just a little care your jewelry can sparkle for a lifetime! If you have any more questions about how to clean your own Lacee Alexandra pieces please do not hesitate to reach out, that's what I'm here for!