[ Is That Diamond Loose
In Its Setting? ] [ Jewelry Care
Overview ]
[ Cultured Pearl Care ] [ The
4C's of Diamond Buying ] [ Karet Gold
Information ]
[ Platinum Information ] [ Sterling
Silver Information ]
The above links will take you to informtion on
this page, but you may also wish to visit the following list
of other Mrs. Gottrocks Pages for more specific information
on gemstone and jewelry care and cleaning, which we will be
expanding even further shortly. Please stop back from time to
time to see new informational pages as we add them to sitemap.
First, clean your diamond jewelry (not costume jewelry) following
our jewelry
cleaning instructions, non-precious
gemstones cleaning instructions, or preferably the instructions
for care that came with your jewelry. This is to make sure that
your stones aren't merely secured in their mountings by the
grime that has built up under them.
Then, the next time you do laundry, and the washer goes into
spin cycle, gently place the piece of jewelry into a closed
ziplock (slightly inflated and closed )against the washer. The
bag is to catch any stones which might pop out. The vibration
of the washing machine against the bottom of the piece may show
you stones which are spinning in their mountings, or rattling
side to side. You can also use your electric toothbrush or anything
else you have that vibrates to provide the vibration to the
piece of jewelry - but whatever you choose, be sure to be prepared
for stones to pop right out if they are loose! If you see a
loose stone, do not wear the piece until your jeweler has had
a chance to check and correct the problem.
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Caring for jewelry is a necessary part of owning the jewelry.
With proper care, your jewelry will bring you continued satisfaction
of ownership over the years.
We are bringing you this information to help you know how to
care for your jewelry and get that lasting satisfaction. For
more in-depth information see our Jewelry
Care information.
Some tips to remember when caring for your jewelry include:
- Avoid wearing fine jewelry when you're performing manual
labor tasks, such as housework.
- Clean your jewelry periodically. This will help ensure its
fine appearance and will help it last. To clean, use warm
soapy water (use a non-detergent soap) to soak your jewelry.
- Use a soft brush to help remove dirt on the prongs of larger
gem jewelry.
- Use plain alcohol or vodka to help reduce greasy film on
diamond jewelry prior to any other cleaning done.
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Cultured pearls have a living organism origin. They are highly
susceptible to damage and are very delicate; cultured pearl
jewelry owners should be careful with their cultured pearls.
For more information see our Pearl
Cleaning information.
Some tips to remember when caring for cultured pearls include
- Be careful where you store your cultured pearl jewelry.
Metal and other materials can damage the surface of the cultured
pearl.
- Cleaning cultured pearls need only involve soap and water.
Other cleaning agents may damage your cultured pearls.
- Remove traces of cosmetics and other such materials from
your cultured pearl jewelry before placing it in its storage
place.
- Wrap your cultured pearl jewelry in a tissue or other suitable
holding device before placing it in its storage place.
- You should take your cultured pearl jewelry back to your
jeweler for restringing once a year.
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Some of the most popular jewelry items involve diamond jewelry.
Diamonds are durable and the hardest material known. Because
of the amount of light that can enter a diamond, they shine
very well.
The 4 C's is a way of describing the quality/traits of a diamond.
The 4 C's:
- Color - The more colorless the diamond, generally, the more
valuable it is.
- Cut - A full-cut diamond has 58 facets, flanked surfaces
on the stone. This is considered a roughly "perfect" cut.
Other cuts have different values.
- Clarity - The clearer the diamond, the less foreign matter
(inclusions-air bubbles, rubies, black spots of carbon, or
anything else that is in the stone) is present in it, the
more sparkly it is, and the more valuable it is.
- Carat Weight - The higher the carat weight, the higher the
value of the diamond.
Some tips to remember when caring for diamond jewelry include
- Avoid wearing diamond jewelry when performing manual labor.
- Ammonia and water, as well as several commercial cleaners,
work well for diamond jewelry.
- Avoid placing your diamond jewelry in chlorine-containing
substances.
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Gold is a rare, soft, and very valuable metal. It is based
on a karat system where 24K gold is pure gold, and 10K gold
is 10 parts gold with 14 parts alloy. Karat values in between
correspond to a parts karat + parts alloy = 24 value.
Some tips to remember when caring for gold jewelry include
- Be wary of makeup, moisture, and chemicals that may affect
your gold jewelry's appearance.
- Keep gold jewelry out of swimming pools with chlorine; chlorine
can damage it over a period of time.
- Check your gold jewelry for scratches or other damage, and
bring it to your jeweler if there is any; he or she may be
able to repair it. See our Karat
Gold Cleaning Information.
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The purity of platinum is often higher than that of gold. Platinum
jewelry is usually in the neighborhood of 90%+ pure. It also
more "solid" than gold in terms of how resistant it is to tarnishing
by chlorine, etc. It is very strong; plus, it is a very popular
choice in jewelry making.
Some tips to remember when caring for platinum jewelry include
- Fortunately, platinum is very durable and does not lose
its polish very easily. Cleaning patterns are the same as
other metals.
- For jewelry that combines platinum with other fine jewelry
components (like gold), clean those substances and care for
them as you would if they were not paired with platinum.
Also, keep in mind the necessary steps for caring for these
other components.
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Silver, one of the world's most useful metals, is also one
of the world's most valuable metals. It can achieve a great
polish and does not tarnish in its pure form. Most silver jewelry
is silver combined with other metals (alloys). This makes it
more suitable for general jewelry use. See our Sterling
Silver Jewelry Cleaning information.
Some tips to remember when caring for silver jewelry include
- Silver is scratch-resistant but not scratch-proof.
- In addition to the general jewelry care steps, silver jewelry
care can benefit from special silver jewelry cleaning solutions.
Check with your jeweler about these.
- Prevent your silver from being exposed to direct air and
light contact.
- Avoid placing silver in chlorine-containing materials.
- Be selective in what you use to clean your silver, i.e.
pads, cloths, etc. Felt works well, as do special cleansing
cloths designed for silver cleaning. Other materials, including
tissue, should be avoided. Ask your jeweler for more information.
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