You finally have that coveted sparkling jewelry in your possession and now you want to enjoy it as long as possible!
You do this by handling it carefully and by cleaning it occasionally. Below are 5 general tips on how to keep all jewelry tidy. This actually applies to all types of jewelry, whether it is gold filled, gold plated, vermeil or silver.
* Do not wear your jewelry during intensive work or during sports. If you are going to do work that involves a lot of hand work, such as moving or digging in the garden, do not wear your jewelry. This way there can be no unnecessary damage and scratches on your jewelry. You also run the risk of damaging the jewelry or even worse, losing it during sports.
* Be careful with chemical products. If you come into contact with chemicals, take off your jewelry. Do not wear them while cleaning or washing the windows.
* Pay close attention to perfume or other cosmetics. Never spray perfume directly on your jewelry and try not to spray it on the skin that comes into contact with the jewelry. Also watch out with hairspray. When you apply lotion, do this before you put on your jewelry.
* Take off your jewelry when swimming and exercising. Sweat, seawater or chlorine can have a negative effect on your jewelry. If you accidentally exercised or swam with your jewelry, rinse it well with water afterwards.
* Store your jewelry neatly. Make sure the jewelry cannot damage each other by storing them separately if you don't wear them for a while. A very nice and beautiful way is with our bracelet display. Also looks very nice in your interior!
Cleaning gold filled / gold plated / vermeil jewelry.
Gold-filled jewelry does not oxidize, so you have less work to get it shiny and clean again.
Do
1) With a dry cloth
You can clean your gold-filled jewelry with a dry cloth. Moreover, no water or other liquid is required
2) Green soap
Make a bath with lukewarm water and green soap and brush your jewelry with a very soft toothbrush. Then dry your jewelry well with a cotton cloth. Do not do this too often, because with every contact with cleaning products, the layer of gold will become thinner.
Don't
* Vinegar, ammonia or a hydrochloric acid bath. Making gold jewelry shine with ammonia or similar is not the best solution. It cleans quickly but also aggressively. In addition, it can cause skin irritation.
* Brush with a hard brush. You can imagine that with the hard hairs of a brush you quickly damage something on your jewelry.
* Polishing kit. A gold-filled piece of jewelery is first polished and then plated with gold. A polishing set removes the layer from your jewelry. So don't!
Cleaning 925 silver jewelry.
If you wear your silver jewelry a lot, it can happen that it becomes a bit dull in the long run or that there is some attack on your jewelry. This is called oxidation, this is a natural process with the material silver and therefore also with silver jewelry. Oxidation of your jewelry is caused by, among other things, perfume, cosmetics and hair spray. But also the acidity of your skin. This acidity differs per person and depends on many factors such as what you eat, whether you perspire a lot, take your medication, whether you have drunk alcohol and more of these factors. Fortunately, silver is easy to clean.
Do
1) Clean silver jewelry with a silver jewelry polishing cloth
A silver polishing cloth is the best way to clean your silver jewelry. It's not always the easiest way, because sometimes you have to brush long and hard before you get results.
Please note, a silver cleaning cloth is not allowed in the washing machine, because then it will lose its effect.
2) Clean silver jewelry with aluminum foil and baking soda
Place a piece of aluminum foil in a bowl. Make sure the aluminum foil comes over the edge. Then sprinkle some generous shovels of soda over the aluminum foil in the dish. Add boiling water and then place your jewelry in this solution for a few minutes (the solution will fizz). Then clean your jewelry with a slightly damp cloth. Then rinse your jewelry well and dry it with a soft, lint-free cloth.
3) Clean silver jewelry with detergent
Make soapy water with lukewarm water and a little liquid mild detergent. Then dip your silver jewelry in this. Gently brush your jewelry with a soft (tooth) brush. Then rinse your jewelry with lukewarm water and dry it with a soft, lint-free cloth.
4) Clean silver jewelry with silver polish
You can clean your silver jewelry with special cleaning fluid for silver jewelry. You place the jewelry in the included immersion basket and let the liquid take effect for a few minutes. Then rinse the jewelry thoroughly and dry it with a soft, lint-free cloth.
Don't
* Vinegar, ammonia or a hydrochloric acid bath. It cleans quickly but also aggressively. In addition, it can cause skin irritation.
* Brush with a hard brush. You can imagine that with the hard hairs of a brush you quickly damage something on your jewelry.