- Proper Storage
Storing your precious jewellery correctly is super important and the easiest way to elongate their lifespan. First up, you should make sure that the precious stones don’t scratch each other. Diamonds can be cut by other diamonds, so don’t store them next to each other. This holds true to all jewellery with different gemstones.
There are 3 options how you could store the precious gems:
- a jewellery case with fabric lining and separate compartments
- wrapping the pieces individually using one pouch for one piece of jewellery
- or using soft tissue paper to separate the pieces from each other.
I’ve invested in beautiful, small glass boxes where I store jewellery in addition to a big jewellery box. The little glass boxes also act as beautiful decorative element on my bedroom drawer.
- Regular Inspections
A regular check-up of your jewellery is always highly recommended. Checking your diamond jewellery consistently will let you see minor issues and have them addressed before they become irreparable.
Things to pay attention to in such inspections are ensuring that the ring setting is secure, examine the health of your jewellery (preferably once a year), perform any necessary repair work, and clean them.
I would recommend an annual check-up by a professional jeweller. For example, Ringleaders offers custom made jewellery and provide this service to their customers.
- Avoiding Rough Activities
Now, I’m not expecting any of you to go do gardening work or rock-climbing wearing your diamond rings, but I do think it’s worth a mention; diamonds are not indestructible. Yeah, I know!
Even though diamonds are one of the toughest elements on Earth, it doesn’t take much to damage them, at the end of the day. Aside from getting cut by other diamonds, these precious stones can be chipped or damaged due to a hard blow.
So, if you plan to do rough work or activities, like replacing that stone path in your garden with a new one, please don’t wear your diamond jewellery.
- Cleaning Your Diamonds Regularly
I already mentioned this at point 2., but it never hurts to recap, right? Constant exposure to various household chemicals – from skin creams to kitchen cleaners – can alter the way your diamonds look. Even the oil on your skin can already dull the sparkle of your diamonds.
You can take your jewellery to a professional to be cleaned, or you can just as easily do it yourself at home. Here are 3 easy steps to cleaning your jewellery:
- Soak your diamond jewellery in solution of warm water mixed with a few drops of ammonia overnight. You can use any ammonia-based household cleaner.
- For a more extensive cleaning, you can use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently scrub and remove any dirt leftover on the ring. Pay specific attention to the back of the diamond because that’s where the most oil and dirt have accumulated. For rings with fragile settings and estate jewellery, make sure to use only a soft touch, don’t brush.
- Rinse clean with warm water and then dry with a soft cloth.
Never use harmful solutions when cleaning diamonds. Especially chlorine and abrasives tend to erode some of the metals used in diamond settings, which means that the odds of you losing that diamond on your favourite ring, raise. These chemicals may also loosen prongs or dissolve the metal band completely. We wouldn’t want that, right?
Regular cleaning can keep your diamonds in beautiful condition. However, in cases of encrusted dirt and years’ worth of grime, I would recommend to use deep cleaning services from professionals.
If you feel uncertain whether you’re using the correct methods and substances, it’s always safest to bring your jewellery, especially those with fragile settings, to the jeweller for professional cleaning.
I know what you’re thinking It must be expensive!
But no, it actually isn’t. I don’t just have a grandfather who’s a goldsmith, but I also used to work in a jewellery store for years in my early 20’s. And part of our service was to either clean the customers’ jewellery in the backroom for the cost of under 10€ or send them to the smith for proper clean-up for not much more.
I hope this little tutorial helps you guys maintain your favourite jewels for decades to come. After all, they’re one of the best and most glamorous accessories you could ever have.
