How To Keep The Sparkle Of Your Jewelry

Jewelry like bracelets, necklaces, earrings or rings has always graced the human form since ages and is a special favorite with the female populace. Pieces of jewelry are collected and hoarded zealously but its cleanliness is very often neglected. In such cases, the once-glittering piece of jewelry loses its sheen and starts looking dull. This is because dust and grime, and not to mention the various body lotions or perfumes which one uses, takes its toll on the shine.
Before you embark on the cleaning process there are certain things to be kept in mind; all the clasps, prongs which fasten the jewelry together should be checked to see that they are fitted properly and the mounting of the stones is fixed tightly. The cleaning of delicate pieces of jewelry requires special attention and your jeweler should be consulted before applying any cleansing solution on them. Although cleaning any piece of jewelry, be it of silver or gold involves more or less the same techniques, nevertheless, their cleaning has been segmented for the sake of more clarity.
It`s important to use soft cotton or flannel cloth to clean silver jewelry pieces like rings, earrings or necklaces. There is also a special silver cloth available to clean your silver jewelry which has anti-tarnish properties. A silver dip which is like a liquid cleaner or a baking soda paste too can be used to remove tarnish. Take care however, not to use the silver dip in cleaning precious stones as they may react adversely to the chemicals present in the solution.
To remove dirt, mix a small amount of liquid detergent or soap in some warm water and clean your silver jewelry with this mixture. The jewelry then should be rinsed in warm water and wiped with a soft cloth and allowed to dry. A toothbrush can also be used but the scrubbing should be gentle and the jewelry rinsed in water. If the jewelry has any intricate scrollwork or filigree work, a smooth toothbrush should be used to gently clean it.
Gold jewelry should be soaked in hot soapy water for about 10 to 15 minutes and then scrubbed with a toothbrush. Take care that the bristles of the toothbrush are soft and not hard. Then rinse in lukewarm water and leave it to dry. Adding a pinch of ammonia to the soapy water will help remove the tarnish, if any. Alcohol is also very useful in removing dirt from your gold jewelry. Just dip the pieces in alcohol and then dry them.
`Diamonds are forever` but, unfortunately, some of us can be pretty lax about keeping `a girl`s best friend` clean! There will scarcely be any female who does not cherish a secret desire to flaunt diamonds. But, to keep your diamond rings, earrings, bracelets or necklaces sparkling as good as new, cleaning them is necessary.
A solution of warm water and mild detergent or ammonia can be used to soak the pieces of diamond jewelry and then scrubbed gently with a toothbrush. Difficult areas can be cleaned with the aid of a toothpick. Let the jewelry dry on tissue paper or a clean cloth. While cleaning your diamond jewelry, remember to avoid using chlorine bleach as it damages the sheen of the jewelry.
Pearls should never be soaked in soapy water but should be rubbed with a soft and clean cloth which has been soaked in that water. It should then be rinsed gently and left to dry.
Cleaning your jewelry regularly will help retain its sheen for a long time to come and you can wear your various bijoux with pride.