Caring For Your Jewelry

If you buy jewelry that is expensive then taking care of it is so important to ensure that it doesn’t lose value or get damaged in any way. Check out these top tips for caring for your jewelry and making sure that it continues to look good.

Perhaps one of the most important things you could do in regard to caring for your jewelry is to have it insured; better still, have it valued first and then insured.

Don’t undervalue your jewelry for insurance as this will have a negative impact on the money you receive if you ever do need to make a claim.

Take it to a qualified Jeweller for assessment, who, after assessing your jewelry which could take approximately a week, will give you a booklet containing all the information and a value for your item.

What Is Your Jewelry Worth?

If you are getting your jewelry valued these are the item that you will want to have upon return of the valuation. Your insurer might ask for this type of information and it’s better to have it ready.

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What you want to be able to provide your insurer with is this:

• A full description of each piece,
• A photograph,
• Its value for insurance purposes,
• Its weight in carats, style, type of metal (gold, silver, etc), clasp settings
• A certificate to send to your insurance company.

Having all this information could potentially reduce your insurance premiums, another plus in its favor.

What Is A Certificate For Valuation?

When you have your jewelry valued upon its return you will have all the information your need including the certificate.

You will need to send this certificate to your insurance company.

The certificate is a Guild Pro valuation and it’s stored on the intrinsically secure e-register, and a Licensee number through which, in the case of a claim, your insurers can immediately establish the item and make a payment to you without too much fuss.

Without this, you would have to prove the item belonged to you; show a picture of you wearing it; it’s purchase receipt. 

What To Do With Jewelry You Wear Daily

Jewelry, like rings, that are worn daily, and often these items can get lost or damaged and this isn’t what you want to happen.

Finger rings, especially engagement and wedding rings, which are usually worn 24 hours a day, every day, have to deal with an immense amount of activity.

We do all sorts of things whilst wearing our rings like, shower gels, hand soap, washing-up liquids, hand creams, and various other household chemicals all create a build-up of grease and grime in the crevices of your rings.

They can also cause a rash on the skin between the finger and ring. So, being careful is important when it comes to expensive jewelry you wear daily.

Consider When Wearing Jewelry

If your rings are a loose fit, please ensure you remove them before washing up or even swimming.

Fingers seem to shrink when immersed in water for any length of time and that spells danger for your jewelry; rings are lost down plug holes before you realize it.

Put them somewhere safe, not on the rim of a basin where they are accidentally knocked off.

Or consider looking into the different products available that you can use to make your rings fit better, such as a clasp fitted to the inner rim of your ring or a gel solution that will create a non-slip coating, again on the inner rim of your ring.

How To Clean Your Jewellery

A build-up of dust and grime behind the stone of your ring will make them seem dull and lifeless. Bring them back to life by:

• Soak them in a mild solution of warm water and a gentle soap.
• Use a soft brush such as an old, but clean, makeup brush or soft-bristled toothbrush.
• Use a toothpick for the really stubborn areas, taking care not to scratch the stone.
• Using an ultrasonic cleaner – is not really recommended unless you are sure of the type of stone as not all stones are suitable for this treatment.
• Opaque gemstones such as Lapis Lazuli, need special care. Just wipe clean with a moist cloth; they are porous and absorb chemicals more easily because they are, essentially, rocks not minerals.
• Pearls and Amber can also be damaged by hairspray and perfume. Pearls retain their luster by being worn.
• Don’t just throw your jewelry into a drawer. The gemstones can scratch the metal of your other jewelry
• Talk to your jeweler for advice if you are unsure what to do. They will often clean them for you, too.

How To Protect Your Jewelry

When you aren’t wearing your jewelry you want to know that it’s being looked after and not getting tangled or damaged in any way.

There are lots of products that you can buy that will allow you to protect the jewelry for the next time you want to wear it.

Jewelry boxes come in all shapes and sizes let’s check some of these out.

• Jewelry tree for hanging necklaces on to keep them tangle-free.
• A traditional Jewelry box, pretty and functional.
• Full standing mirror with a jewelry box on the inside.
• A stackable jewelry tray option seems something that I’m thinking about because of the ability to add to it over time.