en
Français
Antique jewelry has a story, and that is precisely why its value goes beyond its precious materials. However, this also implies that the jewelry is not brand new. Therefore, it requires extra care to stay as beautiful as in the past. With these 3 tips, you can make sure that your jewelry will not only be antique but timeless.
CLEANING
Firstly, cleaning is of paramount importance in keeping your antique and vintage jewelry in great condition. A good clean will allow stones and metals to keep their original shine. Most precious stones like sapphires, rubies, and diamonds can be easily cleaned at home. You simply need lukewarm water, a soft brush and dish soap to break down the grime that settled in the jewelry.
However, when it comes to delicate gems such as opals, amber or pearls, a dampened cloth will suffice to clean your jewelry. Indeed, most cleaning products can easily damage these stones. Ultrasound bath are not recommended either, especially for these stones, and emeralds in particular. Emeralds receive natural treatments such as oiling to enhance their color directly out from the mine, which can be ruined by ultrasounds. They could fade the color of your stone or even make its inclusions more visible.
STORAGE
The main rule for storing antique jewelry is to keep it away from direct sunlight. It can cause metals to tarnish and stones to crack, especially opals. On the contrary, pearls should not stay in the dark for too long. Ideally, they should be worn in direct contact with the skin as often as possible as the moisture from the skin is their best protectant.
For necklaces, the ideal way to store them is laid flat or hung, so you don’t risk tangling them. Tangling can cause the links to break or at least to be seriously damaged.
When it comes to earrings, the main risk is to lose one of them. Therefore, when the style allows it (ie: drop earrings with a hook closure), try storing them attached to each other.
CARING WHILE WEARING
The simplest rule o maximize the longevity of your antique jewelry is to not wear it all the time. Therefore, make a rule of taking it off at the end of the day, when you shower and during workouts.
Beauty and cleaning products such as perfume or detergent can damage jewelry pieces so try to keep your jewelry away from them. When it comes to hand cream, it can easily get inside the crevasses of your rings. If you can’t remove your jewelry when using these products, try rinsing your hands after so that grime doesn’t accumulate in the jewelry.
Finally, regularly check for wobbly stones and insecure clasps before wearing to avoid losing them.
