We know how important it is for your jewelry to look its very best every time you put it on and every time someone see’s you are wearing it you want it to shine like the first day you took it home from the store.
In this blog I am going to discuss how you can achieve this goal. I will also reveal a few tips and tricks to keep your jewelry looking beautiful forever. Today I am going to discuss how to properly clean your jewelry. There are so many misconceptions floating around out there on this topic I feel we need to discuss this topic first.
The most important thing I would like you to remember is not to clean your jewelry with a tooth brush and tooth paste. I know that more than likely you have heard from a friend that it is ok to use this method, but I can assure you it is not the way to go. Why, you may ask? The answer is simple. Toothpaste is an abrasive material; your toothbrush is made to scrub plaque and tartar off your teeth. What do you think will happen to your jewelry if you use an abrasive substance to clean it? If you answered get scratch marks on it, you would be correct. The toothpaste usually gets caked up on the jewelry or underneath the ring you are trying to clean and then the dried-up toothpaste needs to be removed somehow as well. That’s when most people must make a trip to their local jewelry store for a professional cleaning. There are a few ways we go about professionally cleaning a piece of jewelry. The least expensive way is to put your jewelry in our ultra-sonic cleaner for a prolonged period. The ultra-sonic machine is the equivalent of a washing machine for jewelry. The jewelry sits in a basket of industrial strength jewelry cleaning solution, otherwise known as “jewelry cleaner”. Once your jewelry is inside the machine it is constantly vibrating and shaking out all the unwanted particles caked up on your jewelry. Once your jewelry is ready to be removed from our ultra-sonic machine it is now ready for the next step of the cleaning process which is the steam machine. The steam machines sole purpose is to remove all particles remaining stuck to your jewelry that did not come off in the ultra-sonic machine and put a nice shine back onto your jewelry. Think of the steam machine as a power washer for your home.
Instead its washing your jewelry. The steam machine releases up to 80 pounds of pressure of clean steam. Once that amount of pressure is applied onto your jewelry all dirt particles will be removed from your jewelry leaving it sparkling like the first day you received it from the store. If I had a nickel for every time a customer told me they used the good ole tooth brush and toothpaste method to clean their jewelry I would not be sitting in my office typing this blog, instead I would be retired on a beach in Hawaii. That is how many people make this mistake. In a bit I will share some great tips on how you can keep your jewelry looking beautiful all year long with little to no effort at all. The best part of what I am about to share with you will cost zero, that's right, not one single penny.
The second method of cleaning and restoring your jewelry to look brand new again is to have it professionally polished by our master jeweler. Our master jeweler has been in the industry for over 35 years. He is proficient in most jewelry repair and diamond setting techniques. We are lucky and grateful to have him. We usually recommend polishing your jewelry when we know that using our ultra-sonic cleaner and steam machine will not be enough to get the luster back onto your jewelry. The process for polishing your jewelry can be very time consuming for the jeweler. When the jeweler polishes your jewelry, we are stripping away the top layer of your gold, silver, or platinum. Underneath the top layer is another layer of metal that comes out bright and shiny like the first day you opened the box.
Every nook and cranny of your jewelry must be meticulously polished and inspected to make sure we did not miss any spots.
Chains take much longer to polish then rings, bracelets, and earrings due to the width and length of most chains. Polishing chains normally costs more to polish than other pieces of jewelry because it is more time consuming than smaller pieces of jewelry. White gold jewelry can sometimes discolor to a yellowish state.
Many people get frustrated by this and think they either did not buy gold or the jeweler sold them fake gold. Most of the time that is not the case. There are times when white gold discolors since gold is a very pores metal. In order to make white gold, the yellow gold gets mixed with alloys to turn the yellow gold into white gold. Sometimes the true color of the gold seeps through since the metal is very pores. In this case we not only have to polish the jewelry we need to give it a rhodium bath. The rhodium bath is what puts that bright white shinny finish back on to the jewelry, so it looks brand new again.
This happens to many engagement rings and wedding bands due to the wear and tear on the ring. Most women do not like taking their engagement rings off for various obvious reasons. After we polish the piece, your jewelry takes a bath in our ultra-sonic cleaning machine to get all the polishing dust off the jewelry. After getting a nice spa treatment in our ultra-sonic cleaning machine it’s off to the steam machine to wash off all the excess polishing particles that may still be stuck on your jewelry. The results are always spectacular. A brand-new looking piece of jewelry will be waiting for you upon your arrival for pick up. There are times when the shop is not too busy, we can restore your jewelry while you wait. We suggest calling before you stop in if you would like to wait for your jewelry to be polished or repaired.
Now I am going to share some great tips with you to help prevent your jewelry from getting old looking and dull. Everything I am about to share with you is a fact not fiction. Please pay close attention to the next few paragraphs. You can thank me later.
First, ladies do not forget to take your rings off before you make meatballs, bake cookies, do gardening, or use your bare hands to mix food.
Food particles especially raw meat tend to get stuck underneath your rings, cling to your diamonds and can cause skin irritation. Many men and women who do not keep their rings clean often come in asking why their finger is turning either black or green. When raw food gets stuck to the metal and stays there for long periods of time bacteria builds up and can discolor your finger and irritate your skin. There are some occasions when a client’s skin gets irritated or discolored because they purchased a piece of jewelry from a shady jeweler who sold them either something fake or under karat. At AJ’s Jewelry you never have to worry about that happening. All our jewelry comes with an unconditional money back guarantee. When we state, something is either 10kt,14kt, 18kt, platinum or silver you can rest assured that you are getting exactly what you are paying for.
Second, put your jewelry on after you either use cologne or perfume before you leave your house. Colognes and perfumes tend to get spayed on heavily and while spraying on your favorite perfumes the particles from the mist stick to your jewelry like glue. Hiding there invisible to the naked eye and slowly eating away the finish of your jewelry. After long periods of time the chemicals make the jewelry very dull and can also irritate your skin. Most of the time in this situation all that is required to restore your jewelry is a trip to AJ’s Jewelry. If you are a frequent flyer with us, we will gladly try and restore your jewelry for free by giving your jewelry a complimentary ultra-sonic cleaning and quick steam. After all, we always want your jewelry looking its best, especially if you purchased it from us. If you didn’t that’s ok to. Stop in for a complimentary cleaning.
Third, do not go into the shower or bath tub with your jewelry on. Many people use all sorts of products on themselves. Soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioners, and shaving creams. All these products have a tendency of getting caked up on your jewelry making it dull and unattractive. Again, most of the time we can restore your jewelry without having to polish off layers of metal. The ultra-sonic and steam machine should do the trick.
Fourth, do not clean your house, car, boat, motorcycle, or anything else with your jewelry on. Leave it in your house to prevent it from getting lost, damaged, or worse, super dull looking and unattractive. The chemicals in cleaning products are notorious for irritating skin and turning your beautiful sparkly jewelry into lackluster metal strapped to your body. When cleaning products meet your jewelry it often stays on undetected for long periods of time and a simple ultra-sonic cleaning will not get the job done. Cleaning products can cause real damage to your jewelry. When this occurs, you will need to polish your jewelry to restore it to its natural beauty.
Fifth, before you go on that beach vacation please remember to take your jewelry off before entering the pool or ocean. The chlorine in the pool, the salt in the ocean and your sun screen eat away at the finish of your jewelry. Especially silver jewelry. The chlorine acts as a corrosive substance which can wreak havoc on your jewelry. It is also good to leave your jewelry either in the room locked away in the safe or home. This will prevent your jewelry from becoming lost or worse, stolen.
Sixth, do not wear your rings while applying hand cream or lotions. The creams get stuck on your stones and makes your rings look very dull, especially your diamonds. No more “bling” Usually a quick steam clean will remove all the hand cream without any additional work needing to be performed.
If you take my advice and follow these six simple steps your jewelry will always look its best every time you put it on. It takes little to no effort at all to follow these steps. If you re obsessed with having your jewelry looking incredible every time you put it on, then stop in and purchase our jewelry cleaner for either gold or silver. We also offer jewelry polishing clothes. Check back often for more jewelry tips other jewelers may not want you to know. I sincerely hope you have found this blog useful.