| The basic rule of jewelry care is to apply all | | | | detergent to 2/3 hot water.(The mix is not |
| lotions, make-up, hair spray, etc. first, then put on | | | | critical.) Then brush again. |
| the jewelry. Pearls are especially susceptive to | | | | The brush and even the end of a toothpick will |
| the solvents in hair sprays. In the reality of the | | | | not damage the stone. Do not use any abrasive |
| jewelry business, I see people who refuse to | | | | cleansers. Most will not damage a CZ but will take |
| remove rings and those who do so only once in a | | | | the shine off the metal and might scratch some |
| while. When we clean a customer's jewelry and | | | | softer kinds of gemstones. Do not use |
| inspect for wear and loose or missing stones, the | | | | toothpaste or similar stuff. Short of buying a small |
| jewelry most often needing repair is a ring that is | | | | home sized ultrasonic cleaner, the detergent |
| "never" taken off the finger and cleaned by the | | | | approach is one of the best for home use. |
| owner. | | | | With CZ a little sudsy ammonia may be added |
| Persistent dirt gets between the metal settings | | | | and will greatly improve the cleaning speed and |
| and the stones causing abrasive wear and | | | | effectiveness. Don't use any ammonia cleaners |
| eventually perhaps a loose stone. Everyday wear | | | | with silver, turquoise or pearls. Ammonia will cause |
| on the outside of stone settings may lead to lost | | | | spots on sterling. Use enough ammonia to liven up |
| stones, too. A regular home cleaning and good | | | | the faint hearted and do have a window open and |
| look at the jewelry will prevent most stone loses, | | | | some air moving. |
| allowing for repair or tightening before it is too | | | | With regular cleaning, you "get to know" the |
| late. It is not common to see really clean jewelry | | | | jewelry and can spot worn metal and loose |
| come into the shop. When we do, that jewelry is | | | | stones before a loss happens. |
| generally in much better condition than the dirty | | | | When you cannot get the dirt off, let the jewelry |
| items. | | | | store clean and inspect the jewelry. Strong |
| Hand lotions and soap film are some of the more | | | | detergents in heated ultrasonic cleaners followed |
| difficult materials to remove. With CZ stones, a | | | | with high pressure steam cleaning will remove |
| clean stone is vital to keep the "sparkling diamond" | | | | most all dirt. Soap scum takes a little longer but |
| look. Just a little lotion on the bottom of the stone | | | | comes off ok. |
| will take away much of the visual life of the | | | | CZ is hard enough to cut glass. Most faceted |
| stone. Fortunately, CZ's are fairly hard and tough. | | | | gemstones are hard enough to cut glass. |
| Cleaning may be more aggressive than with | | | | However, dust in the air contains a lot of silica |
| stones like opal or pearls, for example. | | | | (think sand). Hand lotions will leave a film on |
| Start by taking the ring off the finger long enough | | | | jewelry for dust to stick to. Over time, this rock |
| to clean it! Using a soft tooth brush and a warm | | | | dust in the air will abrade metal settings and some |
| to hot solution of a dishwashing detergent like | | | | softer gemstones. Keep the lotion off the jewelry |
| Joy, brush as well as possible to remove the | | | | if at all possible. Not only does lotion free jewelry |
| scum and lotion. Rinse well in warm water. Pat dry | | | | sparkle and look better every day, it will wear |
| and take a look. If more cleaning is needed, soak | | | | longer, too. |
| the ring in hot tap water with about 1/3 | | | | |