How to Care for Family Jewelry

Jewelry is one of the oldest forms of art and intimate accessories. Pieces of vintage jewelry from generation to generation are often times one of the most valued keepsakes from a family member that has passed on. Knowing how to care for your valuables correctly can make a significant difference in the look and longevity of your jewelry.

Try to find out where the item originated from, what country, the jewelry designer and the era in which is was made. Take a photo of each piece and make and annotate what family member originally owned it. In doing this, the family history attached to each piece will be forever preserved in a tangible form.

Tips for Maintaining the Life of Your Jewelry

• Wear it! Wearing your family jewelry is one of the best ways to care of your precious heirlooms. It is simple and fun and will keep the jewelry looking marvelous. The natural oils from your skin help maintain the glow and protects the item from drying as time goes by. However, be careful when using everyday products; such as lotions, perfumes, or other cosmetics. These products have chemicals that can permanently damage your jewelry. Also, avoid wearing delicate rings often, bracelets and other accessories in an active or busy setting where pieces could get damaged and possibly come loose, fall off and get lost.

• Watch out for temperature changes. Heat and light can greatly affect the durability and color of different gemstones and metal. Abrupt temperature shifts and too much heat may lead to actually breaking the gem. Chemicals such as household cleaners and chlorine from a pool or bleach  can harm and discolor precious metal.

• Store jewelry with proper care. Invest in a quality jewelry box with multiple compartments to avoid scratches and fractures on the pieces. You’ll find that most jewelry boxes are lined with velvet.

• Cleaning is the most important element of jewelry care. It’s best to check and inspect each item for any possible defects before you having your jewelry professionally cleaned. The easiest and most affordable way to care for your jewelry is just cleaning it yourself. Be very careful as to what type of jewelry polish you use, however, since many cleaning solvents have ammonia in them and are only safe for diamonds and the more durable colored gems and metals. We recommend that you take a toothpick and touch each precious gemstone. Watch closely to see if anything moves. If it does, you’ll need to get those gemstones or diamonds tightened before you clean it. The last thing you want is to have a precious stone fall out and have to pay to have it put back in.

Polishing your jewelry is important to keep it looking good for your lifetime and hopefully additional lifetimes in the future. You’ll find that Sheen Genie does the job and makes it easy.

Sheen Genie is one of the greatest jewelry polish products in the market. It targets and attacks oxidation, which causes rusting and staining, at the source. It also fills micro scratches. The Sheen Genie’s sealer has a protecting polish which saves the jewelry from future oxidation and dirt. It’s also extremely easy to use as it does not require any scrubbing which could damage delicate jewelry gems and precious metals. Take our word for it. You’ll be heart pressed to find a better and more convenient jewelry polish and cleaner. Give it a shot!