Summer Caution for Jewelry Care

A Few Summertime Tips to Prevent Damage or Loss to Fine Jewelry

1. Beware of chlorinated swimming pools. Chlorine can damage or destroy many types of fine jewelry. It can dissolve the surface of beautiful beads; attack the alloy in precious metals; remove the polish from many stones, such as malachite or turquoise; and do many other destructive and irreversible things.
2. Don’t wear rings in cold water. The cold temperature of the water in pools, oceans, lakes, and rivers causes your finger size to shrink temporarily. When this happens, rings become too large and, aided by the movement of your hands as you swim or play, can easily slip off the finger without your being aware of it.
3. Check mounting to make sure stones are secure in their settings. Active sports are very popular in the summer, but if a stone is loose in the setting, it may fall out and break or become chipped or cracked.
4. Don’t wear your fine jewelry while gardening. Many fine gemstones have been lost or badly damaged while the wearer was gardening. Gold and platinum settings can be badly scratched or gouged by rocks and tools. Even diamonds can chip or crack when hit on a rock or tool, due to a fraction within the stone.
5. Is your watch waterproof or water resistant? Many expensive watches are ruined when people do not understand the significant difference between “waterproof” and “water resistant.” Do you know the difference?

These tips come from Gemstone Press. For more information on the tips above and for more jewelry care and maintenance tips, check out books by Antoinette Matlins at Gemstone Press!