In this article you will find the ultimate guide to jewelry care and storage as well as a bunch of ingenious tips and tricks. We give you information about the different metals and stones, what causes the decay of the jewelry and how you can maintain and treat them.

Jewelry on the Move

There is no doubt that with good advice and tricks from this guide, you can refresh and extend the life of your jewelry. Good jewelry care helps to maintain the jewelry’s original luster and elegance as well as reduce the risk of future repair and restoration. Gold was the first metal to be discovered. Then copper and then silver were found.

Use your jewelry With Care

Use your jewelry as much and as often as you like but do it wisely. A few habits in everyday life can save your jewelry a lot. First of all, you should take your rings off when washing hands. Frequent contact with water and soap is definitely not good for your jewelry. Also, avoid wearing them when you take a shower, wash up, and swim. In addition to the material being damaged by moisture and soap, soap residues will also settle in the small details of the jewelry. In case of Morganite Engagement Rings you can be sure of the perfection of the ring.

Moisture is the enemy of your jewelry

In general, moisture is not good for your jewelry -avoid it as much as possible. This also applies to sweat, so leave the jewelry at home when you take the trip down to the gym. Likewise, cooking can cause a lot of contact with various liquids, so the ring should be spared.

In addition to avoiding moisture, it is also a good rule of thumb not to expose your jewelry to hard materials. The jewelry can be scratched and get blows, which you cannot easily remove again. By hard materials are also meant other jewelry, so do not store your jewelry on top of each other. Read more about this in the section General storage. Sand grain is also considered a hard material despite its small size, so you should store your jewelry away when going to the beach.

Also remember that

Jewelry is often very sensitive to beauty products. Products that are good for your skin are therefore rarely good for your jewelry. Therefore, as a rule, try to avoid your jewelry coming into contact with creams, cleansers, lotions, powders, hair sprays, oils and perfumes. A really useful habit is therefore always to put on your jewelry as the last thing in your morning routine and always at least ten minutes after you have applied the last beauty products.

If you go a lot with your jewelry, but are not exactly the very best at taking care of them, we would highly recommend you to buy gold jewelry. It is the most expensive metal, but it is definitely also the precious metal that stays nicest and can last the most.

Gold

Hands with gold jewelry

Facts

• Our bodies contain about 0.2 milligrams of gold most of it is found in our blood.
• The world’s garden contains almost 20 million tons of gold.
• 24 carat gold melts at a heat of about 1064c.
• One gram of gold can be hammered out into a square meter of gold leaf.

Gold is extracted from underground mines, which are often found in mineral-rich areas, such as mountains, rivers, cliffs and streams. There is actually gold on all the continents of the world, but unfortunately no major gold finds have yet been made in this country.

The major players in gold mining include countries such as South Africa, China, the United States, Australia, Russia and Peru. With tables and cleaning machines you find your way to the gold, which is stuck in stones and soil far below the earth’s surface.

Did you know that when gold is melted into jewelry, it is mixed with another metal, as pure gold in itself is too soft for jewelry production? By adding, for example, silver or copper, the jewelry becomes more durable. Therefore, gold jewelry can be purchased in different purity, which is stated in carats. The purest gold is called fine gold and is denoted 24 carats. As mentioned, the purest gold is too soft for jewelry and will quickly get bumps and scratches.

In addition to 24 carats, there are three other main carat types in this country: 18 carat, 14 carat and 8 carat. Most gold jewelry is designed in 14 carats and in rarer cases 18 carats, while industrial jewelry in 8 carats is also made. Industrial jewelry often has a more commercial angle and is produced in larger batches.

Do you know the important stamps?

A gold piece of jewelry must always be stamped with the purity of the precious metal.

The stamps of gold  

• 18 carat: Stamped 750 because 750/1000 of the alloy is pure gold (75%)
• 14 carat: Stamped 585 because 585/1000 of the alloy is pure gold (58.5%)
• 8 carat: Stamped 333 because 333/1000 of the alloy is pure gold (33.3%)

In addition to karate, gold jewelry also differentiates in color. Mix the gold with copper; you get beautiful pink or red gold jewelry. If you instead want to make jewelry in white gold, the gold is mixed with silver or palladium, which makes the metal lighter and immediately looks like silver.

Be aware that some white gold is only a surface treatment. That is, the jewelry is red gold under the white gold. If this is the case with your jewelry, you run the risk that the white gold surface treatment may wear off. It also means that such a surface treatment can be polished by a jeweler if you want the jewelry to be red gold instead.

The most robust precious metal

Gold is a relatively insensitive and robust precious metal that is not attacked by oxygen or other substances. This means that the gold stays shiny and beautiful for a long time. However, it is important that you keep your gold jewelry away from chlorine and chlorine-containing cleaners, as otherwise you risk them losing their luster quickly.

Clare Louise