Jewelry care advice

It is normal that your jewelry wear out over time, so we advise you to pamper them, preserving them from moisture and light, in their pouch or jewelry box. Below you will find care tips for silver jewelery, brass, as well as tips on care of semiprecious stones.

Maintenance of silver jewelry

First of all, it is normal for silver jewelry to blacken. A silver jewelry can be of excellent quality, it is nonetheless subject to the vagaries of time. Silver oxidizes, this chemical reaction takes place between the silver layer in contact with the air, and the oxygen. Indeed, whether you wear your jewel or not, the money will darken over time.

The darkening factors of money

Several factors will lead to a more or less rapid blackening. Let's see what accelerates the blackening of silver, or its oxidation:

  • The PH of your skin, which varies from person to person and depending on what you consume. Indeed your PH will be more acidic if you consume acidic foods or alcoholic beverages. To learn more, read this Naturopathic article.
  • Contact with
    • acid perspiration
    • cosmetics,
    • the perfume,
    • cleaning products,
    • chlorinated pool water
    • synthetic fabrics, which cause electrochemical reactions
    • a very humid air

How to maintain your silver jewelry everyday

Here are some simple steps to take care of your silver jewelry:

  • Remove them for cleaning, sport, going to the pool
  • Drop your perfume drops away from the contact areas with your jewelry
  • Prefer a neutral pH soap (if you do not remove your jewelry in the shower!)
  • Remove your silver jewelry to sleep if your skin is acid (acid skin = your jewelry darken very quickly)

Little wonder of trick : store your jewelry with a chalk. In fact, the chalk stick will absorb moisture.

How to clean silver jewelry

You have been warned!, the maintenance of silver jewelry is not at all the same if it involves precious or semi-precious stones. Indeed, it will be necessary to go around the stones so as not to damage them! Their chemical composition might not at all appreciate a treatment reserved for silver.

If your silver jewelry includes stones, use a toothbrush, a soft cloth and a dose of patience. If necessary, a little elbow grease will suffice.

Remember to use a chamois or microfiber type cloth to avoid scratching the money.

The recipes of grandmothers
  • Baking soda
    Place the baking soda on a previously wet toothbrush and rub gently.
  • Ash of cold wood
    Same as bicarbonate
  • White vinegar
    Cover your silver jewelry with white vinegar. Leave 2 for hours.
  • Lemon juice
    Dip a toothbrush into squeezed lemon juice and rub gently.
The tricks of modern times
  • Coca
    Soak your silver jewelry in coca, for 1 minute. Wash them with soapy water and rinse thoroughly.
  • Toothpaste
    Cover the silver jewelry with toothpaste and let sit 30 minutes.
  • Beer
    Plunge your silver jewels into the beer. Leave it overnight.

The vision of the professional

All of these methods work very well for light oxidation. For a more intense jewelry maintenance there are baths for professional cleaning. However, it is preferable to avoid metal cleaning fluids that you will find in supermarkets because they are too corrosive. There are products dedicated to the maintenance of jewelry, such as products Hagerty, a brand specializing in the care of jewelry and precious objects. These items range from 7 to 10 euros.

Wink nature

Prefer maintenance of jewelry with natural products, which will not attack them. Regular maintenance of your jewelry with natural products should suffice. A little parenthesis concerning ultrasonic cleaners: this method, proposed in some jewelers, is not entirely natural, because the process is accompanied by a chemical bath.

Maintaining brass jewelry

The maintenance of brass jewelry requires a little more attention than gold jewelry, only stainless metal. Brass is a combination of pink copper and gray zinc, it has a natural matte yellow color that gives it a slight vintage look. Like 925 silver, brass oxidizes in contact with the air and over time. Oxidation is a surface phenomenon and it is easy to overcome, in order to keep its brass jewelry bursting.

How to care for your brass jewelry everyday

The two main things to do for proper care of brass jewelry are to store them in pouches or a jewelry box, and to protect them from contact with acidic substances. Here are some additional tips:

  • Remove your brass jewelry for cleaning, sports, or going to the pool
  • Drop your perfume drops away from the contact areas with your jewelry
  • Prefer a neutral pH soap (if you do not remove your jewelry in the shower!)
  • Remove your brass jewelry to sleep if your skin is acid (acid skin = your jewelry darken very fast)

Why does brass jewelry tarnish?

Unlike gold, the surface of brass tarnishes over time. Oxidation is a natural phenomenon, but certain factors accelerate it, let's see which ones:

  • PH acidic skin.
    The PH of the skin varies from one person to another and according to what is consumed. Indeed the PH will be more acidic if the person consumes acidic foods or alcoholic beverages. To learn more, read this Naturopathic article.
  • The contact of brass jewelry with
    • acid perspiration
    • cosmetics,
    • perfumes,
    • maintenance products,
    • chlorinated pool water
    • a very humid air

Cleaning and maintenance of brass jewelry

The main idea for cleaning brass jewelry is to remove the thin layer of brass tarnished by oxidation (contact with oxygen).

The recipes of grandmothers

  • Baking soda
    Place the baking soda on a previously wet toothbrush and rub gently.
  • Ash of cold wood
    Same as bicarbonate
  • White vinegar
    Soak your silver jewels in white vinegar. Leave 2 for hours.
  • Lemon juice
    Dip a toothbrush into squeezed lemon juice and rub gently.

The tricks of modern times

  • Coca
    Soak your silver jewelry in coca, for 1 minute. Wash them with soapy water and rinse thoroughly.
  • Toothpaste
    Cover the silver jewelry with toothpaste and let sit 30 minutes.

You have been warned!, the maintenance of brass jewelry is not at all the same if it includes semi-precious stones. Indeed, it will be necessary to bypass the stones so as not to damage them! Their chemical composition might not at all appreciate a treatment reserved for brass.

If your brass jewelry has stones, use a toothbrush, a soft cloth and a dose of patience. If necessary, a little elbow grease will suffice.

Remember to use a chamois or microfiber type cloth to avoid scratching the brass.

Maintenance of natural or semi-precious stones

In general, semi-precious stones are cleaned with soapy water, and do not like chemicals (detergents, creams, perfumes).

The maintenance of natural stones, or semi-precious stones vary depending on each. Some stones are very hard and compact and resist quite well to shocks (like diamond), others are veined or soft and are fragile. Some stones are photosensitive and others are not. We recommend that you consult our blog to discover the virtues of each stone, as well as their characteristics.