How to Care for Artisan Made Jewellery

Beautiful jewelry is more than a pretty possession. Finely crafted artisan made jewellery expresses your personality and has the potential to become a treasured family heirloom. Gemstone jewelry, especially rings, bracelets, pendants, earrings and other beautiful pieces made with semiprecious stones, often carry sentimental value, and may have special significance to those who believe in the power of natural elements. Of course, if you’re planning to hand down your artisan made jewellery, you’ll want to take special care of it. These tips can help you preserve your gemstone rings, gemstone pendants, silver chains and other delicate artisan made jewellery so you’ll get years of pleasure from it.

Wear your jewelry often, but take care not to expose it to damaging activities and substances. Avoid wearing precious and semiprecious stones when you swim, bathe or sunbathe – there are chemicals in the water that can damage the stones and tarnish the metals. If you’re planning to spend the day at the beach or the pool, leave your jewelry at home – or at least remove it and put it into a small pouch while you swim.

Watch out for vigorous physical activity. No one would suggest that you sit pretty as a picture when you’re wearing gemstone jewelry, but if you’re going to be engaging in vigorous physical activity – say rock-climbing or jogging – you’ll be exposing it to the risk of tangling, catching on objects or breaking. This is especially important for gemstone pendants on silver chains, which can easily break and get lost.

Avoid banging your jewelry against hard objects. Obviously, no one goes out with the intention of slamming their jewelry into things, but some activities make it more likely than others. If you’re moving furniture, for example, you might want to remove gemstone rings first to avoid the possibility of banging the stone against door jambs or getting it caught between walls and furniture.

Don’t leave gemstone jewelry in direct sunlight, which can fade many of the most popular stones.

Store your artisan made jewellery in the original box or pouch, if possible, keeping each item separate from the others to avoid tangling and nicking. While you’ll often seen pendants and necklaces displayed hanging, it’s not a good idea to store your necklaces that way. The weight of the gemstone pendants can put stress on the chain and the fasteners, making them more likely to break.

Always put your artisan made jewellery on last. Perfume, hair spray and cosmetics contain chemicals that can damage gemstones and metal. Put your barrettes on after you spray your hair and put earrings and necklaces on after you’ve finished putting on your makeup and perfume.

With proper care, your artisan made jewellery will look as lovely in 20 years as it did on the day you bought it.