But you ought to be informed that wearing these beautiful crystals most of the time tends to make them appear to be monotonous, which deviates from the same sparkle that it had the day you brought it home. On the net you will be able to find several tips on how to find the most attractive jewelry of them all; however there are only a handful of tips on how to maintain the brilliance of those treasures.

Damaging factors

Unknown to most of us, what snatches the beauty of our treasures are basically those things that we put on to nurture ourselves. To remind you, those include lotions, hairsprays, make-up and sometimes the oil from our own skin that might rest on the face of our treasure might just dampen the brightness of our Swarovski crystal jewelry which is the very reason for its exclusivity.

Keeping the beauty

Moving on to the good news, you won’t really need to spend too much in maintaining these treasures, because the things that you need in maintaining its brilliance might be already be available in your homes or it could be easily bought from a nearby grocery store.

If you have babies, then you are one step higher than the ones who don’t because you have those baby wipes at your home. This is the first option for you to take in cleaning your treasure. You only need to wipe or roll back and forth till the crystal gets cleaned.

The next option is to make a solution of rubbing alcohol, water and dish soap. This is probably the easiest option, aside from the fact that it will guarantee your crystals to be free from any kind of abrasions as you remove the hairsprays and oils that have stuck to it.

After knowing those options to clean your treasures, you won’t ever need to worry about your crystals losing their original glint.

]]> http://knowingjewelry.com/rejuvenating-the-lost-sparkle-of-swarovski-crystal.html/feed 0 http://knowingjewelry.com/taking-care-of-pearl-jewelry.html http://knowingjewelry.com/taking-care-of-pearl-jewelry.html#comments Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:29:42 +0000 MS Prasaja http://knowingjewelry.com/?p=80 Pearl Jewelry is something a lot of women love and jewelry made from pearls have always held a certain classiness to its composition. With pearl jewelry, you will need to do a few things to keep them looking lovely and clean. Aside from certain maintenance techniques that you need to follow to keep them from losing their luster, there also certain things you need to avoid to help keep them in good condition.

General Maintenance and Care

Pearl jewelry comes in many different types but are all made basically of the same composition, so the things you should avoid for one kind of pearl is the same kind of thing that you have to avoid for the others.

Since a pearl is an organic gemstone, there are certain substances that will take away some of its inherent shine and among the things that can destroy a pearl’s natural beauty are alcohol and acids.

As much as you want to smell nice and look nice while wearing your precious pearl jewelry, you should avoid the contact of your pearls with hairspray and perfume as these substances contain certain chemical components that can strip your pearl jewelry of its lustrous glow.

Sweat can also affect pearls and as such, when your pearls are touched by any of these substances, you should carefully wipe them off. You can use a damp cloth for this or you can wash your pearls in mild soapy water to get rid of any substances that may eventually affect the beauty of your pearl jewelry.

Keep Pearls Away from These

Another thing you should do with pearl jewelry is to keep it protected from high temperatures and from direct sunlight. Other substances that need to be avoided also include vinegar, detergents and fruit juices. These can also cause a certain amount of deterioration to your jewelry so you should try and keep your pearls away from these.

Storage Is Important too

Maintenance is also a must and storage is part of maintenance. When you store your pearl jewelry, make sure that your pearls are placed in a compartment or box all on its own to avoid being scratched by other pieces of jewelry. As hard as pearls may be, there is still a tendency for them to get scratched and keeping them safe in their own padded compartment will keep them safe.

Having and wearing pearl jewelry is a source of pride for a lot of pearl owners and knowing how to keep them clean, safe from deterioration and damage are some of the things that every pearl jewelry owner should know.

It takes training and the right equipment to determine if a gemstone is genuine. The term “genuine” means that the gemstone doesn’t only look as expected, it should also meet the physical and chemical characteristics unique to that gemstone. It takes training and the right equipment to determine if a gemstone is genuine or not and there are testing laboratories to do this job.

Before going any further, are treated gemstones still genuine? A treated gemstone, as long as its molecular structure isn’t altered, can still be the real thing but it is no longer natural. Some gemstones are treated to enhance their appearance and decorative value.

What to Check

Yes, there are professionals to perform the tests that determine if a gemstone is genuine or not but it is a valuable asset to any gemstone buyer to know the attributes to be tested.

The following are the characteristics to check:

1. Chemical composition and atomic structure

The atomic structure is what differentiates diamond from other carbon based matter like graphite. The stone’s hardness, and light reflection is dependent on the atomic structure. Gemstones usually have crystalline structures.

2. Hardness and durability

Hardness is reported in a scale of 1 to 10, a method developed by Friedrich Mohs, a German mineralogist. The hardest are diamonds at (10) and the softest is talc at (1). A gemstone should have a hardness of no less than 7.

3. Other physical properties like the refractive index, dispersion and specific gravity.

Testing Laboratories

The following organizations provide certifications on the results of testing conducted. They also provide training and research services to their members.

Gemological Institute of America (GIA)

American Gemological Society (AGS)

American Gem Trade Laboratory of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA). AGTA the largest trade organization of gemstone traders

American Gemological Laboratories (AGL)

European Gemological Laboratory

The true value of any gemstone shouldn’t be determined by just the physical appearance. Advancements in science have produced synthetic “gemstones” which cost just a fraction of the genuine gemstones. Knowledge is the best protection against paying for the price of the genuine item and getting a “fake”.

If you have rings that can’t be removed and you have to use strong cleaning products, particularly those with an Ammonia base, you can protect it (as well as your skin) by wearing gloves made of rubber. Rings and bracelets are jewelry that are often worn, earrings and necklaces are also prone to damages from chemicals, especially whenever they are worn while putting make-up, spraying fragrances and spritzing hair products.

A jeweler can also restring your pearl necklaces every two years. This should be done if it is your favorite jewelry. You can also clean your jewelry yourself by using mild and warm water with a soapy solution. Use a soft brush in cleaning the edges. Dry them using a soft cloth.

Be mindful of the loose clasps and gems before you wear your jewelry. You wouldn’t want the stones dropping off. Neither would you want to lose the entire thing when you’re walking down the street.

Don’t pull the stones. Some women who wear jewelry pull on the stones whenever they are bored; just so their fingers have something to do. Well, this practice results to the gemstones being more prone to oil, dirt and sweat. You may even risk these because you loosen the setting on the metal.

It is also not advisable to store your jewelry in one big pile. This will cause the metal and the gems to scratch one another. Store your jewelry in separate sections. Wrap them in paper, silk or velvet. Put them in a jewelry box.

Here is a quick run-through on how to clean common gems:

1. Alexandrite

Clean using soapy water or commercially available products. The best is alcohol. You can also resort to mechanical cleaners.

2. Aquamarine

Steer clear of chemical cleaners and heat. These shouldn’t be cleaned frequently as well. Use a soapy solution.

3. Diamond

Chemical and mechanical cleaners are said to be safe, but they should be avoided when cleaning diamonds because the stone could be fractured. Rinse the diamond dry and well after using a soapy solution.

4. Emerald

Don’t use mechanical and chemical cleaners. It will only dissolve oils during the cleaning process. Emeralds must be cleaned using soapy water. Have a jeweler re-oil the gem once every year.

5. Garnet

Just use soapy water.

6. Jade

Soapy water is the best, safest and easiest solution. You can also resort to mechanical cleaners, just steer clear of the chemical ones.

7. Opal

Wipe the stone after every use with a slightly damp pr dry cloth. Do not wash or scrub hard.

8. Peridot

Don’t use chemical or mechanical cleaners. Just use soapy water.

9. Ruby

Use soapy water or the cleaning solvents that are commercially available. Mechanical cleaners are also safe but these should be avoided because it may affect the clarity of the ruby.

10. Sapphire

Use soapy water and cleaning solvents. Mechanical cleaners are also safe but when these are used, they may affect the sapphires clarity.

11. Spinel

Use soapy water and the commercial cleaning solvents. Mechanical cleaners are to be avoided because these affect the clarity of the spinel.

12. Tanzanite

Don’t use chemical or mechanical cleaners. Just use soapy water.

13. Topaz

Same with tanzanite, don’t use chemical or mechanical cleaners. Soapy water is fine.

Caring for Your Pearls

Pearls are quite durable. Proper care keeps them lustrous and even more beautiful. Here are some general tips in doing so.

1. Wipe the pearls using a damp warm cloth. This removes dirt and body oils which harm the original color of the pearl. Do this before you put them away.

2. Pearls must be stored away from other jewelry and objects. Keeping them close to such could scratch the surface. Wrap them in soft cloth or linen and put them in pouches. Don’t store your pearls in packages that are air tight because they might lose their moisture.

3. Wash them using mild soap and wipe them dry with soft cloth. You can use also use acetone polish remover.

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