Sterling Silver Jewelry – Keep The Gleam!

We love our jewelry, and want it to last as long as possible. At Gonna Luv It, we get questions all the time from people who want to know how to care for sterling silver jewelry. Use these tips to keep your jewelry beautiful.

Keep your sterling silver away from toiletries. Lotions, perfumes, hairsprays, and more can coat your silver with a sticky residue that is very difficult to remove. We suggest that you think of your jewelry as a crowning touch. Don’t put it on until you have finished putting on your other beauty products. At the end of the day, take it off before you bathe. This will protect your fine jewelry from becoming dull and unattractive.

Household chores can cause small scratches in the finish, and harsh chemicals can damage your jewelry. This is a great reason to stop doing housework! If this excuse doesn’t work in your household, make sure that you remove your precious jewelry before tackling tough cleaning chores. And avoid chlorine bleach – it can damage the finish, weaken clasps, and loosen jeweler’s cement. Gardening can also cause significant damage to your jewelry. Wear gloves, or take your jewelry off before working on tough tasks.

Protect your jewelry from extreme heat or cold. Both temperature extremes can cause damage. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can cause damage to pearls and some gemstones, while the heat can melt jewelers cement, loosening your stones. Severe cold can actually cause fractures in certain gemstones!

Store your jewelry carefully. A jewelry box is a great choice, providing it has enough compartments for all your pieces. Each item should be kept in its own compartment. When metal rubs against other metal, or against gemstones, small scratches can result. This will destroy the luster of your sterling silver jewelry. Isolating each piece also prevents tangling. There’s nothing worse than seeking a necklace, and coming out with a tangled knot of metal and gemstones!

To keep your sterling silver looking its best, we recommend that you clean it. Over time, tarnish will build up. This affects the look of your piece, reducing its shine and adding a yellowish hue. Our article on How to Clean Sterling Silver can help you restore that bright shine, safely and effectively.