CLEANING & CARE

Care while wearing:

Remove Jewelry When Working/Cleaning – When performing manual tasks, remove your jewelry to prevent physical damage or exposure to chemicals in cleaners. Not a great idea to wear your favorites when doing the dishes or gardening. Always remove your rings & fine jewelry before using any product that contains bleach!
Put Jewelry On After Applying Makeup – Cosmetics, hairspray, perfumes & lotion can contain chemicals that damage jewelry. Get all fancied up and then put your jewelry on as the last step before leaving the house.
Don't Wear Jewelry In Swimming Pools or Spas – Chlorinated water can react with the metals found in jewelry causing color changes and structural damage.
Contact Sports and Jewelry Don't Mix– Hard blows during sports can damage your pieces and the people involved.
Remove Your Jewelry Before Bathing - Remove all jewelry before showering or soaking in the tub. Soap can cause a film to form, making your bling appear dull and dingy.

Cleaning Jewelry

Use Jewelry Polishing Cloths for Best Results - Polish silver or gold with a jewelry polishing cloth. You can use a microfiber, but a professional cloths works best. Use of tissue or paper towels can cause scratches from the fibers in these products. Need a good cloth for just $5? Contact me.
Use Warm Water to Clean Jewelry - Using warm water is the best bet. Hot water can cause reaction with the cleaning fluids resulting in discoloration; Sterling Silver is especially susceptible to this problem. Should this occur, this problem can be remedied by buffing and the application of a tarnish remover. Rubbing alcohol can work wonders on jewelry. Never use bleach.
Avoid Cleaning Damaged Jewelry - Never clean any jewelry that is damaged, cracked or broken; it is likely to exacerbate or worsen the problem. If you have jewelry is damaged, get it repaired before you clean it.
Inspect Your Jewelry Regularly - Just like anything else, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When having your jewelry professionally cleaned, it's a good idea to have each item checked and inspected for any possible problems. Addressing signs of damage, or loose gemstones will prevent any further damage or loss and keep all of your pieces in great shape.

Storing Jewelry

Prevent Your Jewelry from Tarnishing - Sometimes jewelry tarnishes went it's not worn, especially silver and gold. To maintain the luster of your jewelry, place silver anti-tarnish strips in your storage container to absorb the oxidants that cause discoloration. Better yet - wear it often.
Inventory Your Jewelry - Unfortunately, jewelry can get lost or stolen. Taking a regular inventory can be incredibly useful when making an insurance claim or filing a police report. A photograph, a written physical description of each piece and it's cost is ideal. Furthermore, store that information apart from your jewelry in the event it is taken too.
Use a Case when Traveling - Travel can be tough on jewelry, so it's wise to use a travel case to protect your favorite pieces. Traditionally made of fabric or leather, a jewelry travel case can carry jewelry of all types and easily rolls up to a size that's easily stored in most suitcases, makeup cases or business attaches. Clearly, a case like this is a good investment to protect your jewelry on the road.

Sterling Silver

Genuine Sterling Silver oxidizes and changes color over time. When wearing your silver jewelry, you may find that it takes on a more polished finish, so the easiest care tip is simply that - wear it often.

If you would prefer your piece to have a brushed finish, you can simply refinish it with steel wool. Simply place it on a flat surface and rubbing it in a circular motion with a piece of fine steel wool. If you would prefer a more shiny finish, use a silver polishing cloth to rub the metal to a bright finish.

Copper & Brass

Copper oxidizes and changes color over time; you will see it change from bright copper to a dark rich brown. This is one of the features of copper jewelry because the patina is always changing as you wear it.

You can refinish your copper or brass jewelry by placing it on a flat surface and rubbing it in a circular motion with a piece of fine steel wool. Keep in mind that copper or brass directly against the skin coupled with moisture can cause a little discoloration of your skin, which is perfectly safe, but worth mentioning.

reMiks Tip:

Clean your copper with ketchup.

Yup - simply rub it on, rinse under warm water and wipe.

CLEANING & CARE

Put Jewelry On After Applying Makeup – Cosmetics, hairspray, perfumes & lotion can contain chemicals that damage jewelry. Get all fancied up and then put your jewelry on as the last step before leaving the house.

Don't Wear Jewelry In Swimming Pools or Spas – Chlorinated water can react with the metals found in jewelry causing color changes and structural damage.

Contact Sports and Jewelry Don't Mix– Hard blows during sports can damage your pieces and the people involved.

Remove Your Jewelry Before Bathing - Remove all jewelry before showering or soaking in the tub. Soap can cause a film to form, making your bling appear dull and dingy.

Use Jewelry Polishing Cloths for Best Results - Polish silver or gold with a jewelry polishing cloth. You can use a microfiber, but a professional cloths works best. Use of tissue or paper towels can cause scratches from the fibers in these products. Need a good cloth for just $5? Contact me.

Avoid Cleaning Damaged Jewelry - Never clean any jewelry that is damaged, cracked or broken; it is likely to exacerbate or worsen the problem. If you have jewelry is damaged, get it repaired before you clean it.

Prevent Your Jewelry from Tarnishing - Sometimes jewelry tarnishes went it's not worn, especially silver and gold. To maintain the luster of your jewelry, place silver anti-tarnish strips in your storage container to absorb the oxidants that cause discoloration. Better yet - wear it often.