Protecting the Family Jewels - Jewelry Care, Part I

Oh, my. The jewelry repairs we get. The bent-over prong accompanied by, "But I wasn't doing ANYTHING!"

So, let's get something straight right off the bat here. Metal, even precious metal (which is partially precious because of its ability to be worked into various shapes by humans), does not BEND without provocation. The wind does NOT blow over your prongs. Rings do not contort out of shape without a force being applied to them.

Bear this in mind: with the exception of a few advances that have made the various processes involved in jewelry-making more perfect, the materials used have not changed. As such, you cannot take a delicate, lacy, filigree ring (much like those worn 100 years ago), and expose them to 21st century tortures such as weightlifting, housework, heavy pulling or pushing, equestrian adventures, crossfit, and expect good results. Please realize that a lot of the fine jewelry you wear today was of a caliber that only women of means wore 100 years ago. Women of means didn't garden, do their own cooking, do paperwork, or even raise their own children.

They also didn't need to get their jewelry repaired.

So, here are the most basic of basics for keeping your jewelry safe and sound:

In general, jewelry should not be worn while:

• sleeping; because fingers can swell during the night, making rings impossible to remove for bathing or other activities in the morning; because prongs on rings can snag on blankets, thus loosening their grip on stones; because necklaces and bracelets become strained, stressed, kinked and broken when subjected to tossing, turning, and body weight.
• swimming; because chlorine is one of very few chemicals which actually reacts with gold, and eats it away—swimming pools, hot tubs, and jacuzzis have very high chlorine contents, which actually wears away your precious metal (that’s why jewelry looks so clean when you get out of the pool—you really wore away some of the metal, thus hiding scratches!); and because water makes rings fit looser, leading to a possible loss.
• bathing; because long-term exposure to low levels of chlorine is as bad as short-term exposure to high levels; and because soap, shampoo, and conditioner do nothing nice for the appearance of gemstones or textured metal.
• doing housework or yard work; because you can expose your pieces to every possible negative force: chlorine (from household cleaners), abrasives which can scratch metals and gems (from other household cleaners), violent vibrations which can gradually loosen stones (from vacuum cleaner or lawnmower), heavy lifting which can bend rings and loosen stones, and complete destruction (a tumble through a garbage disposal or vacuum cleaner).
• working out; because lifting weights (either free or on machines) can lead to bending rings, possible stone loss, the kinking of neckchains, and the breaking of bracelets; because other athletic activities can cause swelling of the fingers, thus making rings dangerous to wear; and because sports can make necklaces, bracelets, and rings instruments of pain for yourself or others.
• using hand-held tools; because of damage to your rings (either through denting, poking, or scratching) or to your fingers or hands.
• lifting heavy items; because of damage to your rings by denting or distorting, and possibly loosening stones; and because of possible damage to your fingers or hands.

More to come.