Safeguard your jewelry and home

If you’re going away for the holidays, don’t leave your house and valuables, specifically jewelry, unprotected. Mike Maley, Vice President of Personal Lines with Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company says, “Precious metals, such as gold, are particularly appealing these days because they have increased in value over the past few years.” Here are some tips to safeguard your home and jewelry.

Home:

1. Use automatic timers to turn on the lights, television, and radio at different times to make it appear you are home.

2. Install energy-efficient outdoor lights with motion detectors. Make sure entrances to your home are well lit.

3. Trim tree limbs that provide access to a second story window. Plant thorny shrubs near windows.

4. Stop newspapers and mail delivery, or have a neighbor pick them up on a daily basis.

5. Have the lawn groomed or snow removed while away.

6. Install quality deadbolt locks, with one-inch throwbolts and reinforced strike plates on all exterior doors. Many burglaries can be eliminated if people properly lock doors and windows.

7. Secure windows with pin locks on the upper and lower sashes.

8. Don’t forget to lock the garage door.

9. Conduct security inspections of your home on a regular basis. Inspect locks on doors and windows for wear and tear, and look for burned-out light bulbs.

Jewelry:

1. Avoid obvious hiding places such as jewelry boxes, dresser drawers, and pretty much any other areas in the bedroom. These are the first places burglars look for valuables.

2. An optimal place for storing jewelry is an in-home safe. A good safe should be at least 150 pounds, immobile (or bolted to the floor), inconspicuous (avoid bedroom closets), and have a combination lock.

3. Store infrequently worn jewelry in a bank safe deposit box.

4. Make sure jewelry is adequately insured, either through your homeowner’s policy or with a specialized policy.

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Tips to care Platinum Jewelry

Platinum Jewelry is a pleasure to wear. Platinum is Hypo Allergeic. Platinum is more pliable than gold and as such lends itself to a variety of design options that other metals simply do not. Platinum is more durable. Platinum's purity makes it the perfect alloy for people with sensitive skin. Platinum is more pure than gold and has been mixed less metal than other alloys used to create jewelry, it does not cause allergic reactions. People who suffer from allergic reactions when they wear gold jewelry in their ears or who experience rashes on their fingers when wearing gold jewelry should consider platinum.

Most platinum pieces are 95% pure - 950 parts per thousand. You can look for guaranteed quality marks such as 950 Plat, 950Pt, Pt950 or Plat. Some jewelry containing platinum and other group metals is marked with the platinum content and the content of the other metal - 600 Plat. Any jewelry that contains less than 50% pure platinum content cannot be marked as platinum. Platinum jewelry can be purchased from reputed jewelry stores and online shops too. Discerning buyers looking for sophisticated yet fashionable jewelry can opt for the subtle beauty and elegant understatement of platinum jewelry.


1. Store platinum jewelry separate from other jewelry items so that they do not scratch or get scratched by your other jewelry items. Place your jewelry in a jewelry box.

2. Clean your platinum jewelry periodically. This will ensure its fine appearance and will help it last.

3. Clean platinum in the same way you clean other fine jewelry - using a pre-packaged jewelry cleaner or by soaking it in a mild solution of 50% ammonia and 50% warm water and then gently rubbing it with a soft cloth. Note that harsh chemicals such as ammonia should not be used on gemstones other than diamonds because it may damage them .

4. Polish and clean your platinum jewelry by a qualified jeweler twice a year and more often if scratches appear. Remember that all metal can be scratched.

5. Be aware that over time platinum develops a natural patina that many people prefer over the "just polished" appearance of platinum. When this happens to your platinum jewelry you may take it to a jeweler and have the item polished for that "high gloss" look or simply tell them not to remove the patina if that is your preference.

6. Do not wear your platinum or other fine jewelry when doing home cleaning, gardening, or other types of heavy work or manual labor. Jewelry is designed to be decorative, not indestructable.

7. Do not wear your platinum or other fine jewelry when working with bleach or other harsh chemicals. Although the chemicals may not affect the platinum, they may discolor diamonds and other gemstones and can cause an allergic reaction with your skin if trapped between the ring and your finger.

8. Platinum rings or chains can be cleaned with a mild soap water solution and scrubbed with a soft bristle brush.

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15 Tips - Keep Silver Jewelry Shiny

Silver jewelry allures people with its intricate and meticulous artistry since ages. Shineness ,glow or glare of Silver Jewelry has always lured people. But people always wonder how to take care of silver jewelry, or how to sustain its shine. When you purchase a silver jewelry it is shiny and beautiful but with the interaction of silver and sulfides in the air silver gets tarnished.

Silver Jewelry does not turn black immediately. First the tarnish will take on a golden hue, and then it will turn the piece black. This is a natural process. Higher sulfide levels are due to humidity or air pollution. Always remember more humid the climate is ,more are the chances of silver getting tarnished.

To prevent tarnish follow these 15 tips:

1. Store your jewelry in a cool, dry place. Silver tarnishes when exposed to air, so it's a good idea to keep your silver in airtight zip lock plastic bags or an airtight container when not in use. This will help to slow the tarnishing process and protect your jewelry from scratching.

2. Remove your silver jewelry when cleaning, wimming and taking a shower. Before using any product that contains bleach,ammonia,alcohol,fingernail polish removers that contain acetone, and turpentine always remember to remove your silver jewelry. As some of these can cause a breakdown in the metal alloys and makes your jewelry beyond repair and dull.

3. While sleeping remove your jewelery. Movement during sleep can also cause stress.

4. The best way to clean your jewelry is with a professional jewelry polishing cloth. The cloth is treated with cleaning chemicals and not only will the cloth last a long time, it will give you an amazing shine each and every time. Rub gently in a lengthwise motion and it will also shine the stones.

5. The acids in salad dressings, mayonnaise and eggs can tarnish your silver, so try not to serve these foods when you use your silver. Or, if you must, rinse it right away after you use your silver with these foods.

6. Silver polishing cloths are available at major supermarkets, hardware and jewelry stores.

7. Use a non-abrasive brand name liquid or paste silver polish to remove heavy tarnish. Rinse thoroughly with warm water to remove all traces of polish from your gemstones. Dont forget to dry your jewelry before storing it in an airtight zip lock bag or container. Never use toothpaste as it is very abrasive.

8. Never dip any Silver Jewelry in 'dip' solutions or commercial cleaning solutions even though it may say that it is for silver jewelry. Dip cleaners will work only for first few times only,but after that silver jewelry will not look the same and may change its color. And it can also damage the stones and beads.

9. If you find that you need more than a polishing cloth, another simple way to clean your silver jewelry is to fill an aluminum pan with hot (but not boiling) tap water. Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir a bit. Add your jewelry and let soak for 10 minutes. Rinse and dry thoroughly. (Note: some dyed beads may lose their color when cleaned in this manner. Test first before cleaning the whole piece.)

10. Take a large pot (not non-stick), and line the inside with aluminum foil. Put in 8 cups of water, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup salt, and 1/4 cup liquid dish soap, and stir it a little. Place your Sterling Silver Jewelry into the solution. Bring the to a simmer for a few minutes. Then turn off the burner and let it sit for another couple of minutes. Then using a colander or strainer, pour out the solution. Rinse with cold water. Make sure you've account for all your jewelry before you throw away the aluminum. It will be dirty because the oxides on your jewelry were transferred to it. Your Sterling Silver Jewelry should now look like new!

11. Get a tin pie plate and line the bottom with aluminium foil. Sprinkle some baking soda on the tin foil, and lay your necklace on it. Boil a little water and pour it over the tin foil.Your necklace will be shiny in seconds. This is very easy ,fast and natural way of keeping siver jewelry shining.

12. Soak your jewelery in a water/baking soda solution. Or, use baking soda and a tiny bit of water (to make a paste) and a drop of dish detergent, and use that paste to clean your chains.

13. Easy way to keep silver clean is to put the silver in an aluminum dish and liberally sprinkle it with baking soda and then pour boiling water over it all. When it cools, remove and dry. It will remove all the tarnish and makes it very shiny.

14. You can even use silver dip, dip the piece quickly in and out of the dip. Then immediately rinse it in clean water. When the piece dries, buff it with a soft cotton cloth or a Sunshine Cloth.Buffing helps in removing the residue left on the piece and brings out the more shine of the piece and Sunshine Cloth creates a little bit of a protective anti-tarnish coating on the piece to maintain its shinenes for longer.

15. Tarnish Shield, or similar lacquer shield, will keep the piece of jewelry shiny until the tarnish wears off. This is rarely used. It is primarily used on those jewelry that has to be on display for a long time.

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Jewelry Cleaning and Keeping at Home

Some General Jewelry Cleaning and Keeping Tips :

1) Jewelry must be stored in a clean, dry place.Each piece should be separately placed from the other so the scratching could be prevented.Using a fabric jewelry case along with dividers in it could be the best choice.

2) Jewelry should be professionally cleaned and inspected every six months to a year so that it may not require maintenance cost later.It often helps the owner get informed that whether there is a problem with the pieces of jewelry he or she possess.

3) Home remedies of cleaning jewelry do not work always.Cleaning with abrasive or acidic materials or with materials like toothpaste , chlorine, bleach, etc., can even also cause scratch, discolor or even can dissolve the metals and polishes of gemstones.So whenever possible one must try to avoid such practices.

4) Whenever there is a confusion regarding that the particular piece of jewelry can be affected by something then the confusion must be cleared by consulting a jeweler.


Gemstone Cleaning Tips:

Sensitive stones like pearls, emeralds, and opals needs special care in cleaning rather then sapphires and rubies which are very durable stones.Given are some of the cleaning tips for these gemstones :

5) Cleaning of more durable gemstones like sapphires and rubies is done in the same way as that of diamonds.

6) The soft stones like opals, emeralds, and pearls on the other hand should be cleaned gently using a clean, soft, damp cloth.Making these stones cleaned by a jeweler can be a best option.

7) Some of the gemstones are treated by heat or other techniques ; using techniques like boiling the gemstone in water or using a saltwater solution at home can damage the gemstone.

Know More : Top 11 tips: How to take care of Gemstone Jewelry


Silver and other metals Cleaning Tips:

Silver and precious metals can get oxidize as the time passes; all that ultimately tarnishes the metal.Proper care can prevent them from looking old.

8) Silver should be cleaned with a less ph soap and water, all after then the water is made to get removed from the surface.

9) Fibers present in tissue paper and paper towels can scratch the metal .So to avoid removal of polish or to avoid scratches the silver must be rubbed with a cloth or felt to make a polish.

10) Silver Jewelry must be stored in tarnish-preventing bags or felt cloths.These bags must be kept away from light and air while storing because these two biological factors can cause tarnishing of silver.

Know More : How To Maintain Silver Jewelry


Diamond Cleaning Tips :

Diamonds when cleaned with strong cleaning agents can also get affected, even if they are the hardest substances found on earth.So it is recommended that diamond cleaning should be done using a basic ammonia and water based solution.The right proportion of ammonia and water solution for particular piece can only be suggested by a professional.Thus it is found that a professional cleaning using their solution is the best way of cleaning the jewelry.And it can be done at any professional jewelry store.Some general tips of cleaning jewelry at home are as follows :

11) Using a soap solution or a ammonia solution can be a good option.

12) Using a soft bristle tooth brush,we initially tap the bristle against the diamond to clean the film of dust away from it.Brushing creates bubbles over the surface.

13) Brushing is done under the solution till the brightness starts reappearing.It usually takes 30 to 60 seconds.

14) Diamond pieces are then rinsed in luke-worm water, so as to remove the cleaning solution from the jewelry.And later then jewelry is dried using a clean cloth.


Gold Jewelry Cleaning Tips:

The finest gold jewelry made by karat gold can be cleaned by the following processes :

15) Chamois cloths are often used to clean the gold jewelry.The jewelry is just rubbed with the cloth to restore its shine.

16) Using chlorine to clean the jewelry or just simply wearing the jewelry in water with chlorine added to it such as pools, can also permanently damage the gold jewelry.

17) Dipping the jewelry in rubbing alcohol can remove the grease present over it.

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How to maintain Silver Jewelry

How to maintain Silver Jewelry

Jewelry has been in use as a marks of beauty & social status since time immemorial. Silver jewelry adds a different look to a person’s personality and can be matched with every occasion and event. Silver jewelry is a popular gift item in youngsters because it is light on their pocket and is still impressive!. Jewelry makers spend a lot of time to make quality artistic jewelry. Often jewelry is hand crafted and it takes a lot of effort to maintain the high standards in craftsmanship. As a jewelry consumer it is also your prerogative to take care of your loved possession. Unless you take good care of silver jewelry, you will soon start seeing the wear and tear effects on the jewelry item.

These are some helpful hints on how to look after your silver jewelry.

1. Silver is scratch-resistant but not scratchproof. Polish your silver jewelry regularly using non-abrasive cleaning cloth, to maintain the original condition of silver jewelry.

2. Soap & water will also help keep your silver looking good. But do not dry silver with paper towel or tissues, always use soft cloth only.

3. When you are not wearing your silver jewelry, store them in a cool, dry place. Zip-lock bags or the individual cloth pouches are ideal for this and will help prevent both tarnishing or scratching with other pieces.

4. Never immerse your silver jewelry in chlorine, salt water, mineral spring, & suntan lotion. Be careful some household cleaning lotions contain chlorine bleach, these will cause discoloration & might harm the gemstones in the jewelry.

5. Never use an ultrasonic cleaner, ammonia or any chemical solution to clean opaque gemstone, such as turquoise, malachite, onyx, lapis lazuli and opals.They are porous stones & they may absorb the chemicals, & cause discoloration. Simply wipe them gently with a moist cloth until clean.

6. To remove tarnish or oxidation film from silver you can use fresh, uncontaminated commercial silver dip liquid, polish paste or polish cloth, available in jewelry suppliers or hardware stores. Make sure there are no loose stones or parts.

7. Limit the gemstone's exposure to silver cleaners - cleaners may harm certain kinds of gemstones.

Last but not least, wear your jewelry! Your body oils will help prevent tarnish and you won’t even have to clean it as often. You silver jewelry will benefit from you showing it off with affection!

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Top 11 tips: How to take care of Gemstone Jewelry

The world is full of rocks and minerals. It is an amazing art that how some of these natural rocks are cutted and polished into a brilliant gemstone. There are specialized persons who convert the rough rocks into brilliant gemstones. There are many different types of gemstones such as Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Aquamarine, Tourmaline, Amethyst, Citrine, Garnet, Topaz, Quartz amongst many. All of these require specific care and cleaning procedures. However, there are some general care and cleaning rules which apply to all gemstone jewelry.

- Gemstones are always wiped with soft cloth. Take a clean soft cloth, moisten it a bit and clean your gemstone. This will enhance the luster and ensure that your prized possession of jewelry/gemstone is always clean.

- Avoid having grease paints on the gemstone. Your fingers are the main source of having grease stones.

- Store gemstones and jewelry individually in soft pouches.

- Do not use harmful chemicals, ultrasonic cleaners, solvents to clean opaque gemstones, such as turquoise, malachite, onyx, lapis lazuli and opals. They are a porous stone and may absorb chemicals, which build up inside the stone and cause discoloration.

- Apply makeup, hairsprays, perfumes, deodorants etc before putting on jewelry. The gemstones do not like too much of chemical interference on their body.

- Do not heat/coolen your gemstone jewelry. You may be surprised to know how discoloring can happen if gemstones are subjected to large temperature changes.

- Do not immerse setting jewelry in water. The setting may loosen as a result of this.

- Do not expose gemstones to salt water, abrasive solvents or detergents. These chemicals will erode the finish and polish of gemstone.

- Avoid wearing gemstone jewelry while doing heavy duty works. Some stones like garnet, tsavorite etc. are brittle in nature and can get damaged.

- Do not try to adjust your gemstone in the setting manually. You are not an expert and chances are you may get two broken pieces in hand.

- If you have a worn out gemstone, take it to an expert for re-polish. A few dollars investment here will elongate your gemstone jewelry's life and will give it a new look.

Ricky

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