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Damage to jewelery.

Ive lost 3 or maybe 4 braclets walking the 30m home from the grocery store to my house, carrying a couple of bags of groceries
The only one i managed to find was the cheapie little beaded faux one

Also ive found braclets with dangles are an accident waiting to happen
One night on close at work i managed to shut the dangle in the till drawer
 
This is a great topic!!

Huge +1 to storing stud style earrings with the posts going through something!

Pearls shouldn’t be stored hanging, that’ll stretch the thread. For pearl necklaces and bracelets - I wrap metal clasps in double sided felt to prevent them from touching the pearls during transport.
 
yssie said:
This is a great topic!!

Huge +1 to storing stud style earrings with the posts going through something!

Pearls shouldn’t be stored hanging, that’ll stretch the thread. For pearl necklaces and bracelets - I wrap metal clasps in double sided felt to prevent them from touching the pearls during transport.
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Good point. Pearls are not my strong point.
My moms pearls from around 1970 had a fitted case for them.

Any other pearl tips?
 
Gussie said:
Guess you don't remember having young kids lol! My jewelry is kept immaculate; my car is a traveling fast food disposal!
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I thought the exact same thing. LOL
 
Gussie said:
Guess you don't remember having young kids lol! My jewelry is kept immaculate; my car is a traveling fast food disposal!
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msop04 said:
I thought the exact same thing. LOL
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Oh, not just young kids...

My husband drove his coworkers to the airport in my car once. It was a two hour drive. He told me they’d snacked on cookies.

“Fine”, I thought, “these are reasonable professional adults, no biggie. I’ll just shake the floormats out”. Wrong. There were crumbs everywhere. Crumbs in the doors. Crumbs between the seats. Crumbs embedded in the cushions. I mean, did the cookies do battle!?

My husband and his guests are no longer allowed any food besides chewing gum in my car. Period. Drinks in a watertight thermos preferred but a cup with a lid is acceptable; you take that lid off, you’re paying for detailing.

:nono::angryfire::rolleyes:
 
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yssie said:
Oh, not just young kids...

My husband drove his coworkers to the airport in my car once. It was a two hour drive. He told me they’d snacked on cookies.

“Fine”, I thought, “these are reasonable professional adults, no biggie. I’ll just shake the floormats out”. Wrong. There were crumbs everywhere. Crumbs in the doors. Crumbs between the seats. Crumbs embedded in the cushions. I mean, did the cookies do battle!?

My husband and his guests are no longer allowed any food in my car. Period. Drinks in a watertight thermos are acceptable.

:nono::angryfire::rolleyes:
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Disgusting
We rarely eat in our cars
i once cleaned out my sister's car -
her kids and husband are like pigs, never picking up after them selves
(it would help if the husband did this)
No way was that how we were brought up - and we were allowed to eat in Dad's car but i don't remenber one single mess or accident invoving ice cream or tomato sauce let alone crumbs
Anyway that day when we went in my sister's car to pick the kids up from school as we pulled into her driveway i told the kids to collect all their belongings before exiting the vehicle
The silence was defining, the look on their faces
 
My mom thinks it’s weird that I take my rings off as soon as I get home. I‘ll wear an enso silicone ring or nothing. She literally never takes her ring off. Dishes, showers, gardening, etc...it’s always on. I’m pretty sure she can’t get it off at this point.
 
elle_71125 said:
I always remember the clapping one thanks to this clip of Nicole Kidman protecting her rings.

B7E65289-5D05-4E70-9442-C1120147BCD1.gif
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well i never :appl:
All i can think of is the lovelly Texan who was on her honeymoon who stod beside me front row seeing BruceSpringsteen in Auckland - they were a middle aged couple- her ER was huge like Texas and it was no travel ring
I hope it survived the evening
 
Karl_K said:
Good point. Pearls are not my strong point.
My moms pearls from around 1970 had a fitted case for them.

Any other pearl tips?
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-No ultrasonic
-Avoid soaking pearl pieces for extended periods of time (you don’t want to damage glue, or get water stuck in a drill hole under a finding, or have freshly-drilled pearl interior precipitate all over the exterior of your pearl(s) - BTDT)
-Try not to get strung pearls wet, as the thread will expand and contract and fray over time
-Larger pearls should be knotted between each pearl
-Pearls are sensitive to abrupt changes in temperature and should be removed from their mounts before any work is done on those mounts

I think the biggest thing to remember is that with cultured saltwater pearls - there’s a finite depth of nacre between you and the bead nucleus. With Tahitian pearls that depth might be a full millimeter; in akoya pearls it might be just a quarter of that. If you chip or scratch a diamond, you can have it polished out and you’ve got a slightly smaller diamond - you can keep doing this over and over until there’s no diamond left. If you chip or scratch a cultured pearl, you can’t “repolish indefinitely”, so keeping pearls away from high-abuse situations is wise! Pearl rings, for example - just a bad idea all around unless the pearl is a throwaway.
 
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elle_71125 said:
I always remember the clapping one thanks to this clip of Nicole Kidman protecting her rings.

B7E65289-5D05-4E70-9442-C1120147BCD1.gif
Click to expand...

Wow - brilliant - the most dollar damage I have seen is from 2 rings hitting each other.
I could add it up to more than $1 million.
 
yssie said:
-No ultrasonic
-Avoid soaking pearl pieces for extended periods of time (you don’t want to damage glue, or get water stuck in a drill hole under a finding, or have freshly-drilled pearl interior precipitate all over the exterior of your pearl(s) - BTDT)
-Try not to get strung pearls wet, as the thread will expand and contract and fray over time
-Larger pearls should be knotted between each pearl
-Pearls are sensitive to abrupt changes in temperature and should be removed from their mounts before any work is done on those mounts

I think the biggest thing to remember is that with cultured saltwater pearls - there’s a finite depth of nacre between you and the bead nucleus. With Tahitian pearls that depth might be a full millimeter; in akoya pearls it might be just a quarter of that. If you chip or scratch a diamond, you can have it polished out and you’ve got a slightly smaller diamond - you can keep doing this over and over until there’s no diamond left. If you chip or scratch a cultured pearl, you can’t “repolish indefinitely”, so keeping pearls away from high-abuse situations is wise! Pearl rings, for example - just a bad idea all around unless the pearl is a throwaway.
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These are great.
A couple more come to mind:
Wipe down with a barely damp cloth after each wear and wipe dry before storage.
Pure-Castile unscented liquid soap is a good pearl soap, but sparingly with water, and only if very dirty.
Ladies, it's possible to learn to restring your own pearls (and fun!) if you are crafty and want to learn, there are videos on youtube.
Do not store pearls in a plastic bag, pearls need air and moisture to stay beautiful.
Put on pearls after makeup is dry.
Chemicals and perfumes are very bad for pearls.
 
I've seen so many people treat their pearls incredibly badly.

I personally never wear my good pearls while wearing sunscreen. Since I live in Texas and have to wear sunscreen on my neck and chest during the day, everyday, I have a cheap-o "sunscreen" strand of pearls. They are decorative but not worth fussing over, so I don't feel bad wearing them over top of sunscreen, makeup and perfume. My really good pearls I wear only at night, and never put perfume anywhere near them.

I've seen some people spray themselves down with hairspray AFTER putting on their pearls and it makes my skin crawl!
 
Join earrings by poking one post through the others butterfly.
Coil semi rigid necklaces (e.g. Omega's) up so they are twice as strong. Use a rigid box when travelling.

Always do fine chain necklaces up - then they do not knot.

Steam cleaning gets the dirt out from between a setting and the gems. A serious problem with most Tiffany style settings. (You can never over clean diamonds and precious jewel metals, and warm water and soft brushes are a waste of time. Near boiling and the stiffest tooth brush, ammonia and detergent plus add boiling water in a cup - never on the stove).
 
Another ‘pearl’ for pearls - don’t wear them with a chain. With the current layering trend, many people are putting them together (I saw a yg chain with a diamond pendant worn with Tahitians the other day - which made me wince), but the friction will score the surface of the pearls.
 
I think this is why people love diamonds so much when it comes to daily wear. As a colored stone lover first and foremost I find myself wearing diamonds most of all because I cannot stand the thought of chipping or scratching my colored gemstones. A diamond IMHO can be replaced easily with a very similar diamond, but certain colored gems are hard to replace.

As for pearls- they do require special care. But....... for the most part pre-loved pearls sell at 10-30% of retail. If you take your time and know what to look for you can obtain enough to spread out the abuse if you are less than meticulous with their care.
 
LisaRN said:
If you take your time and know what to look for you can obtain enough to spread out the abuse if you are less than meticulous with their care.
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:lol::appl:
 
Garry H (Cut Nut) said:
You can never over clean diamonds and precious jewel metals, and warm water and soft brushes are a waste of time. Near boiling and the stiffest tooth brush, ammonia and detergent plus add boiling water in a cup - never on the stove).
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@Garry H (Cut Nut) I am glad to hear you say this. I have been quietly pouring freshly boiled water from the kettle onto my diamond/platinum jewellery with washing up liquid for years. Can I ask - is this safe for (untreated) sapphires too?
 
MillieLou said:
@Garry H (Cut Nut) I am glad to hear you say this. I have been quietly pouring freshly boiled water from the kettle onto my diamond/platinum jewellery with washing up liquid for years. Can I ask - is this safe for (untreated) sapphires too?
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1. Put the ammonia and detergent or window cleaner in the cup first so the heat shock is not so great on diamonds. Long diamonds can snap in half.
2. Clean diamonds first. Scrub behind gems.
3. Then rubies and sapphires when the temperature has dropped.
4. Other gems later when you can put your finger in.

Diamonds and ruby and sapphire have very high heat transfer. Long tourmaline gems have been known to snap in half because one end warms and expands while the other end is cool.
 
Should we take off our rings when we wash our hands with soap? Is hand soap bad for the rings?
 
La2020 said:
Should we take off our rings when we wash our hands with soap? Is hand soap bad for the rings?
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Most hand soap has "moisturizers" in it, and it will make a film on your ring. I usually just wash with Dawn afterwards. LOL
 
msop04 said:
Most hand soap has "moisturizers" in it, and it will make a film on your ring. I usually just wash with Dawn afterwards. LOL
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Thanks @msop04 ! I get what you mean, my diamond seems to be always covered with something. Is Dawn dishwasher better than other brands?
 
La2020 said:
Thanks @msop04 ! I get what you mean, my diamond seems to be always covered with something. Is Dawn dishwasher better than other brands?
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Blue Dawn has no "moisturizers" added, so you get the advantage of just the surfactant. It'll take the oils off. I'm sure there are other brands that will work as well, I've just always used blue Dawn.
 
OPALS!! I've seen some outstanding large opals cracked and crazed from being locked up air-tight in a safe deposit box or drawer for years. Opals are between 6 and 10% water content and need air. "Crazing" or cracking can form a spider-web inside the opal causing instability and loss of value. Let your opals "breathe."
 
Modified Brilliant said:
OPALS!! I've seen some outstanding large opals cracked and crazed from being locked up air-tight in a safe deposit box or drawer for years. Opals are between 6 and 10% water content and need air. "Crazing" or cracking can form a spider-web inside the opal causing instability and loss of value. Let your opals "breathe."
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Yes, a sealed plastic bag with a damp tissue i safe.
AND NEVER HIDE PEARLS AND OPALS IN HEATING DUCTS!
 
msop04 said:
Most hand soap has "moisturizers" in it, and it will make a film on your ring. I usually just wash with Dawn afterwards. LOL
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No problem with either, but you will develop a film on the backs of gems that you should clean properly once a week.
 
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