how to protect your fine jewelry

Keeping Your Jewelry Case Clean and Organized

We gave you some tips to keep your jewelry clean and organized, but you know how to organize your jewelry? Depending on the materials used in its development, the jewelry should be treated differently to last a lifetime, or at least for a long time.

Here are some ideas to Correctly keep your jewelry:

How many of us forget we have a lovely pair of hoop earrings – until we find them at the bottom of our jewelry case?

You may have mislaid that heirloom antique ring your great aunt left you because your jewelry is tangled up in a mess. Your jewelry can easily go missing if you don’t keep it organized, plus it is fragile and can get damaged or scratched unless you know how to take care of it.

Here are some ideas from professionals to get you organized:

Add Wall-Mounted Hooks

Add some decorative hooks mounted on a wall to hang your necklaces and bracelets. That way they are untangled, and you can see what you have.

Use A Catch-All

When you take off your everyday jewelry at night, put it in a small container or saucer instead of loose on your nightstand. Loose jewelry can get lost or damaged. You can put it away the next morning if you are not going to wear it again.

Declutter!

Lay everything out that you own. Put anything that needs repair or is mismatched, tarnished or old and unwanted into a pile. Do you have unwanted pieces you believe are valuable? Put them on one side – and we’ll tell you what to do with them later in this article.

Choose Velvet

The first place to start is with a high-quality, velvet-lined jewelry box with several separate jewelry trays and small, individual dividers. Why velvet lined? Velvet is thick and plush, so it makes a soft cushion for your valuable pieces.

Make sure the box is clean by going over it with a lint roller to remove the debris. This will remove any dust and small particles. Remove stains from the velvet lining by adding a few drops of gentle dish soap to a bowl of warm water. Rub the soapy water onto the stains. Brush gently until the stains disappear, then take a clean, dry cloth and dab the wet velvet lining to absorb the soapy water.

Organize!

Separate rings, earrings and brooches into sections of your box. Try and place each piece in its own compartment if you have room. Hook your earrings together, so they are stored as a pair. That way, you will not lose one. If you don’t have room, organize by type of jewelry, design or occasions you would wear it – such as formal or casual.

Avoid Tarnish!

In addition to cleaning your jewelry regularly, you need to store gold, silver and platinum pieces away from each other to decrease the spread of unwanted tarnish. Before you store your jewelry make sure it is clean and dry. Moisture causes tarnish.

Here’s how to get rid of tarnish:

  • Clean jewelry by mixing a little dish detergent with lukewarm water.
  • Saturate the jewelry in the mixture.
  • Use a soft toothbrush to buff away dirt and debris.
  • Pat dry with a lint-free cloth.
  • Remove tarnish with a polishing cloth.

Even Temperature

As humidity can harm jewelry, you should store yours in an even temperature. Consider using a dehumidifier or air conditioner in the room. In other words, don’t place your jewelry box above a heat vent or in an atmosphere with high moisture content.

No Touching… or Exposure to Sunlight!

Diamonds should be stored apart from each other, as they can cause scratches. Pearls should be stored in a felt pouch. Fine jewelry can become damaged through prolonged exposure to UV light, so do not store your open box near a window.

Take Pictures!

A final tip here. Take photos of your jewelry as you go through this process.  This will be helpful if you need to renew your jewelry insurance policy.  Proper maintenance of your jewelry will keep it looking good for as long as you own it. It is worth the effort!

So… back to your unwanted fine jewelry. Dover can help.consign your jewelry

 

 

 

 

We specialize in consignment sales or outright purchases of unwanted jewelry. Please stop by our new offices if you would like to learn more, or call us for an appointment at Dover Jewelry & Antiques. 1000 Brickell Ave Suite 100 Miami, FL 33131. 1.877.777.6111 | [email protected]

consign your jewelry