How To Care For Your Handcrafted Jewelry

I am often asked how to care for my handcrafted jewelry and if it requires different care from other jewelry types.  I recommend that you handle and care for your handcrafted beaded jewelry items like you would  good costume jewelry and/or fine jewelry items.

Most of my beaded jewelry will need only an occasional wipe or polish with a dry soft cloth to remove finger prints, smudges and body oils.  I recommend that you buy a polishing cloth made specifically for jewelry cleaning.  This type of polishing cloth usually has two different color cloths joined together as one.  One color is recommended for general polishing and the other (usually white or gray) is recommended for removing tarnish and polishing silver jewelry. 

If the dry polishing cloth doesn’t clean your jewelry easily, I recommend that you dip the jewelry in clean warm water and then add a couple of drops of gentle liquid hand soap to your fingers and slide the jewelry through the soap letting your fingers gently rub the jewelry where it needs cleaning.  Dip  the jewelry in the warm water again rinsing the soap off and lay the jewelry on a soft towel or cloth to drain the water and blot dry.  Finish drying the jewelry with the jewelry polishing cloth gently rubbing the beads and metal components to return the luster and shine.

HINT:  Store your sterling silver jewelry in a closed plastic zip-lock bag to prevent or slow down tarnish.  Your precious metal silver jewelry will tarnish over time when exposed to air.  You can also buy non-tarnish strips or squares you place in your jewelry box or inside plastic bags with your jewelry to prevent and retard tarnish growth.

For heavily tarnished jewelry items I recommend that you purchase disposable silver polishing cloths.  You can buy these in jewelry departments and/or where cleaning/polishing materials for fine silver and silverware are found.  These cloths come packaged as dry cloths or premoistened wipes for single use or until dirty.  Be sure to read the directions to decide if the cloth or the jewelry should be moistened before use.  The ones I use require that you dip the jewelry in water first and then polish with the disposable cloth and then dip again to rinse and dry with a soft cloth.  The benefit of using this type of polishing cloth is it leaves a non-tarnish coating on the jewelry that lasts a long time. 

You can use the same cleaning and polishing methods recommended above for your gold or copper handcrafted  jewelry.  If you use the disposable cloths be sure to read any specific precautions listed for gold, copper or plated  jewelry to see if it is safe to use on your jewelry item.  Be careful when using disposable cloths on “plated” finish metal jewelry.  If you rub too hard, you might remove the “plated” finish to the base metal below.

I do not recommend using any of the commercially ready liquid jewelry cleaners to clean your handcrafted jewelry unless you know exactly what type of beads and metals are used in your handmade  jewelry items.  Some of the liquid jewelry cleaners are too harsh for use on pearls, gemstones, and some metal components.  The liquid cleaners could harm or remove surface finishes like AB coatings, antique markings and dyes.

HINT:  Do not spray perfume or cologne directly on your jewelry.  Most manufacturers recommend putting your jewelry on last to avoid contact with hairspray, makeup and perfumes that can harm your jewelry.

Preview:  Large turquoise teardrop hand wrapped with natural copper wire strung on black cotton cord.