Guest Guru: The Bead Girl – Keeping the Sparkle in Your Jewelry
Keeping the Sparkle in Your Jewelry
By Lisa J. Lehman, The Bead Girl
Jewelry….it just makes me giddy! The sparkle, the glitter, the warmth, the feel….I love everything about it!
But what good is your jewelry if you can’t find it….or worse yet, when you do….it is in terrible condition! As much a piece of jewelry can MAKE your outfit…a piece of dirty jewelry can BREAK it!
What is most rewarding about what I do, is watching the reaction of the person purchasing a piece of my jewelry. Jewelry is so personal. It invokes many feelings. It may be a sentimental piece celebrating a certain event, or just the “ah ha” moment when they have found exactly what they have been looking for. It is those moments that continue to inspire me daily!
To keep your jewelry in that fantastic first feeling “state”, I have a few basic tips for you. Tips to keep it CLEAN and ACCESIBLE!
1. Wear it! Sounds simple right?
• Jewelry is meant to be worn…it LIKES to be worn…it tarnishes LESS when it’s worn…true story!!
• If there are pieces of value in your jewelry box that you don’t wear…I suggest you find a jeweler you trust and have them re-create something from that piece so that it gets OUT of your box…and onto your body!!
2. Put your “everyday” pieces someplace very accessible.
If you have a ring or two, or even a favorite necklace or bracelet you wear everyday, I recommend taking it off and storing in the SAME place each night. This will end the, “oh no I can’t find my…..moment!”
This is my “special place”. It is very near my back door. I put my everyday pieces here as soon as I walk in the door…and it is the last place I stop on my way OUT the door. No guessing…I know what is there!
3. Jewelry is precious. It is special. It needs to be cared for.
• Use common sense and don’t scratch or bang your jewelry. ESPECIALLY handcrafted jewelry!
• Keep your jewelry away from chemicals of all kinds, swimming pools, hot tubs, and even extreme temperatures. The chlorine and bromine in pools and hot tubs is particularly damaging to stones and metal, and will even damage solid gold.
4. BASIC CARE & CLEANING:
• Clean it regularly with mildly sudsy water, rinse really well, and pat dry with a soft cloth.
• Polish metals gently with a jewelry polishing cloth.
• If your jewelry has tarnished or discolored there are Commercial silver/gold cleaners. Be sure that any stones in the jewelry can withstand the chemicals in the cleaner. Read the label, and if in doubt, do not use a chemical cleaner.
• Ammonia and water>/b>. Use a light solution of ammonia and water on a toothbrush or soft cloth, then rinse thoroughly with water. Ammonia should not be used on the same types of gemstones that should not be used with commercial cleaners
5. STORAGE
• Store your jewelry in a zippered plastic bag or jewelry box (Each piece of StudioJewel jewelry is shipped in a velvet pouch with an anti-tarnish strip in it, and then in a box.)
Those are my little tidbits to help you enjoy each and every piece of jewelry you own. Bottom line….I love jewelry. I love to make it. I love to talk about it. I love to dream about it. I love to help people with their own pieces. If you have ANY questions feel free to contact me at thebeadgirl@comcast.net, did I mention that I love to talk about jewelry? Thought so
Lisa is a jewelry artist, a wife, a homeschool “mom”, and a social media addict! In her designs she uses traditional metalsmithing techniques, combining metals & semi-precious stones to create her unique, meaningful, as well as, extremely wearable jewelry.
Lisa blogs at StudioJewel.blogspot.com and sells her jewelry at her own site StudioJewel.com as well as her etsy store, thebeadgirl.etsy.com
Follow Lisa on twitter – http://twitter.com/thebeadgirl
