Monday, May 5, 2014

For the do it yourselfers

I'm sure many of us have seen those little bottles of jewelry cleaner for sale at various retailers. Generally inexpensive and handy to have around if you like to take care of things on your own, or in between visits to the jeweler.
I love these little things, but be very careful that you read the label and use the cleaner as directed. Is it all purpose? Is it for silver only? Or for Pearl jewelry only? These labels aren't slapped on the bottles so that the retailer can sell more of them by claiming they do different things. They honestly are formulated for different jobs. So be sure you check the bottle first. (Also, stones like coral, or opal shouldn't come into contact with these cleaners.) After you're done sloshing your jewelry around in the cleaner, rinse it off thoroughly with water and brush it lightly with a soft bristled toothbrush. Residue of the cleaner may actually tarnish your jewelry all over again. 
Also! I know Pandora is a big thing now. They're sold all over, but I have seen a few of these bracelets and beads ruined because they were cleaned incorrectly. Pandora prefers that their bracelets not be cleaned with silver jewelry cleaner but with baby soap and water. No joke. These aren't cheap bracelets, let's care for them the way we're supposed to. 
Pandora has a lot of people mimicking their line and selling similar pieces. I'm not familiar with all of them, so the safest advise I can give is to specifically ask the retailer you're purchasing from how to care for them. 

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