Take care of gems and minerals

Helps you maintain the natural luster of jewelry and prevent your gems and minerals from scratching, warping, discoloring, or breaking these quick and easy-to-remember tips. This great infographic was provided by our favorite jewelry designer, Chan Luu.

Pearls

Pearls are special stones that are very sensitive to acids and too much humidity. Bleaches, powdered cleansers, and liquid household cleaners are strongly discouraged. Pearls are also vulnerable to scratches. Toothbrushes and coming into contact with other gemstones can damage the surface of the pearl. Our rule of thumb is to clean pearls with only water, a soft cloth, and non-detergent soap. Dampen the soft cloth with water and soap and gently wipe down pearls. Make certain to look into the drilled holes in the pearls as dirt may collect most in these areas. Dry and polish using a soft dry cloth. To help preserve your pearl’s luster, we also recommend not wearing pearls when showering, applying perfume, hair sprays, or makeup. Furthermore, we suggest wiping down pearls with a soft cloth before storing away to eliminate any residue from sweat.

Horn/Bone 

Horn/Bone jewelry is very durable and require minimal care to preserve them. A simple mental note for this jewelry trend - Avoid contact with water. We do not recommend dipping or soaking bone/horn jewelry in water. Additionally, avoid contact with water when wearing them, showering, or swimming. Horn/Bone jewelry does not handle moisture and humidity well as this can cause the jewelry to crack or warp. To clean horn/bone jewelry we recommend using a soft dry cloth to remove any dirt on the surface of the bone. Afterwards, apply coconut or jojoba oil to keep horn/hone from cracking. When storing away, store bone/horn jewelry in dry area and away from other jewelry to avoid scratching against other surfaces.

Turquoise   

Turquoise is a beautiful and natural stone that is not difficult to clean with some key reminders. Keep in mind, turquoise absorbs liquids very easily, so it is very important to not soak the stone in water as this can reduce the hardness of the stone. Turquoise is also very sensitive to heat and chemicals so we strongly discourage cleaning turquoise stones in ultrasonic cleaners using a jewelry cleaning concentrate or adding detergents, cleansers, or solutions.   Hint:   Check out our Jewelry Cleaning Line Simple Shine. Our advice is to take a moist soft cloth and dab the stone gently and let air dry.

Labradorite

Labradorite is a relatively soft stone that can be scratched easily if handled too harshly. Toothbrushes, ultrasonic cleaners, and steamers are not recommended when cleaning labradorite stones because of how easily the stone can get damaged. To clean labradorite, we recommend a simple method using mild dish soap, warm water, and a microfiber cloth. Dampen the cloth with soap and warm water and gently wipe the surface of the stone. You may rinse stone with water. Make certain that all soap has rinsed off to avoid soapy residue being left over. Let air dry. Additionally, we suggest regular cleaning to maintain the stone’s beauty as well as protecting the stone from any moisture when storing away.