Day-to-day Care
Diamonds, gemstones, and pearl jewelry need to be treated with care. Even a diamond, the world’s hardest material, can be damaged under certain circumstances, and other gemstones are delicate. To prevent damage as much as possible, we recommend that you avoid exposing your diamond, gemstone, and pearl jewelry to the following:
- Variable temperatures
- Perfumes and cosmetics
- Ultrasonic cleaning
- Household chemicals
How do I care for my diamonds?
Dust, pollution, and daily wear all conspire to cloud the brilliance of a gemstone and dull the surface of platinum and gold. positivo suggests that your ring receive periodic professional maintenance.
Between professional cleanings, positivo recommends the occasional non-abrasive cleaner for diamond jewelry. Jewelry with stones other than diamonds may need other care.
How should I clean my diamond ring?
To clean your positivo diamond ring use a professional cleaning kit from your jeweler. Follow the warnings and instructions included. For delicate gemstones, use a soft brush with a solution of mild dish soap and lukewarm water. Rinse well and dry with a clean, soft cloth.
How do I care for my gemstone jewelry?
Certain basic precautions should be taken with all of your jewelry. However, some gemstones, as outlined in this section, require special care.
Take care to protect your jewelry from impact against hard surfaces and avoid contact with abrasive surfaces. Even a diamond can chip if hit with enough force or at just the right angle. Many stones such as amethyst, emerald, kunzite, opal, pearl, peridot, tanzanite, and tourmaline are very delicate and easily abraded. Enamel can also chip or scratch when struck.
Gemstones can scratch other gemstones and wear away at precious metals. Therefore, avoid stacking those rings and bracelets that would be vulnerable to such abrasion. Extreme temperatures, perfumes, cosmetics, ultrasonic cleaning, and household chemicals can also damage jewelry.
Gold and Platinum Jewelry Care
Day-to-day Care
To preserve the luster of your gold jewelry, avoid exposure to household bleach and other cleaning products, which will quickly cause gold to discolor and possibly disintegrate. We recommend that you store your gold jewelry in a safe place when engaging in these activities:
- Household and outdoor chores (i.e., cleaning and gardening)
- Showering, bathing, or swimming in pools, hot tubs, hot springs, and the ocean
- Using lotion, hair products, fragrances, and other cosmetics
- Exercising at the gym or during contact sports
- Preparing meals
Between wearing, we recommend that you place your gold or platinum jewelry back in a safe jewelry pouch for safekeeping.
How to Clean Gold and Platinum Jewelry
- Place your gold or platinum jewelry into a jewelry cleaner solution from your jeweler.
- After two minutes, use a pair of tweezers to remove your jewelry from the solution.
- Gently clean behind the settings and in between crevices with a soft bristle brush to remove any debris.
- Rinse, blot dry, and shine your gold or platinum jewelry with a polishing cloth.
Sterling Silver Jewelry Care
Day-to-day Care
Sterling silver tarnishes when exposed to salty air, chlorine, sulfur, humidity, perspiration, cosmetics, household bleach, and other strong chemicals. To prevent tarnish as much as possible, we recommend that you store your fine jewelry in a safe, dry place when engaging in the following activities:
- Household and outdoor chores
- Showering, bathing, or swimming in pools, hot tubs, hot springs, and the ocean
- Using lotion, hair products, fragrances, and other cosmetics
- Exercising at the gym or during contact sports
- Preparing meals
Between wearing, we recommend that you place your silver jewelry back in a safe jewelry pouch for safekeeping.
How to Clean Sterling Silver
1. Apply a small amount of silver jewelry cleaner to a soft cloth.
2. Gently rub the silver with the cloth several times.
3. Rinse the silver thoroughly in warm water.
4. Blot dry and shine your silver with a silver polishing cloth or mitts. This will remove the tarnish and restore shine.
Sterling Silver Oxidized Jewelry Care
How can I handle my sterling silver products that have an oxidized finish?
Oxidized silver is deliberately tarnished, which creates a black sheen for an antique or discolored appearance. Due to its tarnished nature, caring instructions for oxidized silver differs from traditional, non-oxidized silver materials.
You should avoid using a silver polish as this will strip the oxidized finish from the silver. Instead, we recommend cleaning your oxidized silver by using a dry, clean cloth to avoid scratching. Only clean oxidized silver when necessary.
Gold Vermeil (925 Sterling Silver/18K Gold) Jewelry Care
How can I handle my Gold Vermeil products?
CARING FOR GOLD VERMEIL JEWELRY
Gold vermeil is an overlay of gold over a base of sterling silver. Gold vermeil jewelry requires special care. Remember to store your gold vermeil jewelry in an airtight container when not in use; and to remove before applying perfumes, lotions, or before bathing. Chlorine, especially at high temperatures, can permanently damage or discolor your gold vermeil jewelry. Avoid wearing gold vermeil jewelry while using chlorine bleach or while in a pool or hot tub.
To clean gold vermeil jewelry, buff VERY gently with a soft and dry 100% cotton cloth or a microfiber cloth. NEVER use chemical cleaners on 22k gold vermeil jewelry, it can strip the gold finish. It is natural for gold vermeil jewelry to tarnish with time.
How can I care for my Pearls?
Gem and mineral hardness are measured on the Mohs scale. The numbers are based on the relative ease or difficulty with which one mineral can be scratched by another. But the Mohs scale is deceptive. The steps between the minerals are not evenly spaced. For example, a diamond on the Mohs hardness scale is only one number away, but it’s many times harder than gems in the corundum family.
Pearl is ranked 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which means it’s very soft and easily scratched.
Pearl’s toughness is usually good, but aging, dehydration, and sometimes excessive bleaching during initial processing might make some pearls more fragile.
Storage
Pearls are best kept in a soft cloth pouch or a soft-lined jewelry box. Never store your pearls in an airtight environment such as a zip lock bag. Pearls are organic and do contain trace amounts of water. Storing them in an airtight environment will cause them to become brittle and damage their luster.
Stability
High heat can burn cultured pearls or cause discoloration, splitting, or cracking.
Pearl is generally stable to light, but the heat from intense light can cause dehydration and cracked nacre.
Pearl can be damaged by many chemicals and all acids. The list includes hair spray, perfume, cosmetics, and even perspiration.
Pearls might be dyed, impregnated, or coated. These treatments might alter over time. Bleaching and irradiation can be stable during normal wear.
Cleaning
Pearls should never be cleaned in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner. It’s safe to use warm, soapy water for occasional, thorough cleaning. If the pearls are strung, be sure the string is completely dry before wearing.
For routine care, it’s best to wipe cultured pearls with a very soft, clean cloth after each wearing.