Look after your jewellery this summer
This summer has been generous with sunshine-filled days and temperatures that seem to keep rising. With a nationwide fan shortage, there is even more reason to dive into a delicious swimming pool or splash in the waves. But before you immerse yourself in the luscious, cooling waters, spare a thought for your precious jewellery.
Diamond rings and gold earrings don’t feel the heat, so don’t need to cool off with you. Leave them in your jewellery box or pop them in a safe pocket in your swimming bag before you dive in.
Saltwater and chlorine can damage and discolour metals like gold and silver and can erode the finish and polish off gemstones, so it’s best to leave them on dry land. Fresh waters like rivers and lakes aren’t jewellery-safe either. Cold water can cause your fingers to shrink, and in the excitement of diving in the surf, climbing back on your overturned kayak, or swimming to the surface after jumping from a rope swing, you might not notice your treasured engagement ring slip off – even if you did notice, you don’t have great odds of finding it in the swirling, sandy water.
Don’t wear your jewellery to the beach at all if you can help it. Gold is softer than sand, and it will get easily scratched while you’re building a two-storeyed sandcastle featuring a shell-tiled roof, saltwater moat and driftwood drawbridge. Grains of sand are sneaky and very good at wiggling their way into settings and claws.
Swimming isn’t the only summer culprit out to get your jewels – it’s a good idea to remove rings, necklaces and bracelets before applying sunscreen or bug spray as well. Lotions can get into all the little crevices like chain links and ring prongs, which can build up and get icky. Lotions and sprays create a film over your jewellery, which can dull their shine.
If you want to clean your rings or other jewellery, use warm soapy water and gently rub with a soft toothbrush. Make sure each piece has dried properly before you put it away. If you’d like to do a more intensive clean, come and see us in-store and we’ll talk to you about our jewellery cleaning range – we have Connoisseurs specially designed jewellery cleaners, cloths, and disposable wipes, and Haggarty silver foam. We’ll give you a free Connoisseurs disposable dry wipe sample to try – you just lightly rub your jewellery with the cloth to remove dirt and tarnishing. A bonus when you’re cleaning silver jewellery with the dry wipe is that it reduces future cleaning by leaving an anti-tarnish shield to maintain a ‘like new’ lustre. And they’re non-toxic!
So, go forth and cool off this summer, but leave your jewellery at home.
To have your items professionally cleaned, contact us at Showcase Jewellers Te Awamutu today
Diamond rings and gold earrings don’t feel the heat, so don’t need to cool off with you. Leave them in your jewellery box or pop them in a safe pocket in your swimming bag before you dive in.
Saltwater and chlorine can damage and discolour metals like gold and silver and can erode the finish and polish off gemstones, so it’s best to leave them on dry land. Fresh waters like rivers and lakes aren’t jewellery-safe either. Cold water can cause your fingers to shrink, and in the excitement of diving in the surf, climbing back on your overturned kayak, or swimming to the surface after jumping from a rope swing, you might not notice your treasured engagement ring slip off – even if you did notice, you don’t have great odds of finding it in the swirling, sandy water.
Don’t wear your jewellery to the beach at all if you can help it. Gold is softer than sand, and it will get easily scratched while you’re building a two-storeyed sandcastle featuring a shell-tiled roof, saltwater moat and driftwood drawbridge. Grains of sand are sneaky and very good at wiggling their way into settings and claws.
Swimming isn’t the only summer culprit out to get your jewels – it’s a good idea to remove rings, necklaces and bracelets before applying sunscreen or bug spray as well. Lotions can get into all the little crevices like chain links and ring prongs, which can build up and get icky. Lotions and sprays create a film over your jewellery, which can dull their shine.
If you want to clean your rings or other jewellery, use warm soapy water and gently rub with a soft toothbrush. Make sure each piece has dried properly before you put it away. If you’d like to do a more intensive clean, come and see us in-store and we’ll talk to you about our jewellery cleaning range – we have Connoisseurs specially designed jewellery cleaners, cloths, and disposable wipes, and Haggarty silver foam. We’ll give you a free Connoisseurs disposable dry wipe sample to try – you just lightly rub your jewellery with the cloth to remove dirt and tarnishing. A bonus when you’re cleaning silver jewellery with the dry wipe is that it reduces future cleaning by leaving an anti-tarnish shield to maintain a ‘like new’ lustre. And they’re non-toxic!
So, go forth and cool off this summer, but leave your jewellery at home.
To have your items professionally cleaned, contact us at Showcase Jewellers Te Awamutu today
