Your jewellery might represent a significant financial investment. On top of that, it might have sentimental value. As such, it’s worth knowing how to properly maintain it. With just a little care and attention, your collection can be just as impressive ten, twenty, or even a hundred years from now. Let’s take a look at how.
Proper Jewellery Care
If you wash your jewellery carelessly, then it will almost certainly wear down. Water, and particularly hot water, will leave stains, and degrade the metal. Changes in temperature can work loose the gemstones, too.
Use warm – but not hot – water, a small amount of washing-up liquid, and a soft-bristled brush. If you’re cleaning malachite, use cold water instead – since this is a particularly sensitive stone.
Silver and gold should be treated slightly differently. The former will tarnish over time, but this can often be removed with warm water and soap – and by simply wearing the item. You can find special cloths which include anti-tarnish agents. They’re perfect for this task, and they make a great investment.
Pre-owned watches and other more complex items may require a more specialised cleaning process. Make sure that you don’t wear the watch in the pool, shower, or bath – unless it’s rated for more than a hundred metres of static pressure.
Secure Storage at Home
When you aren’t wearing your jewellery, it’s critical that you have somewhere secure to keep it. A specialised jewellery box, complete with locks, is ideal. These will come with padded compartments that will reduce the risk of the item getting scratched.
You’ll also want to reduce the likelihood of your items getting stolen. Secret compartments in your home, as well as safes, can provide the required protection.
Insuring Your Jewellery
While it’s possible to reduce the risk to your jewellery through appropriate care and storage, it’s just about impossible to reduce this risk to zero. This is where insurance comes in. Your insurer will need to know the value of the items being insured – which means that you’ll need to get yours valued. While it is possible to estimate the value of a lost item after the fact (through a process called post-loss valuation), this is less than ideal, and will typically result in a smaller payout.
Find out exactly what you’re covered against. Theft, damage, and loss all tend to be covered – but it’s worth being sure.
Travel Tips for Keeping Jewellery Safe
If you’re taking your jewellery to an unfamiliar place, then the risk of loss or damage goes up significantly. Make sure that you avoid wearing high-value items when you’re travelling in public, and make sure that your insurance covers you. Generally speaking, it’s worth leaving really valuable items behind – after all, in most cases, there’s no need to take your entire collection.
