Care for Your Jewelry

How does it feel if your precious stone-studded ring gets chipped off due to sheer carelessness? Woeful, I guess! Be it diamonds or gemstones, every jewelry piece needs proper handling and care.

Some Basic Jewelry Care Tips

• Clean diamonds using a mild solution of six parts water and one part ammonia with a soft bristle
• Clean and re-string your pearl necklace professionally once a year. In between, you can use a damp cloth to wipe them
• Do not go for ultrasonic cleaning for gemstone cleaning
• Do not expose gold jewelry to household bleach
• Products containing sulphur can tarnish sterling silver
• Store jewelry in protective or tarnish-resistant box
• Avoid stacking your handcrafted rings, earrings and bracelets in one box so as to prevent scratch and abrasion
• Avoid wearing your precious jewelry during activities which expose it to risks

Jewelry: A Reason to Wear?

Early Significance of American Jewelry

With the change of time, jewelry too has shifted its significance as an adornment. While early American jewelry was used to convey personal sentiments, its emphasis gradually shifted to its power of reflecting social status. The Industrial Revolution changed somewhat changed this scenario with mass production of jewelry items and thus being accessible to a large number of people. In early colonial America, simple mourning rings became popular and more ornate over a period of time. The 18th and 19th centuries witnessed a new type of art form. Portrait miniatures, painted in watercolor on ivory and decorated with an engraved jewelry frame, became a favorite house-decorating item. Many people also incorporated photographs of their loved ones as a mark of unforgettable memories. Check out this rare set of cufflinks fitted with a pair of photographs perhaps of the wearer’s parents (1880-1910)