|
How Do I Clean Silver?
Some cleaners which are ideal for sterling silver may be too harsh for the set gemstone. If gem-set, use a soft toothbrush to gently clean the surfaces of the gemstones. Ultrasonic cleaners are not recommended. Natural body oils, soap and regular daily dust can build up on your jewellery.If more serious cleaning is required, then use a good jeweller’s rouge or jewellery cleaning dip. They can damage pearls and gem-set jewellery. A mild soap in water is usually enough to clean it. Remember the backs! Gently pat the jewellery dry. However, if your silver is gem-set see below for advice on specific gemstones to be sure what is safe to use.
Taking care of gemstones
Steam cleaning is quite effective but can result in thermal shock because of the often-quick temperature change. It can result in cracking because parts of the stone are forced to expand at different times. Most gemstones can be immersed in a solution of mild detergent and warm water.Likewise with pearls; although soaking can result in discoloration, so this should always be avoided. After soaking for a few minutes, gently clean the stone with a soft brush. Pearls should be dried after cleaning, using a soft towel, and air-blown dry. Extra care should be taken to remove dirt from the bottom of the setting, a common place for build-up to occur.
A gemstone is a stone that is beautiful
A gemstone is a stone that is beautiful, rare, and durable resistant to abrasion. Today, finer gemstone specimens are available to the average person than at any time in history.Nowadays such a distinction is no longer made by the trade. Rare or unusual gemstones, generally meant to include those gemstones which occur so infrequently in gem quality that they are scarcely known except to connoisseurs, include andalusite, cassiterite and bixbite. Some minerals can be very beautiful, but they may be too soft and will scratch easily (such as the mineral fluorite). Fluorite is extremely colorful and pretty but has a hardness of only 4 on the hardness scale and has four perfect cleavage directions, which makes it only an oddity as a cut gem.
|
