JEWELLERY TIPS

1)FOR UR WEDDING

Coloured Jewellery

Jewellery is a great way to add colour to your wedding day ensemble, Sapphires, emeralds (or fakes) and semi-precious stones can add just a bit of punch to your necklace and earring choices.

If you are going to wear jewellery with colour then make sure it is subtle and does not clash, you don't want the colour to overpower your look.

Family Heirlooms.

If you happen to have an amazing piece of jewelry at your disposal, wear it.

Those who are close to you may feel honored to fulfill the something borrowed category for your wedding day. Especially if you choose to wear something of your mothers, maybe the same necklace as she did for her wedding day, which may have been handed down to her by her mother.

Borrowed jewels have sentimental value and wearing them adds emotional punch to your wedding.

Fake IT

If you don’t have access to the real stuff, look for some fabulous fakes. These days it’s hard to distinguish costume jewellery from authentic gems.

Fake diamonds are wonderful as well, and many of the pieces available combine the costume pearl and diamonds together for a sparkly and classic look.

Earrings!

Earrings really do complete a look. Try on various earrings and see which look best with your gown’s neckline and the hairstyle you plan to wear on wedding day.

Drop pearls and pearls with some diamond (or fake diamond) sparkle are elegant wedding selections. The white of pearls can illuminate your face. You can also go for something more dramatic, such as hanging crystal earrings, but make sure they don’t overwhelm your dress.

If your gown is heavily beaded and sparkly itself, you may want to wear subtle or smallish earrings.

2)CARE FOR UR JEWELLERY

Have you ever found yourself ready to put on your favourite piece of jewellery only to find that it is tarnished beyond recognition? Don’t panic! Take an old soft bristle toothbrush or even a finger and a dab of toothpaste and presto! A gentle rub should make it sparkle. Rinse well under water and dry with a paper towel or even a hairdryer. You’re on your way!

A good way to polish jewellery is to drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewellery for two minutes

If your jewellery is a little sad then a good way to clean and care for it is to do the following. Prepare a small bowl of warm sudsy water with a mild liquid detergent. Gently brush the jewellery with a soft toothbrush while it is in the suds. Then rinse each piece under warm running water. Pat dry with a soft lint-free cloth.

In a small bowl, soak the jewellery in a half-and-half solution of cold water and household ammonia for thirty minutes. Lift out and gently tap around the front and back of the mounting with a small soft brush. Swish in the solution a second time, rinse and drain on tissue paper.

Always protect your jewellery from sharp blows, scratching, chemicals, sunlight and heat/cold. Ideally, store your jewellery in a soft lined box or pouch. Try to keep pieces apart, so that they don't rub together or tangle up.

Wear jewellery for appropriate tasks, avoid wearing rings when cleaning, gardening or performing sports activities.

Don't let your jewellery come into contact with nail polish removers, perfume and hairspray

Clean your jewellery regularly, use a professional jewellery cleaning product (always read the manufacturers instructions)

When washing your hands (away from home) - don't place your rings on the wash basin - remove them and place them onto your necklace or place in a pouch in your handbag/purse

Never go swimming in your jewellery, chlorine in swimming pools can cause damage

Gold, Platinum & Silver Tips

Generally, the higher the carat weight of gold, the softer the metal (gold is a soft metal). So that 9ct gold, being alloyed with other metals tends to be less resistant to scratching than say 22ct gold. This is why some recommend that you should wear rings of a similar quality together (e.g. wedding and engagement rings).

Because gold is a soft metal and some manufacturers use this feature to "stretch" out the metal to produce a "showy" piece, but don't take into account the need for strength. The unsuspecting buyer thinks that they're buying a great piece of jewellery, only to find it going out of shape on the first wear. Only deal with manufacturers of the highest reputation.

Sterling silver will polish up by rubbing or buffing it with a soft cotton cloth or a Sunshine Cloth. If you store silver in plastic bags with an interlocking seal, it will be less prone to tarnish.

Gold, silver, and platinum score only 2 to 4 on the Moh's scale of hardness, sand is 7 on the Mohs scale, which means your precious metal is softer than sand and can be easily scratched.

Gemstone Tips

Gem stone hardness is based on a standard called the Mohs scale. The higher the Mohs scale number, the harder the stone is. When the Mohs scale was developed, early gemologists tried rubbing one stone against another to see which stone caused scratching on another. Quartz (the stone that makes up sand) is rated at 7 on the Mohs scale, and that is why any gemstone with a rating of less than 7 is easily scratched (such as coral, lapis lazuli, opal, pearl, and turquoise).

Also, some stones can be quite porous (such as opal, pearl, turquoise), that is why you shouldn't leave these kind of stones immersed in water for too long.

Common stones that are damaged in sunlight, these include:

Amethyst: becomes paler

Ametrine: may change colour

Aquamarine: becomes paler

Aventurine: translucent types often lose colour

Beryl: brown or orange types may change to pale pink

Citrine: may change colour

Kunzite: becomes pale or loses colour

Rose Quartz: becomes paler

Smoky Quartz: becomes paler

Gemset Jewellery

Check your jewellery to ensure that stones mounted in rings are not loose or rattle - if that's the case, visit your local jeweller before it's too late - it's much cheaper to have the prongs repaired than to replace a gemstone. Don't forget that the prongs of a ring can and do wear down, If the prongs wear down too much or break, you've lost the stone. Prongs are easily "retipped" by most jewellers to keep the stone secure.

Beads

If you have beaded necklaces such as gemstone, or pearls, store them flat, preferably in a silk pouch. If the string breaks, let a professional jeweller restring them for you. If you are considering buying expensive beaded jewellery look for beads that are a knotted between each bead, so that if the string breaks you won't loose so many beads!

Don't store pearls in plastic bags, always store in the box or silk pouch that they should be supplied with.

Fashion Jewellery

Gold or Silver plated items can vary considerably in quality. To be called Gold Plated, jewellery only needs to be coated in gold up to 1 micron. Better made products are usually coated upto 3 microns. Because precious metals are only coated onto base metal, the care instructions given above are even more relevant. We would also personally advise you not to wear "fashion" jewellery on a day to day basis, but rather for "special occassions" - that way you'll enjoy them for much longer!

3)LEST YOU FORGET

Store your jewellery in a clean, dry place.

Don't heap your jewellery, they can scratch one another. Keep jewellery that is not worn in a fabric-lined jewellery box or one with compartments. If you use an ordinary box, wrap each piece individually with soft tissue paper.

Wipe your jewellery with a soft cloth after each wear to remove any oils and dirt.

Avoid wearing fine jewellery when performing manual tasks or household chores.

Wear your jewellery not less than 2 minutes after applying cosmetics, hair sprays and lotions. These products can leave a dull film on jewellery, and may contain chemicals that damage your jewellery.

Have your jewellery checked for loose prongs and worn mountings at least once in six months, and every three months to have them cleaned.

Mohs Scale

An important factor to consider when caring for your jewellery is their hardness. This is based on Mohs Scale (from 1 - 10), a gem-trade standard to measure ability to resist abrasion. The higher the Mohs Scale number, the harder the stone. Here are the ratings for some of the more popular gemstones and metals:

Diamond 10
Emerald 7.5 - 8.0
Gold 2.5 - 3.0
Jade 6.5 - 7.0
Opal 5.0 - 6.5
Pearl 2.5 - 4.0
Platinum 4.3
Ruby 9.0
Sapphire 9.0
Topaz 8.0

DIAMONDS

Some diamond jewellery, such as engagement and wedding rings, are worn all day long. Diamonds can get smudged and dusty. Cosmetics, lotions and natural skin oils can leave a film on diamonds, cutting down their brilliance. Some tips to keep your diamonds sparkling:

Do not wear diamond rings when doing rough work, though diamonds are the hardest substance, a sharp blow can chip it.

Keep your diamonds away from chlorine, it will discolour the mounting of your diamond jewellery.

To maintain the brilliance of your diamond, simply dip the jewellery in a lukewarm solution of mild detergent, use a soft toothbrush to dislodge any dirt and grime under the setting. Rinse with clean water then dry it thoroughly with a soft, clean cloth.

Handle clean jewellery by the edges, avoid touching clean diamonds with your fingers.

Coloured Gemstones

There is a large variety of coloured gemstones, a number of them need special care. However, the general rules for caring and cleaning your coloured gemstones are listed below.

Most natural gemstones are heat treated upon extraction by traditionally accepted jewellery industry techniques. This will affect the method you care for and clean your jewellery.

Wipe your gemstones with a clean, soft, slightly damp cloth after each time you wear it. This will remove chemicals, oils and perspiration from your gemstones.

Keep your gemstones in individual soft pouches.

Exposing your gemstones to salt water and harsh chemicals, like chlorine, will erode the finish and polish of the gemstones.

Do not wear your gemstone jewellery while doing household chores or exercising.

Ultrasonic cleaners may damage gemstones that are fragile, so be extra careful when using them.

Cultured Pearls

Pearls are products of living organisms. Pearls are very delicate and highly susceptible to damage, as such particular care should be given to pearls. Pearls can be cleaned with lukewarm water and a soft damp cloth. Do not use other chemicals, they can damage your pearls.

Place your pearls in a soft pouch or wrap in tissue when storing them. Pearls have soft surface and can be scratched by other jewellery.

Never store your pearls in plastic bags.

Put on your pearl jewellery after applying cosmetics, lotions or hairspray and wipe it carefully with a soft damp cloth after use.

The threads on which pearls are strung on weaken with wear. Restringing atleast once a year is advised.

Platinum

Platinum has become a popular choice on its own and as a setting for diamonds and other precious gemstones. It is one of the most durable metals and is resistant to tarnishing and discolouration by chlorine and other chemicals. But, platinum jewellery stills needs proper care, despite its durability. Clean platinum jewellery as you would your other fine jewellery.

Store your platinum jewellery separately to avoid scratches. Scratches can appear on platinum, but this is minimal because of its durability.

For jewellery that has a combination of platinum and other fine jewellery components, clean these pieces as you would if they were not paired with platinum.

Karat Gold Jewellery

Gold is a rare soft metal. Based on a karat system where 24K is pure gold, values in between correspond to parts karat and per alloy, so 18k gold = 18 parts gold and 6 parts alloy. Some tips to care for your gold jewellery:

Soap can cause your gold jewellery to become dull, so remove them before showering and cleaning.

An inexpensive way of cleaning gold jewellery, is using a soft chamois cloth to restore the shine and luster.

Dip your gold jewellery into plain rubbing alcohol to remove grease.

Gold jewellery can also be cleaned using a soft bristle brush in soap and water. After brushing, rinse the jewellery with lukewarm water and allow it to dry.

Chlorine will damage and discolour gold jewellery, so do not wear gold jewellery while using chlorine bleach or in the swimming pool.

PLZ DO LET US KNOW IF THE ABOVE TIPS HAVE BEEN HELPFUL. PLZ WRITE TO fashionpakistan@hotmail.com OR SIMPLY FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW

comments/suggestions/message:

Your name:

Your email:


Home