Sun, sea and sand are some of the best parts of summer, but they can also potentially damage or tarnish your jewellery. We’ve explored the six best ways to look after your precious jewellery in the sunshine.
- Don’t worry if it tarnishes.
Firstly, please don’t worry if a piece has tarnished. Tarnishing causes no actual harm to the silver and can be easily resolved at home by using a silver polish cloth. Silver naturally tarnishes when exposed to air and other elements, or is potentially packed with other tarnished jewellery. Still, one of the best ways to minimise the risk of tarnishing is to lessen its exposure to sunlight, high temperatures and moisture as much as possible.
- Pack your jewellery correctly for your holidays.
Pack and store your jewellery correctly to reduce or stop tarnishing. Your jewellery should be stored in a closed jewellery box (or a travel jewellery box) and wrapped in a polish cloth when it isn’t being worn. Don’t let your jewellery touch other jewellery, especially if it’s already tarnished. Travel jewellery boxes are great because they’ll keep your necklaces separate so you don’t need to spend precious holiday time detangling them! If you don’t have one, keep the box your jewellery arrives in, as that will work just as effectively.
- Be aware of summer lotions and sprays.
Of course, suncream is essential on holiday. However, the lotion can get stuck in the crevices of your jewellery which can dull the sparkle, making it appear flat. Make sure you put your suncream on before your jewellery and take off your jewellery between top-ups! Insect and mosquito repellent sprays are another summer essential that can cause tarnishing. Be sure to remove your jewellery and clean it thoroughly after applying any sprays.
- Avoid swimming in your jewellery.
Remove your jewellery before a refreshing dip in the pool or a cooling swim in the sea. Chlorine and sea water can damage and discolour jewellery (especially sterling silver pieces) and can slowly erode the finish and polish of gemstones. If jewellery does come into contact with salt water or chlorine, simply rinse it off with clean water.
- Easy maintenance tip on holiday.
One of the best things you can do on holiday to look after your jewellery is to wipe your jewellery with a silver polish cloth after wear and before storing it. When you unpack your case, leave the cloth somewhere handy, like on your bedside table; that way, it’ll be easy to remember to do it every night before you go to bed so it’s ready to sparkle again the next day!
- Book a professional clean after your holiday.
An excellent way to keep your jewellery sparkling after a sunny holiday is to book it in for a professional clean. We offer our own maintenance service at Hand on Heart as we know silver jewellery benefits enormously from an annual professional clean. Plus, it’ll help eliminate those post-holiday blues if you have something nice to look forward to – when your jewellery is returned to you beautifully cleaned and looking as good as new!
We hope this blog helps put your mind at ease about any jewellery tarnishing worries, leaving you to enjoy the summer sunshine safe in the knowledge that there are some simple things you can do to take care of your jewellery this summer. As always, our friendly team is on hand to answer any questions about jewellery maintenance.
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