Enemies of the mineral - how to store pearls at home
Over time, the beads lose their shine and become covered with dark dots or yellow spots. This usually occurs due to improper handling. Pearls are capricious and demanding and especially require proper care and storage.
The main enemies of pearl jewelry are sunlight, dust, high humidity, dry air and... body cream. Caring for pearls involves proper wearing of jewelry, proper cleaning and storage.
Pearls can lose color if they are not worn for a long time; they are the only mineral that “lives” with its owner.
Microclimate
Caring for pearls in silver or gold will become simple if you provide the beads with an optimal microclimate for storage.
- Humidity. The air should not be too dry, otherwise the pearl will dehydrate and the aragonite will flake off. If there is too much moisture, the stones become cloudy. To maintain an optimal level of humidity on hot days or during the heating season, place a container of water next to the box.
- Temperature. The temperature should be moderate - 18 degrees, since the heat causes the stones to crack and the cold becomes opaque.
- Sunlight. The mineral is afraid of direct sunlight. Prolonged exposure to the sun causes the stones to become dull and yellowish.
- Dust. Dust causes microcracks to appear on the surface of pearls.
- Tobacco smoke. Pearls are not worn in rooms where cigarettes are smoked. They die from tobacco smoke.
What is not recommended to do
Pearls, after several years, lose their original color - they become cloudy. This happens because the gem contains only 2% liquid. Because of this, at high temperatures it dries out, exfoliates, and at high humidity it becomes faded and dull. A very whimsical gem.
But there are some rules that will help protect it from loss of beauty. But first you need to know what you should never do with pearl jewelry:
- Clean with a toothbrush. This item has a hard coating that will ruin the surface of the stone. Cleaning with detergents, soda, and vinegar is also not allowed.
- Spray the decoration with perfume or eau de toilette. If these perfumes come into contact with the surface of the necklace, the color of the pearls will turn reddish.
- Take a bath in them.
How to store pearls
If jewelry is rarely worn, wipe it with a velvet cloth from time to time. This allows you to maintain the shine of the mother of pearl.
Do not use a plastic bag or other closed container as this will cause condensation to form and the pearl will darken. A fabric bag is also not suitable, since the pearls will wear out here.
- The ideal place to store pearls is in a separate jewelry box that holds one pearl. What should the box be like?
- Spacious, in which even a large necklace can easily fit, and the clasps do not come into contact with the beads.
- Always keep the doors of the box tightly closed to protect the jewelry from dust and light.
- Decoration pillows should be made of soft natural material.
There should be no room for other jewelry in the box for a pearl necklace; stones can scratch the delicate mother-of-pearl.
The Mystery of Birth
A grain of sand wrapped thousands of times in layers of mother-of-pearl is the pearl familiar to every fashionista.
Cultured, so-called artificial pearls are only partly like that. A mother-of-pearl ball is placed in the shell for 7 years, on top of which a mother-of-pearl layer is formed.
Cultured beads are distinguished by their perfectly round shape, which is the exception rather than the rule for natural pearls. The layer of natural mother-of-pearl is up to 1 mm, the remaining 90% of the volume of the pearl is occupied by the ball. In terms of their performance and aesthetic characteristics, grown pearls are not inferior to natural ones, while their cost is 10 times lower than natural ones.
How to care for pearls at home
There are many ways to clean pearl jewelry with or without a frame at home. But there are general rules on how to care for pearls.
The following cleaning guidelines apply to natural sea, freshwater or cultured pearls.
- Rinse your pearls with filtered or purified water at room temperature or slightly warmer.
- Dry naturally at normal temperature.
- Pearls are cleaned without traditional bleaching agents (vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia) and abrasive powders.
- Ultrasonic cleaning is contraindicated for all types of pearls.
How to care for pearls in silver
Pearls in a silver frame look expensive, rich and very beautiful, but silver darkens over time and the jewelry must be cleaned with products that are in no way suitable for fragile pearls. The best way is to go to the jeweler; the master will clean the pearl and the setting separately. To do this, the pearls are removed from the jewelry so that abrasive particles or chemicals from the silver do not get onto the sink.
Homemade cleaning methods with soda are not suitable - the abrasive will remove all the nacre from the pearl in one go if you accidentally touch the bead. Gentle methods for cleaning pearls in silver or gold will come to the rescue.
Salt
The silver jewelry with pearls is carefully placed on a cloth, covered with salt, tied and immersed in water for 20 minutes. Then carefully remove and rinse with running water. Wipe the decoration with soft felt. Silver does not like contact with salt or water, but for pearls this procedure is safe, it removes all the dirt from the jewelry and makes the mother of pearl glow with new colors.
Do not clean jewelry with salt, soda or any other abrasive.
Soapy water
This method is suitable for pearls, both in silver and gold frames. Jewelry such as rings or earrings are immersed in a soap solution for a quarter of an hour and then dried. Beads or bracelets are washed in different ways. Wipe each pearl with a damp cotton ball. Remove any remaining soap with a clean, damp cloth. Dry on a soft cloth.
Potato starch
Potato starch is used in problematic cases where other methods have failed. The balls are wiped with a napkin on which starch is poured. Excess moisture is removed along with the dirt.
Special paste for pearls
Apply to a soft cloth. Each bead is wiped and polished with a dry, lint-free cloth. The last method is the simplest and most reliable, but is not widely used. The paste is not widely available and this method is not suitable for frequent use. The pearl will shine again, but the cleaning components of the paste will shorten its life.
How to restore the shine of pearls
Jewelry with pearls fades. Shine and shine can be restored in several ways:
Olive oil. It is safe to use highly refined olive oil. Apply a few drops to a cotton pad and wipe the beads with it. Remove any remaining oil with a paper towel.
A tan. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight is harmful to your pearls, but a few hours will help whiten them. After processing, the beads are wrapped in fabric. Sometimes several tanning sessions are required. It is important to monitor your natural pearls to avoid overheating.
Sea water. Place in a container with sea water for several hours. It is made by dissolving sea salt (from the supermarket or pharmacy) in any type of water, including tap water.
If cleaning at home doesn't suit you, take your jewelry to a jeweler. The technician will thoroughly clean your jewelry, taking into account the properties of the metal and pearls. Do not experiment, even with professional jewelry cleaning products, as the results may be disastrous.
Storage Secrets
Preserving the original appearance of pearls is not difficult if you follow a few rules:
- Sebum tends to soften mother-of-pearl, so after removing the jewelry, the stones should be wiped with a slightly damp soft cloth.
- It is not recommended to store pearls in the same box with other jewelry. When the pearls of the necklace, necklace and beads touch each other, they can scratch each other's coatings, so you need to tie knots on the thread between them. The thread itself is changed at least once every three years.
- It is best to store such jewelry in velvet, suede or linen fabric.
- Direct exposure to sunlight and high humidity are dangerous for pearls.
- It also does not tolerate very dry air well. This is important to consider if you decide to place your jewelry in the safe for a long time.
Both natural and cultured pearls are equally fragile. To keep the mother-of-pearl coating in perfect condition, these delicate stones must be handled with extreme care.
photo: depositphotos.com/teena137
String of pearls - what you need to know about care
General storage and care rules do not apply to a string of pearls, beads or necklaces. This is due to the special structure of jewelry. Pearl beads are strung on a thread, so it is necessary to monitor not only the pearls, but also the base on which they are attached.
Correct fastening is considered to be threads with knots between the beads. Although they are not noticeable at first glance, they are necessary to prevent the beads from rubbing against each other. The knots also prevent premature fraying of the threads.
One way or another, over time, threads, like beads, need cleaning. The easiest way is to take the jewelry to a craftsman to have it hemmed. But you can try refreshing it at home yourself. A convenient and safe option is to roll it in potato flour. Simply “bury” the string of pearls in a container of flour for 24 hours. This will be enough to remove traces of dust and dirt from both the threads and the surface of the beads.
Beads and necklace
To properly care for your beads, you need to consider the following:
- When purchasing, it is better to choose a product with beads separated by thread knots. This insulates each bead, reducing fraying.
- The thread on which the pearls are collected gradually stretches and frays. Dirt accumulates between the beads, which can damage them from the inside. Therefore, the thread is changed after two to four years, depending on the degree of use.
- When stringing beads onto a new thread, it is advisable to make knots between them, as on the old one. The best thread for pearls is silk. It is delicate, does not stretch well, and reluctantly absorbs foreign components.
- The necklace or beads are stored and dried in a horizontal position so that the thread does not stretch.
If you are unsure of your abilities, entrust the necklace update to a master. Saving on precious natural pearls is inappropriate.
Proper care of gold jewelry with pearls
When combined with gold, pearls require special handling. The safest way to care for gold pearls is with a soap solution. Grate the lye soap, dissolve it in warm water and immerse the jewelry in the solution for no more than 5 minutes. Remove and dry with a soft cloth. Any traces of dirt are also removed with a natural bristle brush.
After wet cleaning, it is important to dry the gold item. Lay it flat on a soft cloth for 30 minutes.
Restoring mother of pearl
To avoid having to look for information on how to restore mother-of-pearl on pearls, periodically give your jewelry sea baths in moderately salty water. Do not keep items in a box for months. Legend has it that forgotten pearls die.
People often look for information on how to restore pearls if the top layer has worn off. Jewelers usually use a 5-6% solution of acetic and hydrochloric acid. The damaged shell dissolves in an acidic environment, revealing a new, shining layer underneath. Just do not overexpose the beads in the solution, otherwise the decoration will be damaged.
How to wear pearls
Pearls love to be worn: the sweat of the human body moisturizes them, restoring their shine. Accessories must be worn correctly.
- Wear jewelry while makeup and perfume are applied and absorbed. Otherwise, the pearls will absorb odors and substances and gradually lose their shine.
- Remove accessories before doing household chores (cleaning, cooking), visiting the steam room, shower or swimming pool. Chlorinated hot water is the enemy of pearls.
- Walking or going to the beach are options to extend the life of the pearl. Moderate sunbathing and sea water are not contraindicated. But you need to know when to stop.
- If you don't plan to go out, wear jewelry at home from time to time.
If your jewelry rarely leaves the box, caring for even natural pearls is very simple. Wipe regularly with suede or velvet and let the mother of pearl shine.
Energy cleaning of pearls
Not everyone takes this type of pearl cleaning seriously, some do not consider it necessary, but a prejudice is a prejudice. It is better to be prepared for the fact that your worldview will change over time.
Washing your home decorations with soap and water is a simple step that you should take as a rule. This helps maintain the appearance of the stone. But if we are talking about your favorite ring, earrings or pendant that you wear constantly, then in addition to physical cleaning you will also need energetic cleaning. If the item contains natural stone, it will absorb the energy of the owner, both on good and bad days.
