If you have some pieces of jewelry that’s been passed down in your family and now is in your possession, it’s your responsibility to ensure that these heirlooms make it to the next generation in great condition. So as soon as your grandparent has passed these important pieces onto you, be it because they don’t wear them anymore in their assisted living facility or you’re old enough to care for and appreciate them, it’s important for you to know what you should do to take care of them in the best possible way.
To help you in doing this, here are three tips for cleaning and caring for old family jewelry.
Get Your Jewelry Checked Regularly
With jewelry that has been around for a long time and has had a lot of different owners, one thing that you’ll want to ensure gets done on a regular basis is that the jewelry gets checked out by a professional jeweler.
When a jeweler checks out a piece of jewelry, they’ll be able to tell if the stones in the jewelry are in good condition or if there are repairs that need to be made. They will also be able to tighten up any setting or fix any loose clasps that could put the jewelry in jeopardy of breaking or losing a major part of it.
Try Some Basic Household Products
If you’re wanting to do some cleaning of the jewelry by yourself at home, you’ll be glad to know that there are all kinds of basic household cleaning products that you can use to bring some life back into your old family pieces.
Depending on what materials the jewelry is made of, you can use things like baking soda, ammonia, club soda, toothpaste, ketchup, vinegar, and more to clean your jewelry and make it shine. Just make sure you’re using the right products on the right materials. Otherwise, you could do more harm than good.
Handle Everything With Care
For jewelry that’s been in your family for generations, the most important thing that you can do to clean and care for them is to handle them with care. Over time, jewelry, like all things, can become more fragile. So when you’re wearing or caring for the antique jewelry you have, make sure you’re being gentle.
If you do choose to clean the jewelry yourself, make sure you use very soft brushes or cloths. Anything that’s too abrasive, even rubbing them too hard with something soft, could cause damage. So before you apply any kind of cleaner to the jewelry, make sure you do so with the utmost care.
If you have some old family jewelry that you want to make sure gets taken care of while in your possession, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how to best do this.
