Our jewelry was created to last a lifetime and meant to be passed down through the generations. It should be stored well and be cleaned on a regular basis. Know the factors which can contribute to the everyday wear and tear of your fine jewelry. You can clean and care for your jewelry and keep it looking like new by following these simple guidelines.
Preventative Measures:
Silver jewelry that is not worn, put aside and exposed to air will tarnish. Keep your jewelry in a cool, dry place, preferably in separate airtight plastic bags, wrapped with a soft piece of cotton cloth or the jewelry box we provide at the time of purchase. Also, keep them separate so they do not scratch each other. Placing activated charcoal or silica gel packets together with the jewelry helps to minimize tarnishing.
Silver always reacts to chemicals. It helps to put perfume, hairsprays, make up, skin oils and creams on before wearing the jewelry. Contact with salty sea water, bleach and chlorine should be avoided. It is also highly recommended not to wear jewelry during sports, while cleaning, gardening or engaging in any activities where your jewelry can be easily contaminated or broken. Wear your jewelry every day, but we advise to remove jewelry before bed. Preventing oxidation of silver for as long as possible will save you work in the long run because the thicker the tarnish, the harder it becomes to clean.
Cleaning:
Silver set with semi-precious gemstones is delicate and requires special care when cleaning and storing. Particular care should be applied when handling items with porous gems such as turquoise, amber, pearls, eilat, malachite, lapis, opals, coral, and lava. All jewelry should be treated gently while cleaning as they can damage easily.
It is always better to under-clean something than to over-clean it. An item can always be cleaned a second time, but it is difficult to replace broken parts or to restore the oxidization that was applied to enhance the filigree patterns.
Do not use dip solutions for cleaning oxidized filigree jewelry or silver jewelry with stones. Those solutions contain harsh chemicals that can strip away the beauty of the oxidized filigree and can severely damage the stones. Gemstones are sensitive to heat and chemicals. Do not use polishing sprays, pastes or creams as they get in between the fine filigree wires. Cleaning this will be very difficult and the effort can damage the jewelry.
Simply polishing with a special silver polishing cloth is the best way to clean silver. This works very well when the tarnishing is not too severe; it is also the best method for cleaning oxidized silver items. Using paper towels or tissues to polish your jewelry is not recommended as they contain fibers that can scratch the silver and get stuck in between the filigree wire decorations.
For deeper cleaning, mix a solution of liquid dish soap and very warm, but not boiling water. You should be able to comfortably place your hands along with the jewelry in the water. Let the jewelry soak for up to 10 minutes & not more than 5 minutes for jewelry set with semi-precious stones. Lightly remove dirt with a soft brush. Give a final rinse under warm running water. Lay the jewelry flat on a paper towel to air dry. This procedure will not harm the filigree jewelry. If your jewelry has Roman Glass do not put in water, only polish with the polishing cloth.
If your intricate pieces are heavily tarnished or if you don’t feel confident enough to clean them yourself, we offer free cleaning and polishing as part of our lifetime warrantee and your jewelry will look shiny and new! Questions about the care of your filigree jewelry? Please email me tal@yemenite-art.com and I will do my best to reply quickly.
If your jewelry has been damaged, please follow our instructions in WARRANTY.