Tips for caring for your jewelry
High-quality jewelry has its price and becomes favorite pieces. Especially when worn every day, it inevitably becomes dirty due to care products, perfume, fibers from our clothing and skin salts. So how do you care for them so that you can enjoy the pieces for many years to come? What to pay attention to? Janina Aporius, a customer advisor in the back office at Badort since 2019, will answer these and other questions for you.
What do I have to consider if I wear my jewelry every day?
If you wear your jewelry every day, it is important to care for it professionally so that you can enjoy it for a long time! When worn frequently, jewelry comes into contact with many external influences - with cosmetics, with skin salts or dust from the air. Since this unfortunately cannot be avoided, I will give you a few useful tips here!
You should only put on the jewelry after you have applied cosmetics, otherwise it will stick to the jewelry. If you don't wear your jewelry while cooking, gardening or doing household chores, it will become less dirty and stay attractive for longer. I also recommend that you regularly wipe the jewelry with a jewelry cloth to ensure that light residue disappears.
Always keep in mind that the setting and the embedded stones can wear away under heavy use and may possibly be lost. You are welcome to have your jewelry checked regularly by our goldsmith.
How often should I clean my jewelry?
The more often you wear your jewelry, the more often it should be cleaned and cared for. In the evening when you take off your jewelry, you should wipe it with a jewelry cloth and place it in the appropriate case or in a jewelry box.
There is also the option of having the jewelry professionally cleaned and refurbished; we are happy to offer this service on site. If you prefer to clean your jewelry at home, you can also purchase immersion baths, care foam and much more in our store. A proven home remedy for most pieces of jewelry is a bowl of warm water and a little dishwashing liquid.
Since this only removes superficial dirt, we only recommend this in rare cases and would be happy to refer you to professional cleaning. In our goldsmith's workshop, your piece of jewelry is pre-cleaned in an ultrasonic bath, processed by hand and, last but not least, the last residues (e.g. polishing paste) are removed using hot steam.
Clean jewelry with a jewelry cloth
Are there differences in the materials in terms of precious metals and trimmings?
333/- gold in particular tarnishes quickly, this is due to its composition, which is why we do not recommend this alloy. Unlike low alloy, higher alloy jewelry will not tarnish with regular wear, which is very convenient for you. Silver only tarnishes after a while if it is not rhodium-plated; rhodium plating offers protection, which means less work for you when it comes to care. If you own diamond jewelry, you can easily clean it because the diamond has a Mohs hardness of 10 and is therefore very durable.
Since many colored stones and pearls are described as relatively soft on the Mohs hardness scale and are sensitive, you should pay particular attention to their treatment. My colleagues and I would be happy to advise you on site or over the phone about how to properly clean your various pieces of jewelry.
How do I know what material it is so I can care for it properly?
If you purchase jewelry from Badort or other jewelers, you will find out the alloy of the jewelry during the consultation.
If you don't know this, you can also look for the hallmark (stamp) in or on the piece of jewelry. In rare cases, especially with antique jewelry, it may happen that there is no hallmark. Your only option is to take the jewelry to a jeweler or goldsmith to have it tested.
What can I do if my jewelry is tarnished?
The hydrogen sulfide contained in the oxygen causes various alloys to tarnish, which means that the piece of jewelry (or cutlery) no longer looks beautiful. Hydrogen sulfide causes silver or low-alloy gold to gradually oxidize and become increasingly unsightly. Depending on the severity of the oxidation, this can be difficult to clean with a silver/gold cleaning cloth, which is why we recommend a care product. If this does not remove the oxidation, we will be happy to professionally clean your jewelry (or cutlery) on site.
How do I store the jewelry when I'm not wearing it?
If you purchase a piece of jewelry from us, we will give you a matching case from the manufacturer. If you find it impractical to have a separate case for each piece of jewelry, I recommend a jewelry box for all your jewelry. It is also an advantage if you store the jewelry individually and not on top of each other, as this can lead to scratches. It is also important that you store your jewelry in places where it does not come into contact with moisture.