Caring for pearls: rules and useful tips

Pearls are a magnificent gift from nature for luxurious ladies. In the East, this stone is considered a means of restoring youth. Queen Cleopatra drank a glass of wine a day, into which she immersed a pearl. So she tried to preserve her youth and beauty. Every woman dreams of such a luxurious gift. If you already have it, then our article will be useful to you. We will tell you how to care for this wonderful mineral.

Pearls are very sensitive to environmental factors.

How to store pearls

Natural or farmed pearls are fragile and need to be stored properly.

Microclimate

It can be created without problems by an air conditioner, but this is not always possible. Owners of pearl jewelry comply with the following conditions whenever possible.

Humidity. The air in the room should not be dry, otherwise the pearl will begin to dehydrate and the aragonite will flake off. But if there is a lot of moisture, the stones will become cloudy. To ensure that the humidity level is optimal, on a hot day or during the heating season, place a container of water near the box.
Temperature. You need a medium one - the stones will crack from the heat and become cloudy from the cold.
Sun. The mineral is afraid of direct sunlight. Prolonged exposure to the sun makes the stones dull and yellowish.
Dust. This causes microcracks to appear on the surface of the pearls.
Tobacco smoke. Pearls are contraindicated in a room in which smoking occurs. He dies from tobacco smoke.

If the jewelry is rarely worn, it is rubbed with velvet from time to time. This is how the pearlescent shine is preserved.

Storage

As a container, a plastic bag or other sealed packaging is excluded - they prevent the penetration of moisture, which is why the pearls suffocate and the nacre fades. A fabric bag is also not suitable - here the pearls will wear out.

The place that ideally meets all the requirements for storing pearls is a box. She must be:

durable to prevent external influences;
spacious, where even a large necklace can be placed freely, and the clasps do not come into contact with the beads;
closed tightly to create a barrier to dust or light;
lined with soft natural material.

There is no place for other jewelry in it. It is also the best solution when transporting stones.

Basic rules for storing pearls

Store pearls in a separate box or in a separate compartment of the jewelry box. There should be no objects nearby that could cause scratches or other minor damage;
Place the pearls in a satin or velvet bag. This will reduce the risk of accidental damage;
If there are several pearl jewelry, then try to store each of them in a separate compartment. Locks on jewelry may scratch adjacent stone;
It is not recommended to hang pearl items. The silk thread can stretch, become thinner, and then one awkward movement will cause the thread to break;
Don't forget that pearls are living material. Try to create for him the conditions in which he grew up. Place a glass of water in the storage area provided for it. This will humidify the air. Dry air is detrimental to the mineral. Sunlight should not penetrate into the box. This will inevitably cause the decoration to yellow;
It is better to refuse plastic containers for storing pearls. They may contain some chemicals that have a detrimental effect on the mineral;
Cigarette smoke has an extremely negative effect on the appearance of the gemstone!

What and how to clean pearls

As jewelry is worn, the pearls and settings become dirty. There are simple ways to clean your jewelry.

General principles

They are used regardless of the type of pearl, frame material, degree of contamination:

use a soft cloth or sponge;
wash with filtered warm water (chlorinated or hot water will destroy the stones);
folk remedies such as ammonia, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and other aggressive and abrasive compounds are excluded;
dry at room temperature.

Washed jewelry is returned to the box after drying.

Methods and means of cleaning

You can clean pearls at home using manual means:

Baby soap or mild shampoo. Jewelry such as rings or earrings is dipped into the solution for a quarter of an hour, then wiped dry. Beads or bracelets are washed differently. Each pearl is wiped with a damp cotton swab. Soap residues are removed with a clean damp cloth. Dry on a soft cloth.
Potato starch. It is used in problematic cases when other methods have proven useless. The beads are wiped with a velvet cloth on which starch is poured. Excess moisture is removed from the dirt.
Special paste. Apply to soft fabric. Each bead is wiped and polished with a dry lint-free cloth.

The last method is the easiest and most reliable, but it is only applicable. The paste is not sold everywhere, and the method is not suitable for frequent use. The pearls will shine again, but the cleaning components of the paste will shorten their “life.”

Bringing back the shine

Jewelry with pearl inserts fades. Shine and shine are restored in several ways:

Olive oil. It is highly refined olive oil that is safe. A few drops are applied to a cotton swab, which is used to rub the pearls. Remaining oil is removed with a paper napkin.
Sunbathing. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight is detrimental to pearls, but sessions for a couple of hours can whiten them. After the procedure, the beads are wrapped in cloth. Sometimes a series of sunbathing is required. It is important to monitor natural pearls to avoid overheating.
Sea water. Place it in a container with sea water for several hours. It is obtained by dissolving sea salt in water (from a supermarket or pharmacy). Any water, including tap water.

You can use a special paste, but this is a last resort, since it wears away the pearls.

What are cultured pearls

Natural pearls are small, round stones that are extracted from mollusk shells. Under natural conditions, the process of pearl formation takes 5-6 years . Pearls are considered a precious stone and are actively used to create jewelry.

To speed up the process of obtaining pearls, special technologies have been created

A simplified scheme looks like this: small grains of sand, one or several, are artificially implanted inside the mollusk. This allows you to control the growth process of the pearl. Pearls obtained in this way are called cultured pearls.

An important nuance: cultured pearls are not artificial and their properties are in no way inferior to natural stone.

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How to wear pearls

Natural pearls become most dirty and deformed when they are used, that is, when they wear jewelry. It is useful to know how to wear jewelry correctly.

Pearls absorb various substances. Therefore, rule number one is to put on jewelry when cosmetics and perfumes have been applied and absorbed.
Pearls should not be worn on the beach or for a walk under the hot, blinding sun - they will crack.
The mineral does not like household chemicals or greasy fumes. Jewelry is removed for housework or cooking.
Chlorinated water is harmful to the material. Therefore, jewelry is not taken into the bathroom, swimming pool, or sauna.
It is better to wear pearl accessories on the body or delicate fabric such as silk. Friction against a fleecy or textured surface leads to abrasion of the mother of pearl.
After going out into the world, jewelry is removed first. Rinse with clean (preferably filtered) water to remove dust, cosmetic residues, and other microdirt. Wipe with a soft cloth and put into the box.
When removing a necklace or choker, grasp the metal clasp, not the beads.

In order for your favorite beads or other pearl beauty to remain “young” for a long time, it must be worn. Long confinement in a box will make it dull. And the skin moisture absorbed by the mineral adds radiance.

Special cases

Caring for pearls in some types of jewelry has nuances.

Little tricks for wearing pearls

Since pearls are very sensitive to chemicals, they can be damaged if perfume, hairspray or other cosmetics come into contact with them. Therefore, put it on as soon as you are ready to go out and take it off immediately after returning home.
Wipe the product with a soft cloth each time after wearing.
Avoid wearing pearl bracelets and rings if you will be working with your hands.

Follow our advice carefully, and your sea treasure will last you a very long time. You will always look great, especially since this jewelry goes perfectly with other jewelry stones, gold and silver.

Framed products

Before cleaning, it is advisable to remove the pearls from the frame and clean the metal frame and beads separately. But this is not always possible.

Gold

Wash gold earrings or other jewelry with a solution of baby soap with a soft brush and dry. The metal is cleaned with a cotton swab soaked in cologne. Make sure that the product (or other special compounds for gold) does not come into contact with the pearls.

Silver

The decoration is washed with a weak solution of baby soap using a cotton swab or soft cloth. Pearls and silver do not like long baths, so the product is cleaned and rinsed quickly. Dry with a soft cloth.

For heavily darkened silver, a special procedure is performed. The decoration is placed in a bag or on ordinary fabric, the ends of which are tied with a knapsack. Sprinkle generously with salt and immerse in water. Rinse until the salt dissolves. The pearls shimmer again, the silver glitters.

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.

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.

Cleaning jewelry

You need to take care of the sea gem delicately, as it is fragile. Cleaning from dirt must be done regularly, because old dirt eats into mother-of-pearl and it loses its beauty forever.

Be sure to watch: Determining the authenticity of jade: key differences from other minerals

Basic techniques:

If the stone is gold, you should buy jewelry paste to care for it. Apply a small amount of the composition to a piece of microfiber and gently wipe the gem inserts.
Add 1 part shampoo to 10 parts water. Soak a cotton pad in the solution and gently wipe the jewelry.
For minor stains, take a clean microfiber cloth and wipe the surface of the stone.

It is prohibited to use household chemicals, acids, acetone, chlorine and other aggressive substances for cleaning. The same applies to compositions containing abrasive particles. They remove the pearlescent layer, after which the coating cannot be restored. If the contamination is significant, it is better to entrust the condition of your favorite jewelry to a professional craftsman.

Do you know how to properly care for pearl jewelry?

Not really

How to restore shine

Simple and effective techniques practiced at home will help bring sea stone back to life:

Place the jewelry in a clean cloth bag and cover the jewelry with salt, but do not mix the jewelry with the crystals. Wash the bag in clean warm water until the salt is completely dissolved. Air dry clean pearls.
To restore shine, use high quality, purified olive oil. Apply a few drops of the product to a cotton pad and wipe each pebble with it.
Place some velvet on a piece of velvet fabric. Place the decorations on the fabric and wrap them. Rub the jewelry gently, then remove any excess starch.

Important! Rinse accessories with stones with still mineral water. Components in tap water can spoil the mineral.

What and how to protect pearls from

Pearls are multi-layered but fragile stones saturated with moisture. Loss of water from a mineral leads to its delamination. Therefore, it is important to keep jewelry away from dry air and heat.

The beauty of the gem's shine is threatened by intense sunlight. Therefore, pearl threads and other jewelry should be protected from their influence. Store items in tightly closed boxes and try not to wear them in hot weather.

Proper and high-quality care for cultured pearls The fact that jewelry with cultured pearls...
Published by Valdaygold Monday, October 23, 2021

Protect minerals from any chemicals. If a small amount of an aggressive compound gets on your pearls, quickly wipe the surface of the gem with a dry microfiber cloth.

What is a pearl and what does it consist of?

To understand what safe storage and care of products with natural pearls should be, you need to know about the features of its composition. We are talking about a mineral of animal origin - a mother-of-pearl bead, consisting of 90% calcium, 5% organic conchiolin as a fixing agent and the rest from water.

Over time, the organic substances that make up the pearl dry out, which first leads to yellowing of the surface, and then to delamination and complete destruction. A pearl is not immortal - this is a fact, but a person can extend the period of its use as much as possible. To do this, just follow simple recommendations.

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.

How to restore shine

Tarnished cultured or natural pearls can be revived in several ways:

Sun. “Bath” under non-aggressive rays for two to three hours. Several sessions are acceptable, but the pearls should not become hot. After a sunbath, they are wrapped in a soft cloth.
Water. The decoration is immersed for an hour or two in warm water with sea salt (from a pharmacy or supermarket). The water can be tap water: salt neutralizes chlorine.
Vegetable oil. Peeled olive oil is suitable. Apply to cotton wool, which is used to wipe the beads. The remains are blotted with a paper napkin.
Special paste to restore shine. It is not used often because it wears away the mother of pearl.
Regular rubbing with a piece of velvet.

All methods are applicable to material cleared of contaminants.

Cleaning pearls