The Brighter the Bauble

If you have any fine jewelry at all then you probably have one of those little jars of cleaner with the sieve and brush inside. While this is fine for touch ups it does not restore the look of your jewelry the way your jeweler can.

Let me explain.

Here are some guidelines you can follow for any type of precious metal:
Platinum - Though it is the most pure precious metal, it is also the softest. When you scratch a platinum piece of jewelry the surface is actually dented slightly. This means a quick "buff" on the polishing wheel just won't do the job. You've probably noticed that your platinum ring is a little bent as well. Unless you have an oval shaped finger, this is not a good thing. You will probably have to leave your piece with your jeweler over night. Let them reshape it, file the dents away and give it the polish that will bring it back to life!

White Gold - All gold starts out yellow, when alloys such as silver, palladium or nickel are added to the mix you get the most popular of metals, white gold. White gold is a fabulous alternative to platinum as it is much stronger and a fraction of the price. As with yellow gold, when white gold scratches little pieces of metal are chipped away. This is much easier to polish than platinum and can often be done while you wait. With normal wear and tear you will start to notice a hint of yellow in the metal. How long this takes to happen depends on your chemical makeup and how often you're wearing the piece. I use rings for most of my examples as they usually require the most maintenance. To brighten your piece to its original state jewelers use a liquid platinum plating called rhodium.

Yellow Gold - The process for polishing yellow gold is the same as white, minus the rhodium.

Silver - Silver also scratches pretty easily and tends to tarnish. Most of the time you can purchase a quick dip cleaner or a polishing cloth and maintain silver yourself. The scratches will obviously have to be taken care of by your jeweler. Also, do not dip sterling marcasite pieces in silver cleaner...it will remove the oxidization that makes the piece look antique. Instead, rub gently with a silver polishing cloth.

Ok, enough of the serious talk...I guarantee that if you follow these steps you'll look down at your ring and say, "Oh my gosh, it looks BRAND NEW! It's like I have a new ring! I can't believe it. It's soooo worth it! Oh.....man....I can't believe how dirty it was."

:)
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Prongs Are Your Friend

Have you ever gardened with your rings on or worn them to the gym? All of a sudden your snagging everything in sight and you can't figure out why.

It's time to get your prongs checked.

Prongs are delicate stems of metal gently folded over to secure your gemstone in its setting. If done right they provide safety without becoming the focus of the piece.

4 prongs are the most common, 6 for solitaire engagement rings, and 3 for "martini" settings...diamond studs not cocktail hour! There are even settings where stones will "share" a prong, meaning there is only 1 for every two stones; quite pretty, but yes, a little more risky.

Here is a quick check list to help prevent the loss of your precious stones:
1. Please, please don't wear your rings to the gym...you do not need to accessorize for barbells and bike handles.

2. If you don't wear gloves to garden, then you don't wear rings to garden.

3. If you sleep in your jewelry have it checked more often. Getting your hair tangled up in your necklace does not provide a safety net.

4. And ladies, don't beat your husband up...with your rings on. ;)

5. Don't bang the steering wheel in a fit of road rage!

If you're guilty of any of these or other harmful acts, don't panic!
You can even test your prongs at home.
Take a pair of tweezers and see if your stone moves. If you feel any movement at all take the piece in to your jeweler and have them tighten the prongs. In some cases, the tip of the prong has been sheared off during one of your activities, requiring it to be "re-tipped" or possibly a new prong will need to be built.

If yours is a friendly jeweler (i.e. JR's Diamonds in Sherman Oaks, CA) you can bring your piece in any time and they will check the prongs for you while you wait. Heck, they might even give you a quick cleaning in their ultrasonic!

Welcome to Bauble Talk!

No, I'm not Linda Richman reincarnate, but I will leave you with things to "talk amongst yourselves" about! Believe it or not jewelry is not indestructible! Your wedding ring, diamond studs, beaded fringe earrings (oh yeah, you know who you are,) require maintenance. I am here to help. It might be time to get your prongs checked, have your pearls restrung, or rhodium your white gold. Huh? Don't worry all this will be covered and more! And I welcome any questions that arise along the way.