USE AND MAINTENANCE OF JEWELRY
In the early days the ladies only wore their jewelry when they went out for a visit or received quests. During their daily work (mostly in and around the house) they usually wore no jewelry. This is the main the reason why we still can find so many beautiful old pieces. A must to keep your own jewelry in top condition.
Important advice:
Put on jewelry after applying perfume and hairspray. Let perfume dry for about 10 minutes before adorning. The chemicals in perfume and hairspray can permanently damage the coating of your jewelry. Even silver ones!
Make up, skin fat, sweats and skin acids are also very risky. After a party, it is therefore important to lay the jewelry down on a tissue or such to give them time to dry and to give them a light cleaning the next day. A soft lint-free cloth does the trick (an old t-shirt for example). If there are still some fat residues left behind than a tissue with very little high quality glass cleaner solution can help. The tissue may barely damp of the cleaner. An excess leaves residues behind. Do never spay the cleaner directly on the jewelry. Rub very gently with the soft cloth and don't force anything.
To keep your jewel beautiful for a long time it is important to store them dry, dust free and not too hot. Store them located on soft material without making it scrolling against each other. It is for the best if they are kept separately between soft material. Never polish the jewelry (except real silver and gold). Do as little as possible is the remedy. Only a very gentle rubbing with a lint-free soft cloth (an old t-shirt for example) can sometimes be necessary. Moisture is to be avoided. Never clean the jewelry with (soapy) water or something similar. Moisture affects the jewelry very appealing. There remains always some water damp that can cause corrosion and your beautiful jewel can be lost. The stones become dull and the grandeur is over.
If you treat your jewelry carefully you'll have many years of fun and the jewelry retains their value. Costume Jewelry is becoming more beloved collectibles. It is the expectation that it will only increase in value in coming years.
