How to Take Care of and Clean You Fashion Jewelry

Fashion jewelry is also known as imitation jewelry and is the most preferred jewelry among the masses today because it is wallet friendly and looks great. It is not made of precious stones and metals like gold, platinum, silver, diamond, emerald or ruby, but it may occasionally contain semi-precious stones such as amethyst, amber, chalcedony, citrine, hematite, jasper, onyx, lapis lazuli, sunstone etc. Often times it will be decorated with certain stones which imitate the above mentioned stones in color and appearance which are placed on a metal framework plated with gold, silver or rose gold. Fashion jewelry looks as stunning as the precious jewelry because they have eye catching intricate designs which stand out. Since they are worn more often, they are prone to wear and tear and may lose their beauty and luster quite easily. Hence it is important to clean and take care of your fashion jewelry in order to keep them looking their best. So, here are a few tips to help you clean and care for your fashion jewelry.

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1. Store your fashion jewelry properly to reduce cleaning

Fashion jewelry is prone to damage from oils, moisture and salts. These are produced by our own skin and therefore it is important that you wipe your ornaments with a clean fiber cloth after every use before storing it. This habit will reduce the dirt build up and decreases the number and time required to clean your jewelry. For storage you can use a zip lock bag, one bag for one piece. The zip lock bag prevents the ornaments from getting scratched during storage and prevents air oxidation of the metal ornaments. You can also use an anti-tarnish paper or an eye glass cloth to wrap your jewelry to prevent damage.

2. Wear your trinkets after your makeup and hairdo

When you are getting ready for a party or stepping outside, it is always advisable to put on your ornaments after wearing your clothes and fully completing your beauty routine. The chemical constituents of your makeup and hair spray may damage your ornaments and cause it tarnish or change color. Hence, it is recommended that you put on your jewelry after makeup and hairdo. Also, your perfume and your lotions and creams can have a negative effect on your jewelry, so always make sure that you apply your perfume and lotion first and allow them to dry before putting on your ornaments.

3. Avoid wearing fashion jewelry at the pool, spa or at activities that cause sweating

The pool water which contains chlorine and the salt water of the sea can react with the constituents of your fashion ornaments and cause color change and damage. Some of your ornaments may have small crystal like stones embedded with the help of an adhesive, which may fail in an excessive liquid environment causing the stones to fall off. Remember to remove your ornaments and keep them in a pouch before you head to the beach, jump into the pool or take a shower. Also, avoid wearing your ornaments while you exercise or work outside in the hot weather since the sweat from your skin will cause a chemical reaction and leave a greenish colored residue on your ornaments.

4. Avoid applying any type of coating on your jewelry

A lot of people may advise you to coat you ornaments with a see through nail polish to make it shinier, or to apply a coat of colored nail paint to change the color of your jewelry. It is best to avoid such coating on your jewelry since they may cause damage in the long term. The alcohol content of the nail polish will slowly react with the metal part of the ornament causing it to discolor over time. So, although applying nail polish over your ornaments may make it look shinier and attractive for a short period, they will cause damage in the long run and reduce the life of your ornaments.

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5. Avoid wearing your jewelry while doing chores in your house

Remove your jewels while you are doing household chores like washing the dishes, cooking or doing laundry.The chemicals from the detergent and cooking oils along with the heat during cooking can impair the smooth finish of your fashion ornaments and mar its appearance.

6. Never use the Jewelry cleaner for cleaning your ornaments

The Jewelry cleaners available in the market contain very harsh chemicals and are generally used to clean precious jewelry made of gold, platinum and silver like the ones available at Flawless Fine Jewellery store. The fashion jewelry which only have a plating of gold and silver are prone to damage by the harsh chemicals in the commercially available jewelry cleaner. So instead of using the jewelry cleaners you can follow the steps mentioned in the next point to clean your imitation jewelry.

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7. Tips to clean and maintain your fashion jewelry

The best way to clean your ornaments is to use a mild and diluted soap solution along with an extremely soft baby toothbrush to clean the intricate areas of the ornament. Make sure to use a soft tooth brush or a soft sponge to avoid scratches on the polished metal surface. Apart from the soap solution you can also use a diluted lemon water or vinegar water solution to clean the jewelry. Diluted mild baby shampoo solution works best for pearls, enamel jewelry and kundan. Be cautious of using too much water for cleaning enamel and kundan jewelry for it may cause loosening of the stones attached with adhesive. After cleaning, thoroughly dry your ornaments by wiping with a towel and using a blow dryer. If water is allowed to remain on the surface of your ornaments it may cause water spots or rust. Also be careful while blow drying your ornaments since the heat from the dryer may cause the stone adhesive to melt thereby causing the gemstones to fall off.

Taking care of your imitation jewelry requires minimal care and effort. Follow these tips to keep your ornaments in a pristine condition for a long time and style your outfits using them to look gorgeous every day.