Gemstones in jewelry are natural creations full of beauty and charm. They need proper care to keep their shine over time. Here are some tips to keep your jewels looking beautiful for a lifetime.
Gemstones are minerals formed in nature, and they have properties sensitive to chemicals, moisture, high heat, and water. Substances like perfume, makeup, body cream, sunscreen, and water can damage them, change their color, or degrade their appearance.
Gemstones such as opal, coral, and malachite are especially sensitive to water, and repeated exposure can cause more harm than other stones.
While we sleep and exercise, our bodies release moisture and fluids. We also move less gently, which can potentially damage jewelry. Each gemstone has different hardness, measured according to the Mohs scale, which ranks gemstones based on their scratch resistance.
Softer gemstones like opal, fluorite, and malachite are more prone to scratching. Because of this, it’s best to remove your jewelry beforehand. If needed, you can gently clean it with a soft cloth. It’s best to avoid water or chemical cleaners, as they may harm the gemstone
To keep jewelry with gemstones in good condition over time, it’s important to store it properly. It’s recommended to store jewelry lying flat, rather than hanging, as hanging may pull on the chain and cause faster wear from the gemstones rubbing against each other. Storing jewelry in a drawer or closed box can prevent this.
Additionally, if you have jewelry with chains or bracelets, it’s better not to close the clasp when storing the piece. Leaving the chain open allows more flexibility and prevents unnecessary bending, so the jewelry maintains its shape and avoids getting stuck or warped.
The Mohs scale is a way to measure the hardness of minerals, created by geologist Friedrich Mohs in 1812. It ranks minerals from 1 to 10, with talc being the softest (1) and diamond the hardest (10). The test works by seeing which minerals can scratch others—for example,
quartz (7) can scratch fluorite (4) but not topaz (8). Even though it’s a simple scale, it’s useful for identifying minerals and understanding how durable they are, especially in jewelry