Simple Tips to Care For Your Pearl Jewelry

Pearls have been used in jewelry for centuries, primarily because of their luster and iridescence. Pearls can retain their beauty and class for a long time, if you take good care of them. When caring for your pears, there are two important facts to remember 1) Pearls are formed from once-living cells, and inside a shell which is quite wet. Secondly, remember that nacre is primarily calcium carbonate and therefore slightly basic or alkaline. Pearls are quite delicate and a good rule of thumb that has been around for ages is "pearls should be put on last and removed first". Consider the following suggestions when caring for your pearl jewelry:

• Pearl nacre may be hard to the touch, but in reality, is quite soft. Therefore, pearls can be easily scratched by harder materials like metals and gemstones. Good practice suggests that you store pearls separately from other jewelry.
• Pearls can react the chlorine in water. Therefore, do not wear pearl necklaces or other pearl jewelry when swimming.
• Dishwashing soap will sometimes react negatively with pearl nacre. So pearls should not be worn when washing dishes.
• Pearls may dry in non-humid environments. Therefore, try to store pearls in slightly moist linen. Please remember that the moisture may however, cause the silk string to deteriorate faster. Therefore you need to strike to strike a balance between a dry environment to maintain the silk string, and a moist environment to maintain the nacre.
• Pearls should be kept away from sprays such as insect repellant, perfumes, etc. If you must wear them, then use the spray first and then put on the pearls.
• You can clean your pearl jewelry gently using water with additives and a soft cloth.
• Keep pearls away from acids and acidic environments.
• Pearls may also deteriorate if exposed to acids on the human skin. So pearls in a necklace that are in constant contact with the back of the neck may need to be replaced periodically.
• Never use grainy or abrasive cloth, or brushes to clean pearls.
• Periodically, have your pearls re-strung because the silk string will deteriorate with time.

Dale Arnold Your one-stop shop for pretty and affordable pearl necklaces Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dale_Arnold