Pearls are valuable gems but they are different from most other jewels. Find out how to take care of your pearls so that they give you a lifetime of beauty.

A pearl is an organic gem, formed inside a pearl shell over time by nature. Unlike diamonds and sapphires, pearls are fairly soft and can be damaged if they are not properly cared for. Pearls are made up of layers of nacre, which is calcium carbonate.

Also, pearls are often stringed on silk, and this can deteriorate.

Use the following tips to care for your pearls:

• Store pearls separately from other jewellery. Other jewellery can easily scratch and damage your pearls. Keep your pearls in their box or pouch away from other jewellery.
• Put on makeup, hairspray and perfume before you put on your pearls. Pearls can be affected by the chemicals in cosmetics (hairspray dulls their lustre), so don’t apply them when you are wearing pearls.
• Re-string your pearls periodically. The string is made of silk and can deteriorate with exposure to water. You need to have your pearls professionally re-stringed and knotted to stop your pearls falling everywhere if the string breaks.
• Avoid exposing your pearls to salad dressing, fruit juices, vinegar, chlorinated water or any other liquids. Any acidic substances will dissolve the calcium carbonate that makes up your pearls and damage the pearl. If there is an accidental spill, wipe it up immediately with a soft cloth moistened with pure water.
• Avoid exposing pearls to heat. Do not leave them on a ledge in the sun, on the dashboard of a car (this could also attract a thief) or in the kitchen. Heat dries pearls out and may damage them.
• Don’t use ultrasonic cleaners or jewellery cleaning chemicals. Pearls are an organic gem and can’t withstand such harsh treatment.
• Wipe your pearls with a soft cloth after wearing them and then put them away.

If you follow these tips for caring for your pearls, they continue to look great over time and will give you a lifetime of enjoyment.

Tags: Caring for pearls, pearls

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 at 6:05 pm and is filed under Caring for pearls. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.