Dos & Don’ts of Fashion Jewelry Maintenance

Costume jewelry has gained widespread popularity all across the world. It uses inexpensive stones and metals as opposed to its luxurious counterpart in the form of fine jewelry. But the market is significantly strong for these fashion jewelry products and in all probability it will continue to grow in the future.

The market as such presents a lot of wholesale fashion jewelry alternatives for retailers and other individual sellers. A major trade-off in such a transaction is the consistency of genuineness and quality of the products. Chances are that out of a dozen wholesale jewelry, one or two may lack the required characteristic features. Nonetheless, certain jewelry hit the right strings for an individual and they would prefer to cling on to it for a lifetime. The challenging task here is maintenance because unlike fine jewelry, costume/fashion jewelry is delicate and less durable.

Cleaning

Cleaning is the first and foremost step towards maintenance of fashion jewelry. There are three predominant methods followed by most enthusiasts. They are as follows:

1. Dry Method – Also the safest since it doesn’t leave any scar, film or residue behind. It is mostly carried out by using a baby toothbrush or brush. The same is used on the surface repeatedly to remove dirt accumulations. Compressed air can be used to loosen the dirt trapped in crevices, followed by a manual removal with the aid of a toothpick. A magnifying glass can help in identifying dust in remote sections.
2. Gentle Method–If dry method is ineffective, this method can be opted. It involves the use of a cleansing solution. A gentle soap is mixed with lukewarm water. A baby brush with soft bristles or cotton can be dipped in the solution. It is used on the surface of the jewelry to remove dirt. Utmost care should be taken to use lesser amount of solution, soft wiping/brushing. Once done, the jewelry must be dried with soft dry cloth followed by a hair dryer.
3. Harsh Method – This is technically the last resort. A stronger cleanser like a nail polish remover is used and hence it is not recommended for all variants. Same rubbing/wiping exercise is repeated and then the jewelry is quickly rinsed under lukewarm water. Dried and polished for retaining the glow.

Don’ts

Few elementary points must be kept in mind before starting the cleaning and maintenance regime, especially in case of wholesale fashion jewelry. Some of them are as below:

• Do not soak the jewelry completely in the solution as it might loosen the adhesive bonds between framework and gemstones.
• Avoid water on copper or mixed metal jewelry as it damages the same.
• Protect the jewelry from perfumes and other chemicals.
• Store the jewelry in a cool and dry place.