Cleaning Your Amethyst Jewelry
By Michael J Moore
Cleaning your amethyst jewelery is a very important activity if you want to ensure it stays in a pristine condition
Amethysts are usually set in rings, broaches, pendants and sometimes necklaces and they get subject to dust, grime and the results of oils and perfumes, chemicals, hairsprays and body sweat .
It is important to know how to regularly maintain and keep them clean therefore.
One needs to be careful of using chemicals to clean gemstones. While diamonds are generally unaffected by chemicals, amethysts may be, so knowing what one can and cannot use is vital to ensure you keep your amethysts in pristine condition and keep them sparkling.
Use a warm soapy solution in a large bowl (not over the sink as you don't want to slip and lose your precious gemstone down the plug hole) and rub with a old toothbrush to get out any residue between the stone and the jewelery. Brushing underneath as well as the top and in between the crevasses is important. Ensure you brush gently as, although the gemstone may be quite hard, the precious metal it is set in may be soft and the claws that hold the gemstone may be easily snapped off. 24 karat gold is particularly soft so great care should be taken with that metal.
Make sure the piece is rinsed really well so that the is no soap caught between the ruby and the metal.
Pat dry with a soft cloth. And allow to dry completely before storing or wearing again. A hair dryer can also be used with the setting on low so you don't blow the jewelery piece away off and onto the floor and have to spend hours frantically searching for it.
If your jewelery is pure gold an ammonia solution could be used. It is not advisable with other metals, such as silver or a lower carat gold of 14 or 10 karat, as they also contain other metals which can react with the ammonia and cause it to go black.
The same principles of clean as described above apply. Brushed well to get rid of grime, rinsed really well and completely dried.
Some people let their gems soak in the solution for a half hour or so. To loosen any grime wedged in.
Using the above tips for cleaning your amethyst jewelery will help to keep them sparkling clean.
More information about amethysts is available at http://allaboutamethysts.org Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_J_Moore
|
