We know that you want your jewelries with maximum dazzling and shine. But sometimes, you notice your favorite necklace has lost its sheen or your once shiny bracelet now seems to be fading. It could be the fault of your beauty regimen, especially your lotions and perfumes. Your perfumes contain colorants, alcohols, synthetic ingredients and essential oils that affect jewelries negatively. We offer a few tips to help your perfumes and jewelry co-exist at their best.
1. Gold: gold is a highly malleable and ductile metal. Usually, gold jewelries contain other metal alloys such as silver, zinc, and copper to help them hold shape. Perfumes cannot corrode gold but they could adversely affect these other metal alloys used with the gold. This leads to discoloration of the metal and a consequent dulling of the original sheen of your gold jewelry.
2. Silver: silver oxidizes quickly and that is why you notice that most of your silverware turns dark from frequent use or exposure to air. Silver jewelry also reacts the same way when exposed to perfumes. Even sterling silver which is composed of copper will react badly with perfumes. The copper will make the jewelry have a greenish hue when frequently exposed to perfumes.
3. Diamonds: although diamonds are quite strong and not prone to corruption, essential oils in perfumes could build up on them; thereby, causing a stubborn pale yellowish coat that will take away the shine of the diamonds and consequently affect the jewelry’s value. You can have your jewelry cleaned by an expert if you notice these stains on your diamonds. You can also clean yourself by dipping a brush in a solution of ammonia and water (1 to 6).
4. Pearls: pearls are quite delicate and very prone to staining, change in texture and loss of shine. Your lotions, perfumes and hairsprays can easily degrade your pearls. Try to allow your skincare and perfume dry down before wearing your pearls. Also store your pearls in a clean and dry place. A good alternative is to store in a dry Ziploc bag after cleaning the pearls with a gentle damp cloth.
5. Imitation jewelry: it is even more concerning how they react with perfumes, because the damage is usually irreversible. These set of jewelry should be protected from perfumes. Always allow your perfume to dry down before wearing them.
6. Bonus: How to get rid of the smell of perfumes on your jewelry
Sometimes, you may also not like the smell of perfume on your jewelry. Try a mixture of a bowl of warm water, two tablespoons of baking soda and four ounces of white vinegar. Soak your jewelry in this mixture for two to three hours to get rid of that smell or that black or green hue on your jewelries. You can also create a homemade cleaning solution with water and half a lemon and a tablespoon of salt. Place the jewelry in this solution for fifteen minutes. Please note that this works only for imitation jewelry. Placing your natural gemstones in these solutions will corrode them. Pearls or diamonds will react very badly with the acid in the lemons too.
On a final and general note, avoid swimming or doing any strenuous activity that can cause sweating while wearing your jewelries.
