JN Jewelry Wipe Down

by Jaimie Nicole April 7, 2020

Hello everyone! With all the time we've been spending at home we figured now would be as good a time as any to pass along some of our tips and tricks for keeping YOUR jewels sparkling and shining like new!

We want to give you a more detailed idea of the materials that we use here at Jaimie Nicole and share some of the ways we recommend cleaning these materials. The materials we will be covering in this blog are vermeil, sterling silver, rose gold filled, and freshwater pearls. Happy cleaning!

Let's begin with some general care tips that apply to all jewelry before getting down to specifics.

• Always store your jewelry in a jewelry box. Moisture and salt encourage the appearance of tarnish so make sure you keep your jewelry as dry as you possibly can. Do not store jewelry in the bathroom.

• Make sure to fasten your chain necklaces and bracelets when storing them so that they don’t become a tangled mess!

• If you are having a great deal of trouble with a knot in a chain, your best tools are a needle and some patience.

Now let's get into the nitty gritty. Most of the gold pieces you will find at Jaimie Nicole are made of vermeil. You may be asking yourself, "What does that even mean?"

Vermeil is comprised of a layer of gold that is over a base of sterling silver. United States standards dictate that the gold portion must be 10 karats or above for a piece to be considered vermeil, but most high-quality pieces are 14, 18 or 24 karats depending on the thickness of the jewelry.

Jaimie Nicole pieces are coated with 14 karat gold. There is also a minimum amount of thickness required for a piece to be considered vermeil. The gold must be a minimum of 2.5 microns or .0025 millimeters.

As you may know, gold is a very soft metal that scratches easily. The less gold you have in the piece, the more scratch-resistant it will be. The same principle applies to gold vermeil. A 22k vermeil jewelry piece will be less resistant than a 14k one, for example. As the karats go down, the durability of the piece goes up. This is important to consider when you clean your vermeil jewelry.

When cleaning any type of jewelry, a soft micro fiber cloth is your best friend. Soaps which can contain harsh chemicals should be avoided, since they can cause a chemical reaction and discolor your vermeil jewelry. This method can also be used when cleaning your rose gold filled jewelry.

We have found this method to be the most gentle, yet effective method for cleaning.

Use lukewarm water and a soft liquid soap, if you need to. As stated above any soaps or detergents containing harsh chemicals should be avoided.
Do not dip your pieces in the water. Instead, dip a lint-free cloth in the bowl with water and soap and gently rub your vermeil jewelry piece.
After you finish cleaning your piece, rinse it by using another cloth dipped in plain water. Carefully dry it afterward and place it in your jewelry box, wrapped in a soft cloth.

Often, sterling silver and silver are described as the same thing, but, sterling silver is only an alloy (combination of metals) of silver. Silver, which is usually called fine silver, consists of 99.9% pure silver. On the other hand, sterling silver consists of approximately 92.5% silver, and the remaining 7.5% (or even more) is of other metals. Because of the high percentage of silver in ‘pure silver,’ it is better to use sterling silver when making jewelry. Pure silver is just too soft if it is to be made or shaped into such items.

We have found the method outlined below to be most effective in getting your sterling silver jewelry looking brand new.

Mix baking soda and water in equal parts into a paste. Mix enough to cover the sterling silver item. Start off with a 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup of water and mix more as needed.
Apply the mixture to the sterling silver by gently caking it onto the item with a nonabrasive clean cloth.
Rinse the paste away by running the sterling silver item under warm running water and wiping it gently with a soft clean cloth. Never rub in a circular motion as this may cause scratches.
Dry the sterling silver with a soft dry clean cloth. Buff it to bring back the shine.

Lastly we would love to share our tips for caring for your freshwater pearls. We love implementing this semi-precious gemstone into our designs at Jaimie Nicole, so these will definitely come in handy!

The best method for cleaning your freshwater pearls is pretty simple. Get yourself a soft jewelry cleaning cloth and wipe the pearls down after every single use. This will help maintain their luster and avoid dirt build-up. If you notice that they look particularly dirty, try using a damp cloth and leaving them out to dry before storing them back in their proper place.

We hope these tips and tricks will come in handy while staying at home. Once the door to our Coral Gables showroom reopen, we would love to clean your pieces up and have them looking shiny and new!

Xo,

Jaimie Nicole