Michon Jewelry Blog

Caring for pearl jewelry is a little bit harder than caring for all metal, or even metal and stone jewelry, because pearls are more easily damaged. Here are a few things to remember:

• Pearls are softer than most stones - so they can be scratched more easily. I advise storing pearls wrapped in a soft cloth, so that other jewelry in your jewelry box doesn’t scratch them.
• Pearls can be damaged by almost anything acidic - this includes salad dressing that contains vinegar, for example. After wearing pearls close to your skin, or if they may have come in contact with salad dressing or other mildly acidic food products, wipe them with a damp soft cloth. If the pearls are strung on silk, you don’t want to get the silk wet because it may stretch, but pearls that are set in metal or strung on wire can actually be rinsed off and cleaned with a very mild liquid soap.
• Because pearls can be damaged by chemicals in hair and cosmetic products, don’t use hairspray or spray perfume, deoderants, etc. while wearing your pearls. Ideally, pearls are the last thing you put on before leaving the house, and the first thing you take off when you return home.
• Don’t use a silver dip to clean jewelry containing both pearls and silver. In a recent post, I described a safer method of removing tarnish from silver jewelry containing pearls, using aluminum foil, baking soda, and hot water.