How to Care for Your Jewellery made with Swarovski® Crystals & Pearls
Proper care and storage of your jewellery made with Swarovski® crystals & pearls will help maintain its quality and luster and kelp to keep it as beautiful as the day you bought it!The following information on how to wear, store and clean your jewellery, will help ensure the longevity and brilliance of your unique design piece. It will guarantee you long-lasting pleasure in your treasured items!
Storage
Store your made with Swarovski® Crystals & Pearls jewellery in the original packaging or in a soft velvet pouch, or wrapped in a soft cloth to avoid scratches, and put into a re-sealable plastic bag. This will prevent it from becoming tangled in other pieces of jewellery, which could possibly cause beads and any exposed threads to weaken or break.Take care to avoid tossing your jewellery or dropping it onto hard surfaces to prevent the pearls or crystals from chipping.
Prevent Tarnishing
Polish your jewellery frequently with a soft cloth to maintain its original, lustrous finish.Silver jewellery that is prone to tarnish is best stored in an airtight container. To prevent any sterling silver used in the piece from tarnishing, put a small piece of anti-tarnish paper into a zip lock plastic bag or airtight container (but not wrapped in with the jewellery itself). This will keep your jewellery looking bright and new.
After cleaning your jewellery, please make sure it is completely dry before being stored - any moisture will cause the tarnishing process to begin.
Avoid Contact With Water
Always remove jewellery BEFORE washing hands, doing house hold chores, doing any sports activities, swimming, etc.Put on jewellery last when dressing and take off first when undressing. Always put your jewellery AFTER applying products (e.g., perfume, hairspray, soap, or lotion), as this could harm the metal and reduce the life of the plating, as well as cause discoloration and loss of crystal brilliance.
Do not wear beadwoven jewellery in the shower or when swimming, and avoid getting it wet. This can weaken and damage the thread and the beads. It can also cause some beads that are surface dyed to run and lose their color. Don't wear it to bed, and try to avoid letting it come into contact with perfume, makeup, shampoo or soap
Avoid the Extremes
Avoid exposing your jewellery to intense heat, moisture and sunlight.All of these things can cause even the highest quality beads to fade, tarnish or even crack. If you want to display your jewellery, make sure that it is out of direct sunlight, even for a short period of time.
General Cleaning Tips from Swarovski
Swarovski Crystals
Occasional polishing with a soft lint-free cloth or the Swarovski® crystals Jewellery Polishing Cloth, will help you to retain the original sheen of the crystal elements. If Swarovski crystals are soiled, they should be cleaned by hand in lukewarm water with a few drops of mild dish detergent or soap with a ph neutral base. Then rinse the crystals under running water and afterwards dry them with a soft, lint-free cloth to avoid spotting and lint spoiling the shine. ALWAYS dry your jewellery immediately after cleaning and store it in a dry, cool place until ready to wear to avoid tarnishing.Under no circumstances should any abrasive or corrosive detergents be used; glass and window-cleaning fluids and chlorine should also be avoided, as they often cause streaking.
Swarovski Pearls
Swarovski® Pearls should only be cleaned with a soft damp cloth or mild soap, after which you should let the pearls dry immediately. Never clean the pearls with solvents like acetone (in nail polish remover) or alcohol (in perfumes, etc). Pearls should also NOT be cleaned with a jewellery cleaner or in a jewellery-cleaning machine. The harsh cleanser can wear away the pearl coating.So Remember - Love Your Crystals:
- Don`t allow jewellery to come in prolonged contact with matches, rubber bands or anything that contains sulphur.
- Don`t allow jewellery to come in contact with abrasive soaps, chemicals, perfumes, hair sprays and/or dyes.
- Don`t rub silver jewellery with abrasive cloths and/or cleansers. Silver scratches easily.
- Don`t expose your jewellery to prolonged periods of extreme temperatures or intense sunlight. (i.e. window sills, car dashboards)
- Don`t store jewellery near a heat source.
- Do use a soft jewellery polishing cloth to prevent tarnish build-up.
- Do remove jewellery before swimming in the ocean and/or a chlorinated pool. (Chlorine may cause discoloration to silver. It will also cause damage to many gemstones and other natural products and may cause them to become loose in their settings.)
- Do remove jewellery before using cleaning materials.
- Do remove jewellery before engaging in exercise and/or sports to prevent scratching, denting or loss of gemstones.
- Do remove jewellery before going to bed to avoid twisting, knotting and/or breakage.
- Do remove jewellery when doing cleaning and/or gardening.