Useful Articles

Taking good care of your wedding rings

Taking good care of your wedding rings,and they'll be your treasures for a lifetime! Always put your wedding ring on last--after clothing, make-up, hairspray and perfume.The prongs on your wedding ring can (and will) snag on clothes as you get dresses. Furthermore, the chemicals and oils in cosmetics can dull its shine. If your wedding ring has opals,pearls or turquoise in it, the chemicals can even damage it. Let your wedding ring rest in a safe place while you do chores around the house,garden, or play sports. Make sure to store your jewelry properly. Diamonds can scratch emeralds,platinum can chip rubies and gold chains can kink and tangle with pearl strands. Each piece should be individually wrapped in velvet,tissue or some other soft material and stored in a jewelry box or bag.

Cleaning your Wedding ring

Most wedding rings that are made from precious metals are polished, so don't scrub them with a toothbrush. Although some metal such as the tungsten wedding rings or titanium wedding rings are hard enough to present the friction. ?That will leave small scratches that will compromise the polish. A better approach to cleaning fine, polished wedding rings is to leave them soaking overnight in:

a half water/half ammonia solution

a diluted mild detergent solution

a small glass of vodka (yes, really)

a small glass of alcohol

a jewelry cleanser, according to instructions

Be sure to rinse well after using any of these cleaning agents,and to pay dry with a lint free cloth. Any of these solutions will gently dissolve the organic materials that rob your rock of its shine.(Note:for pearls,coral,opals or other organic gems,see below)

Cleaning ceramic wedding rings and Patterned Wedding rings

Ceramic jewelry and even weddings, are becoming increasingly popular in North America.Many of these wedding rings are heavily patterned and feature designs with some type of antique or darkening agent to accentuate the depth of the design.It's critical not to use a toothbrush, paint thinner, or any type of acetone on this type of jewelry to avoid dissolving the darkening agent on it.Many surface treatments used on this type of jewelry are subject to wear, so it won't last forever. When it starts to show wear and tear,talk to your jeweler about sprucing it up. It's not a complicated or expensive process, and can sometimes even be done at home. A professional inspection will also catch early nicks in a setting or in a stone.Many of these can be easily repaired if caught early.