Costume Jewelry Away From Tarnishing
Tarnishing can be a big problem for costume jewelry if it is made in cheap metals like copper or brass. Even sterling silver can also tarnish with time. It becomes really important for every jewelry owner to have know-how of how they can keep costume jewelry away from tarnishing.
In this article, we’ll list down the ways and related thing for you to better understand how to keep costume jewelry away from tarnishing.
10 Ways to Keep Costume Jewelry Away from Tarnishing
Here are the ways you must read.
1. Never wear Jewelry on a Hot or Rainy day
Water and salts are devastating for costume jewelry. And both are found in sweat. So, on a hot day with full sun out, you are expected to get a lot of sweat and it will react with costume jewelry quickly. This will damage costume jewelry.
With rainy water, similar thing happens. When rainwater comes down, it brings pollution and chemicals with it. These chemicals can also damage your fashion jewelry. Specifically if you have gold plated brass or copper. This will make it wear off and tarnishing will start.
So, it is very important for you to avoid wearing jewelry on a hot day or rainy day.
2. Avoid Placing Jewelry in Bathroom
We often place jewelry in bathroom while washing hands, face or showering and then forget it. This allows moisture to come into contact with jewelry making it not only tarnish but also introduce corrosion. Although, most of costume jewelry metals do not corrode, still they can tarnish. It also contains salts and minerals like chlorine causing damage to your jewelry.
Moisture is a big enemy of jewelry and you must keep away all of your jewelry away from moisture. Water speeds up tarnishing and can also make gold plating wear off quickly.
3. Always Store in a Professional Jewelry Storage Box
Storage is also an essential part of keeping jewelry away from tarnishing. Storing in unprofessional boxes or places can be damaging for jewelry. Keeping jewelry in open air will increase the chances of tarnishing and will also bring dirt.
Always keep your jewelry in professional jewelry storage boxes. No matter what is the cost of jewelry, every piece demands care. And this care can be only possible with a good storage box. Make sure the jewelry box has separate compartments to avoid tangling and rubbing of jewelry.
4. Use Jewelry Sealants
We all know that water can damage jewelry. But how cool will it be if you it never comes in contact with your earrings or rings? This is what jewelry sealants do. These chemicals can create a thin layer boundary between jewelry and atmosphere containing moisture. This way jewelry will remain safe from water.
Sealants are easily available on any jewelry relaChris Tzitzisted commercial store. Some people can also use households things as sealants. Though, these household sealants might not work as good as commercial ones, but they are an effective way of doing it.
One such sealant is transparent nail polish. Nail polish is one thing that is easily available in almost every female’s collection. All you have to do is to take your jewelry and brush it all over the jewelry. This will create an invisible boundary between water and jewelry. So, tarnishing can’t happen. For good results, you will have to do it regularly or your metal might tarnish again.
5. Dry Jewelry Immediately if it Gets Wet
Cleaning is an essential part of owning jewelry. However, there are some cases where it can do more harm than good. For example, if you wash your jewelry too hard, it can damage it. Moreover, if you don’t dry jewelry immediately after rinsing with water, it can stay there and cause tarnish and create water spots.
Don’t take too long to dry your jewelry once it comes in contact with water. Don’t let it dry by air or it will get tarnished. Immediately dry it with a soft cloth. Special polishing and drying clothes are also available online specifically designed for this purpose.
6. Clean Jewelry Regularly
Regular cleaning maintains the shine and glamor of your fashion jewelry. Whenever we wear jewelry, dirt, sweat, skin oils and many other thing pile up on the surface of jewelry. And with time, they make a layer which becomes harder and harder with time. So, it is better to not let it ruin your jewelry’s looks.
Regularly clean your jewelry once a month with a jewelry cleaner. This is a simple process which takes a warm bowl of water and a few drops of cleaner. Once you are done, all you do is to rinse it with clean water. And you have clean jewelry on your hands.
7. Save Jewelry from Scratches
Scratches are another reason that speed up tarnishing. Plated jewelry is often plating over brass or copper. And these metals tarnish very fast once plating wears off. Scratches or damages like dents, bumps and scuffings remove this plating. This exposes the base metal and it starts tarnishing.
If you want to save your gold or any other metal plated jewelry from tarnishing, you have to save it from scratches. Or it will be damaged with time and you will be left behind with tarnished jewelry.
8. Rotate Jewelry Pieces
Rotating jewelry pieces on everyday basis is a good practice to avoid tarnishing. If you wear same jewelry on daily basis, it will get dirty and damaged faster than occasional use. This method will not stop tarnishing but can help you in delaying the process, so you can wear costume jewelry for longer period of time without cleaning. That’s why having a number of jewelry items in your collection can be a pro point.
You can rotate jewelry items on daily basis in your office or whatever place you go. These items can differ in size, design or patterns as per your liking. This will also complement dressing and bring variety of looks.
9. Avoid Cosmetic Items
Cosmetic items like lotion, perfume, skin oils and creams contain artificially made reactive chemicals which can be harsh towards jewelry. Whenever these chemicals react with jewelry, multiple problems appear. One of those is tarnishing. Apart, skin turning green, redness, itching and other skin problems are also common. Not all of these items react with the skin, but mostly do which can be a big problem. So, it is better to avoid excess use of cosmetics while wearing jewelry.
Or you can at least try to not directly apply these chemicals on jewelry. Professional way is to first use all of these cosmetics and then wear your jewelry after 10 minutes. This way, you will make sure jewelry does not tarnish.
10. Keep it Away from Harsh Chemicals
Harsh chemicals can be easily found in every house. Chemicals like bleach, detergents and even shampoos can be very reactive towards jewelry. Even fumes of these chemicals can make jewelry tarnish. However, it if not going to happen after one contact. Multiple contacts will surely do it. These chemicals also speed up tarnishing. Its important to protect jewelry from these chemicals.
Jewelry made of copper and its alloys like brass can tarnish very fast after action of these chemicals. It is always recommended to remove your jewelry before you come into contact with these chemicals.
Common FAQ’s Costume Jewelry Tarnishing
Here are some common FAQ’s about costume jewelry tarnishing.
1. Does every type of costume jewelry tarnish?
No. Only jewelry made in copper, brass and sterling silver will tarnish.
2. How can I avoid tarnishing of costume jewelry?
Use jewelry sealants and save jewelry from water.
3. Are Costume Jewelry and Fashion Jewelry same?
Yes, they are same. Just different names.
Conclusion
Tarnishing is a big problem with jewelry made of sterling silver, copper and its alloys. As costume jewelry is mostly made of these low cost metals, it makes them more prone to tarnishing than fine jewelry. That’s why it becomes very important to save them from tarnishing to keep their glow for a long time. Common ways of avoiding tarnishing are avoiding water contact, harsh chemicals and using jewelry sealants. Proper storage of jewelry is also a part of it. By following these guidelines, you will be able to keep your costume jewelry away from tarnishing.