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Thread: How to Care for Emerald Jewelry

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
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    Default How to Care for Emerald Jewelry

    Choosing Emerald Jewelry

    Step1
    Purchase jewelry where the emeralds are bezel-set. This protects the gemstone from accidental bumps and knocks.

    Step2
    Look for surrounding accent stones such as diamonds or white sapphires. Not only do they enhance the beauty of the emeralds, these harder stones also protect the emerald from side impacts.

    Step3
    Ask your jeweler if the emeralds have been "oiled." Most emeralds are immersed in a colorless oil or resin to minimize the appearance of "inclusions," internal fractures that, if struck, can lead to breaks in the gemstone. Some emeralds are treated with green-colored oils or epoxy-like resins, but these are not standard treatments.

    Cleaning and Storing Emerald Jewelry


    Step1
    Pour warm water into a basin.

    Step2
    Test the water temperature by dipping your hand into it. If the water is too warm for your hand, it is too warm for the emerald.

    Step3
    Add mild dishwashing liquid to the water.

    Step4
    Place the emerald jewelry in the solution. Soak for no longer than 10 minutes.

    Step5
    Remove the jewelry from the cleaning solution and clean the stones with a soft cloth or toothbrush.

    Step6
    Rinse the jewelry with warm water and pat it dry.

    Step7
    Store your emerald jewelry separate from other gemstones because harder stones will scratch softer ones. Diamonds, corundum (rubies and sapphires), topaz and alexandrite are harder than emeralds, while garnets are softer. Aquamarines and emeralds, both beryl gemstones, are of equal hardness and will scratch each other.

    Tips & Warnings


    * After years of wear, emeralds often need re-oiling. Find out whether there is a charge for this service and how often it is recommended.

    * Be sure the jeweler discloses any special care requirements before you buy the jewelry. These requirements may conflict with the instructions given below; if so, follow your jeweler's recommendations.

    * Put your jewelry on last and take it off first. Always complete your make-up before putting on your jewelry, so that the chemicals in hairspray and make-up won't damage it and you will have to clean it less often.

    * Avoid wearing any gemstone where it will receive rough treatment--"never cast your pearls before swine."

    * Clean emeralds no more frequently than necessary and certainly no more often than several times a year.

    * Do not clean emeralds with steam, ultrasonics, petroleum distillates or any organic solvent, as many so-called "jewelry cleaners" are. This will dissolve the oils the gemstones have been treated with, as will soaking the stone for an excessive length of time. Emeralds can be re-oiled, but this should be done only by a jeweler.

    Emerald Jewellery
    Last edited by minisoji; 09-08-2008 at 09:52 AM.

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