Family heirlooms that have been handed down from generation to generation can be worth not just a lot of money but plenty of sentimental value, too. If you have a ring from a great grandmother or a watch that a great uncle used to wear, you should do everything you can to make sure these heirlooms are properly cared for and last for many more years to come.
With the right care and maintenance, a family heirloom or an antique piece of jewelry can last you for many years and become one of the most significant items you own. Let’s look at how you can maintain and care for family heirloom jewelry while also keeping it in use and wearing it.
Have the Jewelry Professionally Cleaned
Antique jewelry is very delicate, and if not cleaned properly, it can become tarnished, rusty, or damaged. This greatly reduces the value of your jewelry and makes it so that you cannot wear it. It’s a good idea to get the jewelry professionally cleaned by a jeweler. If you keep it in storage most of the time, once every few years should be good, and if you wear it more often, get it cleaned every year. Be careful if you clean it yourself and avoid harsh chemicals, ammonia, alcohol, or acids.
Get the Jewelry Refitted
Although some people prefer to store away precious or antique jewelry or keep it in display cases, jewelry was made to be worn! In case your heirloom jewelry is too big or small for you, you should take it to a certified jeweler to resize it for you. This will also help you avoid losing the jewelry. If you wear a ring that is a size too large, it may slip off your finger unnoticed.
Be Careful While Wearing the Jewelry
You should avoid certain situations while you’re wearing your family heirloom jewelry. Do not wear it during exercise when it can get sweaty, dirty, or damaged. Avoid wearing it while cleaning because many of the chemicals in cleaning solutions can damage the jewelry. Take it off before you take a shower or a bath because water can lead to rust. And lastly, avoid wearing it while cooking since a stone might come loose and fall into your pan.
Storage Should Be Well Thought Out
When you aren’t wearing the jewelry, you need to ensure that you are storing it safely. If you take your ring off while you take a shower, don’t leave it lying around on a table in direct sunlight. You should have a proper jewelry box for the jewelry to be safe from sunlight and humidity and also avoid keeping too much jewelry in the same box to prevent scratches.
Regularly Inspect the Jewelry
Examine the heirloom jewelry periodically and check for loose stones, tarnishing, broken prongs, or bent clasps. If you find any damage, get it inspected and repaired by a professional jeweler as soon as you can. If a stone has come loose, there is a chance that you might lose it or misplace it, so it is better to deal with it sooner rather than later.
Be Sure to Insure the Jewelry
It would be a good idea to have all of your antique or heirloom jewelry appraised and insured. In case your jewelry is lost, stolen, or damaged, you can get it replaced or repaired. Although it would be a shame to lose a family heirloom, at least you will not suffer too much financially.
Designer’s Touch Jewelry – The Best Jewelry Store, Wellington
If you have some family heirloom jewelry that you want to take proper care of, you should have the right jewelry store in mind. The best jewelry store Wellington has to offer is Designer’s Touch Jewelry.
Designer’s Touch Jewelry is a family-owned and operated jewelry store offering the best jewelry and accessory services to Wellington since 1986. We offer a variety of services, including jewelry appraisal, cleaning, resizing, and repair.
By getting your jewelry appraised, you can have a better idea of its worth which is a great help in getting the jewelry insured. We can also help you keep your family heirloom jewelry properly cleaned and maintained, help in repairs and resizing.
If you want to get in touch with us, you can visit our website https://www.designerstouchjewelry.com/ or call us on (561) 790-6220. You can also fill out a form on our website if you have any questions or confusion about our services. Get in touch so that we can help you properly maintain and care for your family heirloom jewelry.