How Best to Care for Turquoise Jewelry
I believe we can't own the earth, but I feel pretty special when I hold a piece of turquoise in my hand. This is the same experience I want you to have, and the ‘why’ behind each piece of sterling silver and turquoise jewelry I create.
Turquoise is known to represent wisdom, tranquility, protection, good fortune, and hope, and I wish each of these to accompany every piece I make. Once you’ve found your own special piece of the earth from In the Pines Jewelry, it’s important to properly care for it!
Turquoise is a porous stone and prone to soaking up anything that touches it. In ancient times, turquoise was thought almost to have predictive properties, sort of like a mood ring. They thought if the color changed, the wearer would be doomed, or that the color would fade when the owner passed away. Now-days we know that it is the porous nature of turquoise that causes it to change color from cosmetics, skin pH and oils, and even light.
There are some simple practices that will keep your turquoise looking its best. While there are numerous jewelry cleaning solutions and products on the market, the best solution for cleansing turquoise jewelry is extremely simple and cost-effective: all you need is a little warm water and a clean, soft cloth. Dampen the cloth to lightly polish the stones, and after washing and polishing your jewelry carefully, be sure to dry the pieces thoroughly with a soft clean cloth.
Removing jewelry while cooking, cleaning, swimming, exercising, or showering is a good practice that will benefit all the pieces in your collection, not only the turquoise and silver jewelry. It is also a good practice to remove any jewelry when applying lotions, perfumes, and other cosmetics, but especially silver and turquoise jewelry because any chemical products could alter the color of the stone. Adding your jewelry as the finishing touch to your look is an easy way to bypass the harmful chemicals.
If you are unable to remove your jewelry when washing your hands, be sure to carefully dry any rings or bracelets. When you remove your jewelry at the end of each day, store it carefully in a dry place away from moisture. I recommend storing silver and turquoise jewelry in a fabric-lined jewelry box or in fabric or plastic jewelry bags.
All of the pieces from my jewelry shop include a soft cloth which is perfect for cleaning and polishing the silver and turquoise jewelry in your collection. Use long, back and forth motions when polishing, and you can use a cotton swab to carefully polish any small areas or spaces if needed.
If you’d like to learn more about caring for sterling silver jewelry, check out my other blog post here!