A few months ago I was in a local jewelry store, looking for a new watchband. While waiting for the owner to finish talking to a customer, I could not help overhearing them discuss pearls. What I heard was, "And you should always, every time you take them off, wash them with a moist cloth before putting them away." This advice astonished me, so I piped in, asking if I had heard correctly. The jeweler insisted this was proper pearl protocol but I was skeptical.
It was time to talk to Calla Gold, renown personal jeweler in Santa Barbara County and beyond. Her knowledge of fine jewelry is vast, and she assured me that moisture should be kept away from pearls. She recently posted an excellent piece about pearls that I encourage you to read. I also encourage you to wear your pearls regularly instead of saving them for special occasions. The other day I wore a denim top with a silver necklace and a pretty strand of pearls. It was a great look!
1 comment:
Lori,
I asked Antoinette Matlins a world renowned pearl expert for her advice on pearl cleaning and she very generously said this:
" Re: washing pearls. It IS important to remove any surface irritants from pearls — such as cosmetics, soap residue, lotions, vinegar from a salad dressing that might have splattered onto your pearls without your being aware of it. But this does not mean “washing them.” I highly recommend using a damp white/light beige cloth such as a washcloth and gently rubbing the cloth carefully over all surfaces, of each pearl; rinse cloth and wring it out, and repeat. For tough spots that seem more difficult to remove, dampen a soft cloth with acetone — yes, acetone, the same thing that is used in fingernail polish remover. It is the only thing I use for my natural pearls; I do not use the fingernail polish remover, however, because it usually has additives that are not good for the pearls. It’s easy to get a large bottle at the pharmacy, for about $5. If you keep the cap screwed on well (it evaporates), it should last years! This is also what jewelers use to remove pearls from settings before working on the settings, or if they are changing a setting. Acetone will not hurt pearls at all, but any jewelry cleaner with AMMONIA in it, or vinegar, can be deadly to pearls.
When it comes to cleaning strands, it is also important to wash them when you notice dirt in the area of the knots; that same dirt contains particles harder than the nacre on your pearls and can scratch your pearls and also, in really bad cases, cause “wear” on your pearls! So they must be washed about every 3-6 months if you wear them often. This can be done by immersing the strands in a bowl with warm, sudsy water–be sure to use a MILD liquid detergent such as ivory or the old-fashioned Palmolive dishwashing liquid–and let them soak for a few minutes. Then using a soft cloth, wash gently, especially in the area of the knots. Empty sudsy water and refill with cold, clear water and swish them around until all the soapy residue is gone. NOW THE TRICK. To dry them properly without stretching or shrinking the stringing material uses, wet a small, not too thick, kitchen towel (I like the linen tea towels I use for dishes) and then wring it out as well as you can. Lay the pearl strand across the towel and roll the pearls in the towel. When the towel is dry, your pearls will be ready to wear.
Or, if you’re afraid to do this, have them re-strung EVERY 12 MONTHS, requesting that the pearls be cleaned before re-stringing. BE SURE TO COUNT THE PEARLS ON THE STRAND, AND TO INDICATE THE SIZE OF THE PEARLS. Some of my clients take a photo before leaving their pearls to be re-strung.
I also use an ionic cleaner for all my pearls — this is NOT an ultrasonic cleaner — which uses a very mild cleaner and the ionizing action pulls dirt away from the pearls and also the knots. A home model is about $70, but it is great for ALL jewelry, from diamonds to emeralds, and metal too. But here again, if cleaning a strand, you need to take the steps described above to rinse and dry them.
Ionic cleaners are hard to find, but the one I love is now sold by my publisher (at my suggestion) — gemstonepress.com."
Calla Gold
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