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Care & Cleaning January 02 2013

How to Care for Your Kelli Davis Designs Creations

Congratulations! You are the new owner of an amazing piece of fine jewelry. It is lovingly made out of semi-precious stones & pearls and is delicate, as you can imagine.

Many people ask me how to clean & care for their jewels. The first step is to care for them like a living being, fine and precious. Keep them out of danger, that means water, humidity and baths. Steer clear of hard surfaces and remove them while engaged in strenuous activity (in the gym, yoga , or bed!!!). Did you know, even an unset diamond will break if it hits a tiled or ceramic surface?!

Your necklace is either created on chain or strung on 49 strands of wire covered in nylon. It’s best to coil them & avoid any rough play, wearing on the wrist or crumpling in pockets.

My earrings are usually made with briolettes - gems that are drilled at the narrowest part and attached. It's best to wrap them loosely in something soft when they aren't attached to your ears or hang them on an earring tree.

Pearls:

If your necklace or earrings has pearls, it will require a pearl-friendly cleaner and a soft cloth – no abrasives! Pearls respond best to regular wear – they love the oils of our skin. If there are a few pearls on your chain, just go around them.

All Other Jewelry:

Here are some ideas from Planet Green to make your own environmentally friendly cleaners.
Jewelry Cleaner Recipe: 

A soft toothbrush
¼ cup (non-ammonia) eco-friendly window cleaner
1 tbsp natural toothpaste not gel
A damp cloth

Method:

For gems, use the toothbrush and the window cleaner to gently polish your gems.
For silver & goldfill jewelry, use the toothpaste, toothbrush and a damp cloth to clean the metal.
Polish those babies gently & lovingly (who doesn't love that)?!

Caution 

If you are tempted to use more toxic variations you may use a little ammonia and hot water for gems or Tarnex for metals. Short soak times are a must as well as knowledge of stones that might be ruined by either. Don't overdo it!

High Tech

For more professional results, we are currently testing some ultrasonic & ionic devices and will post them on this website for purchase as soon as we are certain they are worth it. Ultrasonic cleaners can be harmful to many semi-precious stones so be careful and stay tuned for our recommendations.

Revitalize

How to energize, clear and love-up your CrocusPocus friends (my favorite subject)!!
Once a month or whenever they feel a little heavy, dull, or sad just take them in your hands and lovingly ask that they be restored to their perfection. Whatever your devotional practice is, whether you sing, pray, Reiki or love them up the way a mother holds a child in her hands when they've fallen down, it matters not (they like all of it, wouldn't you)?

Sleep Tight

At night, they love to be placed on a little pillow or crystal to re-charge for the night while you do the same. Put them in the window under the full or new moon. I like to put some of my favorite pieces on my Quan Yin, Ganesha and Nataraj when I'm not wearing them.

Gem-Mother Therapy

Last but not least, if you dearly love your necklace and wear it a lot, please send it back to its Gem-mother (Me) when it begins to show wear (preferably before it breaks – eeks!) For a small investment, I will clean, re-string, replace any broken stones and update their energy. Depending on how much you love it, this may need to happen once a year.