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Generally, the higher the carat weight of gold, the softer the metal. So that 9ct gold, being alloyed with other metals tends to be less resistant to scratching than say 22ct gold. This is why some recommend that you should wear rings of a similar quality together (e.g. wedding and engagement rings). Because gold is a soft metal and some manufacturers use this feature to "stretch" out the metal to produce a "showy" piece, but don't take into account the need for strength. The unsuspecting buyer thinks that they're buying a great piece of jewellery, only to find it going out of shape on the first wear. All our gold jewellery is inspected by a professional jeweller, before dispatch, we only deal with manufacturers of the highest reputation. Sterling silver will polish up by rubbing or buffing it with a soft cotton cloth or a Sunshine Cloth. If you store silver in plastic bags with an interlocking seal, it will be less prone to tarnish. Gold, silver, and platinum score only 2 to 4 on the Moh's scale of hardness, sand is 7 on the Mohs scale, which means your precious metal is softer than sand and can be easily scratched.
Gemstone Tips
Gem stone hardness is based on a standard called the Mohs scale. The higher the Mohs scale number, the harder the stone is. When the Mohs scale was developed, early gemologists tried rubbing one stone against another to see which stone caused scratching on another. Quartz (the stone that makes up sand) is rated at 7 on the Mohs scale, and that is why any gemstone with a rating of less than 7 is easily scratched (such as coral, lapis lazuli, opal, pearl, and turquoise). Also, some stones can be quite porous (such as opal, pearl, turquoise), that is why you shouldn't leave these kind of stones immersed in water for too long.
Common stones that are damaged in sunlight, these include:
- Amethyst: becomes paler
- Ametrine: may change colour
- Aquamarine: becomes paler
- Aventurine: translucent types often lose colour
- Beryl: brown or orange types may change to pale pink
- Citrine: may change colour
- Kunzite: becomes pale or loses colour
- Rose Quartz: becomes paler
- Smoky Quartz: becomes paler
Gemset Jewellery
Check your jewellery to ensure that stones mounted in rings are not loose or rattle - if that's the case, visit your local jeweller before it's too late - it's much cheaper to have the prongs repaired than to replace a gemstone. Don't forget that the prongs of a ring can and do wear down, If the prongs wear down too much or break, you've lost the stone. Prongs are easily "retipped" by most jewellers to keep the stone secure.
Beads
If you have beaded necklaces such as gemstone, or pearls, store them flat, preferably in a silk pouch. If the string breaks, let a professional jeweller restring them for you. If you are considering buying expensive beaded jewellery look for beads are a knotted between each bead, so that if the string breaks you won't loose so many beads! Don't store pearls in plastic bags, always store in the box or silk pouch that they should be supplied with.
Fashion Jewellery
Gold or Silver plated items can vary considerably in quality. To be called Gold Plated, jewellery only needs to be coated in gold up to 1 micron. Better made products are usually coated upto 3 microns. Because precious metals are only coated onto base metal, the care instructions given above are even more relevant. We would also personally advise you not to wear "fashion" jewellery on a day to day basis, but rather for "special occassions" - that way you'll enjoy them for much longer!
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