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Unfortunately diamond and other gemstones are not necessarily for forever. Most stones are more or less brittle, many are quite soft, and some could be damaged by heat, vibration, or chemicals. Unfortunately, this trend has not yet started in Gem 'n' Jewellery industry to educate their customers about how to care for their purchased gem. Below are few of the tips for caring gemstones:
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For
removing dust, it is advisable to rinse them with
clean lukewarm water & use a soft cloth to dry
them.
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Jewelery
& loose gemstones should be stored in separate
compartment of jewelry box (preferably padded)
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For
wrapping , use a soft free cloth to prevent
scratching, entanglement a chipping.
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Nonporous
gemstones can be effectively washed gently using a
weak solution of ammonia & then rinsing with clean
lukewarm water & drying with soft lintfree cloth.
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Header
stones are safe to gently scrub with a soft
toothbrush. Highly polished metal jewelry should not
be scrubbed.
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Heat
sensitive stones like opal, pearls, Turquoise, coral,
amber should not be exposed to heat, sudden changes in
temperature, radiations etc for too long.
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Ultrasonic
cleaners are hazardous to soft stones. Ultra.... can
remove treatment on stones & may even widen
factures.
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Brittle
& soft stones are preferable in earrings, pins,
pendants or bracelets than constantly worn rings to
avoid wear & tear.
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Precautions:
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Gemstones with a hardness of below 8 Mohs are not resistant to scratching.
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Harder stones, though less effected by scratching, are highly subject to chipping & fracture.
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Diamonds are relatively more brittle & can be easy chipped by hard blow.
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Some stones like Tanzanite, pearl, coral, amber, lapis, malachite etc are subject to internal stress.
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Too long exposure of stones to sunlight or even jeweler's torch is
disastrous.
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Ultrasonic cleaners also affect gemstones adversely.
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Setting can also prove to be disastrous. Bezel settings are preferable as far as protection of stones is concerned.
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Dirty water or oil can decolourize pearls, coral & other porus stone such as turquoise, opal etc
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