Items of gold must first be studied to recognize: 1) are there stones set into your gold items, if so, what kind, are they genuine, synthetic, doublets, pearls , etc.? (Special care may be needed for specific stones-ask at the time of purchase or take the item to your favorite jeweler for specific cleaning information) 2) is your gold item hollow? 3) is there wear at jump rings, clasps, chain links, spring rings, pin catches, and prongs? What about frays, twists and kinks? A little soldering done here and there now, can help you to avoid possible loss while wearing your items.
All gold jewelry items can be cleaned with a good commercial jewelry cleaner by following directions on the container and then wiped lightly with a soft cotton cloth, or jeweler's rouge cloth. Do not pull when wiping chains, be gentle, as one can literally pull the chain apart. Maximum cleaning can be accomplished by polishing and steaming techniques done at your local professional jeweler. Remember gold is soft and wears easily; avoid excessive wear by not wearing many gold items that can come into contact with one other.
Take care how you put your items on; for example, lay out your herringbone chains flat and then pickup and put directly on, this will avoid an extra one half turn that will eventually put a metal memory twist in your chain. Also do not sleep in herringbone, hollow or light weight chains. You should try to remember to remove your necklace prior to taking off turtle necks, sweaters, and other pullovers. Note: extreme care must be taken in the selection of your style of gold chains; some styles are made only for dress while others are designed for everyday wear. Choose the one that best fits your needs; one with an appropriate weight, that will suit your needs to accommodate an additional pendant, charm, slide weight, etcetera.
For the best selection of hand made chains and modern commercial styles, stop in and see us at Ralph Miller Jewelers at 28 & 30 West 8th Street Erie, Pennsylvania Should you break or damage your gold jewelry, you can have them repaired by our staff of expert Master Goldsmiths.
