Cleaning and Care of Cultured Pearls
– Heat can damage pearls. Blow-dry your hair before putting on pearl jewelry.- The chemicals in pools, hot tubs and even in tap water can be too harsh for pearls. Do not swim or shower while wearing pearls.
– Store pearl jewelry separately from other jewelry. Metals and other harder gemstones can scratch pearls. They are best stored in a soft cloth pouch or lined jewelry box.
– Do not store pearls in plastic. Nacre is an organic material that needs to breath.
– Restring pearl necklaces periodically, depending on how often they are worn. They definitely need to be restrung when the knots are discolored or the necklace appears stretched.
– Most experts recommend silk thread for pearl necklaces but nylon is also considered acceptable. The string should be knotted between each pearl. This prevents all the pearls in a strand from scattering should a break occur. Knotting also prevents the pearls from rubbing against each other, which can damage nacre.
– Wear your pearls often. The body’s natural oils increase the luster and beauty of pearls – a wonderful fact which one can read as proof that nature surely did create the pearl for human adornment.