LITTLE GUIDE TO THE MAINTENANCE OF YOUR JEWELERY.

Here is a series of tips to keep your accessories and jewels healthy by Petits Trèsors.

Proper and regular care can lengthen the life of your jewellery. But each material and model needs its own particular care and attention.

So let's get into the specifics.

-STEEL:

Steel is one of the materials that Petits Trèsors prefers the most for its treasures: mesh bracelets, chains, small pendants, and assembly components such as snap hooks, hooks for both earrings and bracelets, necklaces, bases for enamelled or plated pendants and rings and basis for them.

The main feature is that it is a stainless material which therefore does not change its color with exposure to external agents.

We can say that one, if not the most stable, solid and durable material when it comes to costume jewelry.

To preserve their shine over time, there are home remedies, but really effective.

1. Dishwashing liquid and water: Take a sponge, dip it in the soapy water and start scrubbing your stainless steel jewellery(s). Then polish them with a paper towel.

2. Water and lemon: take a lemon, cut it in half and start rubbing it on the jewel to be cleaned. When it seems clean enough, rinse under water. He will shine like new.

If, on the other hand, your jewel is not particularly dirty, therefore "blackened", dulled by sweat or contact with the skin, just wash it with neutral/delicate soap and dry it with a very soft cloth, preferably flannel or the one with which you they clean the glasses.

3. Water and baking soda: just a drop of water in a teaspoon with baking soda will suffice, mix and pass the mixture on the jewel to be cleaned. It will regain its lost brilliance over time.

-SILVER 925:

The most noble companion of stainless steel is undoubtedly silver. This material is also perfect for engravings, unlike other materials, as it has an unrivaled, natural sheen. If you have a Petits Trèsors jewel in silver, here is valuable information and advice for you.

925 silver is an alloy consisting mainly of silver with the addition of a small percentage of copper. Much of the silver used to create the best jewels and precious objects is defined as 925 silver (one of the most used titles). 925 indicates an alloy composed of 92.5% silver and the remaining part, 7.5% copper (925 parts out of 1000 of silver). Copper is used to confer solidarity, otherwise pure silver would be too ductile for the creation of jewels.

A silver jewel, worn with care even on a daily basis, does not require excessive maintenance, if it is periodically cleaned with delicacy and stored appropriately. We recommend that you regularly clean the silver of fingerprints using a microfiber cloth.

But when silver is exposed to air for a long time, it tarnishes. The consequence of this reaction is the formation of a black patina over time.

If you wear your jewel every day, it will hardly oxidize, since the friction with the skin and the continuous "rubbing" will keep it shiny. However, if you leave it in the jewelry box for a while, you may find it slightly darkened. If the oxidation is advanced, here's what to do without using chemicals:

-Coat the whole of a pan with aluminum foil, fill it with water (enough to completely cover the silver object to be cleaned and polished. Add a teaspoon of baking soda and dissolve it entirely in water. Bring to a boil water, immerse the jewel and make sure it comes into contact with the aluminum foil; move it to change and increase the contact surface. If it is a blackened ring, to clean the internal parts, you can put a extra piece of aluminum, inserting it into the hole of the ring itself.

As the silver cleans, you will see brownish-yellow spots appear in the water. When your silver object is clean, you can remove it from the water, drying it with a soft, clean cloth. Dry it well, especially in the cavities and creeks, this will allow you to remove any oxidation residues left on the object to be polished.

CAUTION: Engravings may fade with cleaning, so rub very gently to avoid taking away the heat. If that happens, you can always fix it!

HERE'S HOW TO DO IT: In rare cases it happens that the silver jewel in contact with a more acidic pH of the skin, oxidizes. However, oxidation is always superficial, does not affect the quality of the product and is easily eliminated. If with the recommended cleaning it does not come out well, in the case of scratched silver, you can try to eliminate the oxidized layer with a very fine-grained abrasive paper, sanding in the direction of the scratch. Subsequently seal with a transparent enamel, to prevent the ph from reactivating the oxidation process.