Caring for your Fashion Jewellery

Thankfully the days of your ears and fingers turning green because you went out in a cheap piece of fashion jewellery are now mostly behind us. In recent years manufacturers have phased out their use of very cheap alloys and advanced their use of plating solutions to bring us fashion jewellery that is less likely to turn us into the Hulks ugly sister.

Fashion jewellery is however not intended to last forever and will still discolour, snap and break especially if it isn’t taken care of. There is nothing more frustrating though than finding that your favourite necklace has been worn so many times that the plating has worn off and it’s now turning a dull grey colour and exposing the metal beneath.

So today I am going to share with you some hints and tips for prolonging the life of your favourite pieces of fashion jewellery.

First and foremost we need to talk about the classic mistake that women make when it comes to handling their fashion jewellery.

"You must put your jewellery on last." 

This is such a simple thing to adopt but essential if you want your jewellery to last. As we set about our morning beauty regime the average woman will handle hair products, deodorant, make up and perfume, all of which can be deadly when exposed to our jewellery. The skin on it’s own will secrete oils and perspiration during the day we don’t need to add to this contact with a ream of lotions and potions. Your basic routine needs to ensure that you have all your make up, hairspray, perfume etc on and dry before you think about handling your jewellery. Once you have finished applying your beauty products then wash and dry your hands before opening your jewellery box.

It’s also worth planning ahead what jewellery you are going to wear so you can think about which lotions and potions you are going to apply and where. For example if you are going to wear a necklace don’t spray your perfume on your neck, spray it on your wrists and make sure any body moisturiser you have applied has not included your décolletage. Reduce the risks further by making certain that your perfume and moisturiser is dry before bringing your jewellery in contact with your skin.

My second top tip for you is make sure you put your jewellery away. That seems simple enough but too often ladies have dressing table tops covered in jewellery they took off in a hurry and have left out. Try to avoid having any kind of jewellery tray, bowls or open trinket holders on your dressing table. If you want your fashion jewellery to last the best thing you can do for it is store it away after you have worn it. It’s worth investing in some very simple storage options to keep your jewellery in tip top condition.

My personal collection of fashion jewellery is quite extensive and this can pose a problem when it comes to where to keep it that still makes it accessible. I do have 2 very traditional and quite large jewellery boxes and find these are great for all my earrings and rings but they are not so great for bracelets, bangles and necklaces. They simply are not designed to store any quantity of items and certainly can’t cope with anything like a statement piece necklace.

For anything that’s wooden, shell, plastic or leather I do love a Jewellery Stand. It’s a great use of space and can hold lots of items. You want to choose one that comes with some height so that long necklaces and pendants are not left resting on your surfaces collecting dust and coming into accidental contact with stray make up. Choose one with a wide bottom as well so that it’s good and sturdy and not prone to falling over as your collection grows.

If like me you have fashion jewellery that is plated and not made from natural resources this needs storing differently. If you leave your metal jewellery on a stand it will still come into contact with pollutants from the air that over time will aid in it tarnishing. For this type of jewellery my best advice to you is to invest in a gift box. You want easy access to your jewellery so you can see it at a glance but also store it quickly and easily and a Magnetic Closing Gift Box is ideal for this. A simple lift lid that closes with a magnet is a perfect storage solution. They are inexpensive compared with a space restrictive jewellery box and can easily be stacked on top of each other if you need more than one. I would recommend something like this elegant and simple black box, it will keep your jewellery out of site, tidy and protect it from contact with the make up and perfume used at your dressing table.

It doesn’t take much to care for your fashion jewellery but these simple steps will help you to enjoy your favourite pieces for longer.

Thanks for reading.