"Storing Your Jewelry" (Part 3 of 3)

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it's been so long. I had a rough couple of weeks trying to fulfill several wholesale orders, one still on the back burner so I can attend to my sorely neglected blog. To those of you who came to visit me at Kapiolani Park in February, I had my BEST month ever there. It was an amazing weekend--beautiful weather, wonderful artists, and fabulous customers. I never get tired of meeting people who love jewelry and who appreciated the handcrafted aloha that goes into every piece of Midori Jewelry. Thanks so much!!!

Now, onto "Storing Your "Jewelry" -- this is the last segment in my run of "How to Care for Your Jewelry." As I've emphasized before, these are merely recommendations. You can feel free to take what you like, and leave what you don't. These instructions are mainly geared towards handcrafted or bridge jewelry.

All precious metals tend to oxidize over time. For sterling silver (the kind of silver I used in Midori Jewelry), silver has a chemical reaction to sulfur or sulfides that exist in the atmosphere in small quantities. When silver comes in contact with normal air, it reacts to hydrogen sulfide and causes the silver to tarnish.

Before I continue, tarnish is not necessarily a bad thing. It doesn't cause irreparable damage to your treasured pieces. I've already covered how you can clean the tarnish off, and your jewelry can regain its previous sheen. But to retard the oxidation process even further, be careful how you choose to store your jewelry.

• Some people opt to store their jewelry in Ziploc bags. I personally don't care for this tactic. If your jewelry contains fresh or salt water pearls, your pearls can become dehydrated and crack. Pearls need to breathe and be in contact with moisture in the air. It's much easier to clean a tarnished piece of jewelry than trying to crazy glue a cracked pearl!!!

• Instead, opt for a closed jewelry boxed. It's better if the jewelry box is lined with velvet or some kind of soft material to prevent gemstones and pearls from getting scratched. If your jewelry box isn't lined, you can store them in a soft cloth inside your jewelry box.

• Try to remember to close your jewelry box, as some gemstones (depending on their composition and/or treatment) can loose their color when exposed for prolonged periods to sunlight.

• Never, EVER dump your chain necklaces into a heap on your nightstand, bathroom, or in your jewelry box. I've had countless customers come to me to cut apart some of the necklaces to try and salvage others. Despite what you think, they WILL get tangled. And sometimes in a mess so severely mangled, you'll be seeing stars before you free them from each other.

Now these 3 posts may seem like a lot of information, but my feeling is that you spent a lot of money on your handcrafted jewelry pieces. You thought they were special, you bought them and brought them home for a reason. If you continue to treat your treasured pieces with some TLC, they will return it many-fold by giving you years of lasting wearability. You could very easily hand down your handcrafted jewelry (especially the Midori Jewelry pieces) to your daughter and your granddaughters. Yes, handcrafted artisan jewelry is meant to last. And it will if you follow some of the tips you've read here.

Next Event:

Honolulu Festival
March 15-16
Sat 10am-5pm
Sun 10am-3pm
Honolulu Convention Center
Booth# TBA

Please visit Midori Jewelry online to see more jewelry items, event schedule, and stocklists.