You may think that taking care of your beaded jewelry means only regular cleaning but in fact, it also includes proper wearing, storing, and repairing.

Wearing properly your jewelry comes down to several steps that can easily become a regular habit:

- Don't put it on before applying your make up, perfume, and hairspray
- Blow-dry your hair and than put it on
- Never wear it when coloring or combing your hair
- Don't wear it when exercising or in any other activity that leads to perspiration
- Take it off while you are doing something where you can knock it against a hard surface

Make up, perfumes, hairsprays, and hair colors are chemicals that penetrate easily into the pearls and the porous gemstone. This penetration leads to dulling their luster and changing their actual color. Perspiration although something natural for the human body, is not natural for the pearls and soft gemstones and has the same effect as the mentioned above chemicals.

Increased temperatures, for example when blow-drying your hair, destroy the surface of the pearls and soft gemstones.

Washing dishes, cleaning the house, moving accessories and furniture around, gardening - all of these are activities where you might knock your bracelet or ring against some type of hard surface. This leads to scratching the surface of the pearls, gemstones, sterling silver, and/or gold.

Storing your beaded jewelry is another way to protect it and increase its longevity. Don't just throw all your jewelry pieces on top of each other in a box. Your diamond ring will scratch your beautiful turquoise necklace, your ruby earrings will scratch your pearl necklace, and your sapphire necklace will damage your soft metals (gold, platinum, and sterling silver).

There are several ways to store your jewelry properly and to avoid scratching it:

- Store each individual piece in separate zip lock bag
- Wrap each piece in cotton or linen cloth
- Get a soft-lined jewelry box with many separate compartments
- Keep each piece in its original box

Repairing your jewelry is very important and is integral part of the process of caring for it.

- Restring your silk cord beaded jewelry at least once every two years
- Make sure there is a knot between each two pearls so that they don't scratch each other or when a tear occurs don't slide off the cord
- Repair your broken necklace, bracelet, or earrings as soon as you can so that you avoid eventual loss of parts
- Schedule an appointment with professional every two years and let him or her examine carefully your pieces to prevent eventual breakage

Make the proper care for your beaded jewelry a habit. Proper caring for it pays you back by increasing its life and saving its astonishing luster.

Resource Box:

Silvia Nikolov is a designer of unique beaded jewelry, dedicated to providing you with quality and creative designs. Visit her web site www.sivani-beaded-jewelry.com and take an amazing journey through the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings galleries.

Don't miss the section Designer's Best Beaded Necklace of the Month where her newest and finest jewelry piece is featured.