For centuries pearls have been highly valued and prized. In ancient Asia and Europe, pearls were seen as a symbol of wealth and status. With only one in every 10,000 mollusks producing them, natural pearls are fairly difficult to come by. But with the arrival of cultured pearls as an international trade item in the 1930s, accessibility has increased dramatically.
Because of their soft surface, pearls must be treated with extra care. As with all jewelry, apply make-up, perfume, and hairspray before you bejewel yourself. Even oils from skin can damage pearls over time. Store all pearl jewelry in a soft cloth or linen pouch or box. With pearl necklaces or bracelets, one should have them restrung at their jeweler’s annually.
The Kingswood Company offers a Fine Gentle Cleaner formulary specifically for pearls and other soft, porous gems. After wearing and before storing pearls dampen a soft cloth with Fine Gentle Cleaner and gently wipe the strand. Do not soak strands of pearls. Pearl earrings can be soaked but should not be longer than 2 minutes in Fine Gentle cleaner. Blot dry with a dry soft cloth.
Pearls, like all jewels, are an investment. Therefore, they need care and attention so that they look as elegant as the day you received them. The Kingswood Company offers an easy and effective way to care for them. If you want to know a store that carries our product please contact us and we will provide you with the name and number of your local retailer.
Filed under: BLOG Tags: by The Kingswood Company Date 22 April, 2009
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With the recent surge in the price of gold more and more consumers are purchasing sterling silver than ever before. Silver pieces are among the loveliest as long as they are maintained and kept clean. Why does silver tarnish…….
Most sterling silver pieces have the number 925 stamped into the metal. This number indicates that your jewelry is actually sterling silver, which is composed of only 92.5% pure silver, with the remaining metal usually being copper at 7.5%. Sterling silver is an alloy composed of silver and usually at least one other metal. Pure silver is incredibly soft and easily damaged. Alloyed sterling silver, however, is hard enough to maintain form and to save the piece from the worst damage while still retaining the attractive aspects of pure silver.
One of the drawbacks of this alloy, however, is that sterling silver has a tendency to tarnish. Silver is not very reactive in the pure form, and does not tarnish under normal circumstances. The copper in the sterling silver, however, does tarnish. This appearance is unfortunately not confined to the 7% of your jewelry that is made up of copper, but will cover the entire piece.
Your pieces will tarnish whether you wear them or not, due to many factors. Sulfur pollutants in the air will cause tarnish. Even the oxygen in the air can react with the copper to produce tarnish. Regular maintenance is very easy, and will keep your silver jewelry sparkling looking shiny and new.
The Kingswood Company Silver Cleaner is among the top silver cleaners in the industry. It contains a mild acidic base to quickly and efficiently clean silver, eliminating the risk of pitting or silver loss. After a quick dip application and rinse, silver is ready to be polished with a Kingswood Polishing cloth.
NO SILVER LOSS, NO PITS, JUST A BEAUTIFUL SHINE THAT NEVER QUITS
Filed under: BLOG Tags: by The Kingswood Company Date 23 March, 2009
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Welcome to The Kingswood Company Blog. Our mission is to educate people on jewelry care. Jewelry care can be confusing! We receive so many questions about caring for your jewelry that we have now added this forum to help. We will help you select the correct formularies or cloths that should be used on different stones, metals, or combinations of stones and metals in one piece. Some designers create pieces that look complicated to care for but in reality, they are not and we are here to help demystify that for you. Our goal is to have you enjoy your jewelry for a lifetime!
Please feel free to leave any comments or questions you might have. To purchase our products from a retailer near you please contact us at 800.848.3582.
Filed under: BLOG Tags: by The Kingswood Company Date 4 February, 2009
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