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How to care for your diamonds

Diamonds do need care to keep them at their brilliant best. A clean diamond will reflect light better and allow its brilliance to show.

Because diamonds are usually worn on a daily basis, we recommend that diamond jewelry is cleaned at least once a month.

There are five simple ways to keep your diamonds at their best by washing away the "film" that accumulates on diamonds. They are:

The Detergent Bath:

Prepare a small bowl of warm soapy water. Use any mild liquid detergent that does not contain "soap" for it creates another type of "film" on the surface of the diamond. We do not recommend the use of any abrasives cleaners for any type of jewelry. Brush pieces gently with a tooth brush and rinse well. A hair dryer may be used to finish drying the jewelry.

The Quick-Dip Method:

You can purchase one of our specially formulated, non-toxic liquid jewelry cleaners at Hannon Jewelers. This cleaner is ideal for effectively removing the "film" that can accumulate on a diamond's surface.

Ultrasonic Cleaner:

This is the second best option (the best option is to bring it to Hannon Jewelers) for maintaining the brilliance of your diamonds. We offer a home version of the professional ultrasonic cleaner unit which you can fill with water and detergent. It creates a high-frequency turbulence which can clean most of your jewelry. There are some exceptions to what pieces of jewelry are safe to use. Some gemstones are not to be exposed to this procedure. Please contact us for more information.

Additional Recommendations

• If you can, you may want to avoid using your fine jewelry while playing sports (working out in a gym is included here) or when you do any kind of rough work. Even though a diamond is the most durable natural crystal structure known to man, it can be chipped by a hard blow along its grain.
• When you are not using your fine jewelry, try to separate the pieces individually. Diamond pieces in a drawer or left in contact with other jewelry in a jewelry case can scratch each other and can also scratch other jewelry.
• Hannon Jewelers recommends periodic inspections of your jewelry. Once or twice a year cleaning, inspecting and restoring the condition of your fine jewelry would extend the life of your jewelry considerably.

How to care for your pearls

To ensure that your fine pearls beauty last several lifetimes, we suggest a few simple points of pearl care:

• Put pearls on last, after applying makeup and hair spray. As an organic gem, pearls can be affected by cosmetics, perfume, hair spray and natural body oils that tend to build up with constant wear.
• After some use, wipe them with a damp (not wet) soft cloth.
• To avoid scratching the pearls, do not wear or store with other pieces of jewelry.
• Restring the pearls. Hannon Jewelers cultured pearls necklace and bracelets are strung with high quality silk thread for both strength and beauty. The silk thread is finely knotted between the pearls to protect them from rubbing against one another and also to keep the pearls from scattering, should the string break.
• Hannon Jewelers advises to restring your pearl jewelry once a year.
• Do not use a liquid jewelry cleaner or an ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning your pearls. We sell a specially formulated chemical to clean your pearls. Also be careful with commercial jewelry cleaners. Many jewelry cleaners contain ammonia, which cannot be used on cultured pearls.

How to care for your gemstones

Gems are among the most durable of nature’s creations. With a little care, they will be as beautiful for generations to come as they are today. Keep in mind these gem care tips.

• The best way to clean your gemstone jewelry is in a bowl of water with a few drops of ordinary dish detergent. Using an old toothbrush or other soft brush, scrub gently behind the stone where dust and soap can collect. Then just rinse and pat dry with a soft cloth.
• A home ultrasonic cleaner should be used with extreme caution. It can be used to clean Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond, Amethyst, Citrine, Garnets, Chrysoberyl, and unadorned gold jewelry but it may damage gems like Emerald, Tourmaline, Peridot, Pearls, Coral, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, and any gem that has many inclusions. When in doubt, don’t use it.
• Remove your jewelry before vigorous activities.
• Every day household items can ruin your gemstone jewelry. Make sure you don’t expose your gems to the chemicals in cleaning products, hair care products, fragrances and cosmetics.
• When getting dressed, put your jewelry on last. At the end of the day, take your jewelry off first. Store your jewelry in a cloth-lined box or pouch and keep them away from other jewelry, which might scratch them.