I have written an article earlier explaining how to look after pearls and beads necklaces (click here to read it). In this article I am going to show you what happens to pearls after a while if they are not looked after properly. I am going to show a pair of pearl earrings after some 20 odd years of wear and tear.
Whether you have South Sea, Cultured or Fresh Water pearls the end result is the same, only the price to replace the damaged pearls varies wildly.
They don’t look too bad, do they? While they are OK from the front you can see the part closer to the earlobe has lost its “shiny layer”. One side is a bit worst off than the other but in the end it’s better to just replace both.
On this photo you can see the front of one pearl still looking fine while the other side is completely “eaten” away! All the fine layers of the pearl have disappeared and even the centre shell has been damaged.
In this photo, you can see how much of the pearl has been lost. They used to be round…
This didn’t happen overnight but over many many years! So breath in and relax, you can take a few simple steps to avoid this problem.
- Your pearls are the LAST thing you put on before going out! Cosmetics of any kind and perfume will damage the very fine and fragile surface of your pearls
- Take your pearls off before taking your makeup off for the same reasons they were the last to be put on 🙂
- Don’t sleep with your pearls still on. Natural oils from your skin can oxydise / damage your pearls over time and you can also lightly scratch the surface of the pearls
- When cleaning your jewellery do not rub or soak your pearls in anything! If you have some dirt on the pearl very gently wipe it off with a clean tissue. If you want to clean the post or setting use only a Silver Polish cloth or Gold Polish cloth and avoid getting too close to the pearls.
I hope you can enjoy wearing your pearls for a very long time! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment here or contact me or your nearest jeweller.