Jewelry Education
Jewelry Care

Jewelry care is an area that encompasses many things. It can include anything from properly cleaning your prized jewelry pieces to ensuring the proper care requirements (wear, storage, repairs and maintenance) are followed. At IJC, we go to great lengths to ensure our clients receive all the information about jewelry care and maintenance they need before ever purchasing a piece. We want you to know as much as you can on the design, metals, stones and any maintenance and special care required so that your treasured piece can last a lifetime and beyond!

The most commonly asked questions seem to revolve around the areas of diamonds and gemstones, metals and wear and tear. But so often, we wear our jewelry pieces (some pieces every hour of every day) and forget about them. At IJC, we pride ourselves on being completely transparent about what you can expect from a certain piece and we can also advise you on how to care for a treasured heirloom or an item you have had in your collection for years. And because of the amazing skill sets and experience behind our cohesive, dedicated team of experts, you can rest assured the advice, guidance and information we provide is not only a service that is unmatched, it is the best available information out there.

Whether it’s gold, platinum or silver, various metals and gemstones require specific care. Lotions, skin oil and good, old everyday dirt can rob your jewelry of its sparkle and full potential. In order to give it renewed brilliance, regular and proper cleaning is a must. A professional cleaning, however, is the best way to ensure you are cleaning your jewelry the right way. For IJC clients, we offer a complimentary cleaning for any jewelry piece, and the best part of this is, it can be done while you wait. We recommend having this done every 6 months.

You should always avoid exposing your jewelry to any household chemicals or cleaning products which contain chlorine and/or bromine (including pools and hot tubs). Even short exposure can break down the jewelry’s metal compositions. This can certainly affect prongs as well. Prongs are an important part of the structural integrity of a piece of jewelry, holding gemstones and diamonds in place. Over time, chemical exposure will weaken prongs causing brittleness and eventually breakage that may lead to stone loss.

Your lifestyle and everyday activities are important things to consider when it comes to the proper care of your jewelry. Working out at the gym, yoga classes, various outdoor activities, swimming in pools, how often you wear your jewelry and even vacations can have an impact on the jewelry that adorns you. IJC takes the time to get to know you and all these various factors so we can provide you with educated guidance and expert, industry advice.

Rhodium is a rare, hard metal that is silver-white in color. It is often applied or electroplated onto white gold or silver jewelry (especially wedding bands and engagement rings) in order to enhance the color and luster, giving a piece of jewelry renewed brilliance. It is a commonly utilized procedure in jewelry care and is a service provided at IJC. Although rhodium plating naturally wears away over time, it can drastically improve the appearance and chemical resistance of your jewelry. We recommend rhodium plating every year.

Because of the many years of experience behind us at IJC, we have seen our fair share of jewelry tragedies and loss due to lack of care. That is just one driver behind our passion for client education. We recommend that you have your jewelry inspected at least every six months by one of our expert jewelers. We can clean, polish and inspect your jewelry for loose stones, damage and general wear and tear. We care about you and your prized pieces and beloved treasures. Let us help you preserve them so they can be enjoyed for years to come.