To properly care for your gemstone jewelry here are five things to consider:

1) Keep it clean and ready to wear by gently wiping off excess makeup and skin oils after each wear. Use a 100 percent cotton cloth and gently wipe the piece clean using only the soft pads of your fingers. Store in jeweler’s tissue or a soft bag.

2) To help retard tarnish on sterling silver, wrap the piece in jeweler’s tissue paper and place it inside a plastic ziplock bag and seal.

3) When cleaning sterling silver, remember that it is a very soft metal and can easily be marred by a fingernail or a piece of fabric pushed roughly against the metal surface. Therefore, use one of the following methods to clean heavier soils and tarnish:

To remove fingerprints, light grease, or dirt, add a small amount of mild liquid soap to a half cup of warm water, soak two to three minutes, rinse thoroughly with clean water, and dry completely before storing in an airtight plastic bag.

4) Be very careful when using any soaking method to clean jewelry that has soft stones such as amber, lapis lazuli, or turquoise. Extended soaking in any solution may harm the polish on the stone. Never use bleach to clean jewelry.

5) To remove excessive tarnish, polish with a 100 percent cotton cloth and a good nonabrasive metal cleaner. Be sure to remove any remnants of the cleaner from gemstones and rinse thoroughly with clean water. Never use toothpaste.