The importance of having your jewelery regularly cleaned and checked

The importance of having your jewelery regularly cleaned and checked  by Greg Holland

 
How would you feel if you lost your diamond?
Throughout the world every month there are several hundred thousand carats of diamonds and gemstones sold from traditional mainstream jewellery stores.
Of these, a staggering proportion will be lost within the first five years of purchase, destined to live out the rest of their days with considerably less sparkle, in gutters, veggie patches, swimming pool filtration systems, down plug holes or at the bottom of the ocean. The more fortunate gems will be found on planes, in parks or in public washrooms, and given a new home by their delighted rescuers.
Why are so many gems lost, you may wonder. The reason is often quite simple. Jewelery is commonly purchased at a standard mass market store where customers are able to choose from a selection of pieces ‘off the shelf’. Employees of these stores generally operate on a base salary, with commission paid over and above this when monthly sales targets are reached. By closing a sale employees are one step closer to meeting the store’s monthly sales targets. Customers may have found themselves a ‘bargain’ here but they could well find themselves ‘paying’ for it later. There is generally little or no importance placed on any after-sales service at many mainstream stores. Pieces containing diamonds and gemstones are often claw-set in lightweight mounts that were manufactured to a formula, rather than in a customised way. The thought process of many manufacturers goes something like this: “If we make 1000 mounts of style #12 in 18ct gold and save .50 of a gram on each piece, well that’s money in our pocket.” With the daily wear and tear of a lightweight mount, gemstones can and often will work themselves loose in their settings. Claws will become worn. Settings will gather soap for example and thus the gems become dirty and dull.
Maintenance of your jewellery is extremely important. People often spend far more on a piece of jewelery than they would on their car. They have their car regularly checked and  maintained, but for some unknown reason they often leave that precious item of jewellery for years without any form of maintenance. This can prove to be very costly. Imagine your precious diamond or gemstone coming loose from its setting and finding its way to the bottom of the ocean on your next holiday to Fiji. A gemstone set in 18ct gold claws, for example, will at some stage require some form of maintenance due to everyday wear and tear of the claw. Like servicing your car, regularly checking your gem set pieces can save you a great deal of hassle and money, Maintenance services can be as simple and inexpensive as  re-tipping claws or resetting the gems before they are lost.