Cultured pearls are precious jewels and should be treated as such.
They're also the products of living creatures. Cultured pearls are
formed when an irritant is introduced into a mollusk. The mollusk
secretes a substance called nacre which covers the irritant and produces the
pearl. Nacre gives pearls the rainbow of colors and luster that makes
these gemstones so treasured, but its delicate nature also makes pearls
particularly susceptible to damage. For this reason you should be extra
careful with your cultured pearl jewelry.
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Apply cosmetics, hair sprays and perfume
before putting on any pearl jewelry. When you remove the jewelry,
wipe it carefully with a soft cloth to remove any traces of these
substances.
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You can also wash your pearl jewelry with
mild soap and water. Do not clean cultured pearls with any
chemicals, abrasives or solvents. These substances can damage your
pearls.
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Do not toss your cultured pearl jewelry
carelessly into a purse, bag or jewel box.
A pearl's surface is soft
and can be scratched by hard metal edges or by the harder gemstones or
other jewelry pieces.
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Place cultured pearl jewelry in a chamois
bag or wrap them in tissue when putting them away.
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Cosmetics, perspiration, oils and ordinary
wear weaken and stretch the threads on which the pearls are strung.
Bring your pearls back to your jeweler for restringing once a year.
Make certain the pearls are strung with a knot between each pearl.
This will prevent loss of pearls if the string should break.
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