Teaneck—Have you ever stopped to look at your rings and wondered, why, since you weren’t a gardener grubbing around in the dirt, your rings were so dirty?

We know you have a busy life and you don’t have time to run to the jeweler every time your jewelry gets filthy. If your jewelry sparkled and shone on the day you received it but today looks dull and lifeless, then pay attention to these four tips on how to keep up the brilliance and vivacity on all of your different types of jewelry:

Always remove your jewelry while doing any household work. Any bleach, chlorine, or other strong household cleaning products can permanently discolor your gold and silver jewelry. While working out in the yard or playing sports, it is best to leave your jewelry in a safe and secure spot. Although diamonds are one of the strongest stones, they can get dislodged from their setting or even chipped from a hard blow.

You don’t actually need to buy all sorts of expensive machines to make your jewelry shine. Believe it or not a little bit of soapy water and a soft bristled toothbrush will bring life back to your diamond. Gold is very tarnish resistant; however, it can get smudged and dirty. Every so often clean your gold and platinum jewelry with a mild detergent and use a non-abrasive brush to scrub them clean.

Silver is very different from gold or platinum because it will tarnish from oxidation. Oxidation is what happens when silver comes into contact with oxygen. This will cause a gorgeous piece of silver to tarnish and look black or dirty. Oxidation can be cleaned off easily and inexpensively. Simply use some baking soda on a clean damp sponge and rub it onto the silver. Rinse it off in warm water and polish dry with a soft clean cloth. For very tarnished silver, allow the baking soda to sit on the silver for a while before rinsing it off.

Fine cultured pearls with lustrous nacre will last for generations if cared for properly. Cultured pearls should be kept free of perfumes, cosmetics, perspiration and dirt. It is best to follow the old adage:“Pearls should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off.” You may gently wipe cultured pearls with a slightly damp cloth. Cultured pearls are strung on pure silk with knots between each cultured pearl. Over time, the silk will stretch, weaken and become soiled. If you wear your cultured pearls regularly, we encourage you to have your cultured pearls cleaned and restrung every few years.

It’s always good to have your fine jewelry looked at by a jeweler at least once a year to be sure all the stones are tight and secure.Studies show that a diamond can appear colorless and flawed if there is even a little dirt built up in the setting by not allowing the light to refract properly.After all whether you wear your jewelry for its sentimental reminders or just for sheer beauty, a couple minutes of cleaning can make all the difference.

Garden State Jewelers have been serving the community since 2005. Their success is based on treating each customer with respect and honesty. Stop in or visit them online at www.gardenstatejewelers.com