Jewelry Care Damage and Points of Interest

Introduction
Being a Jeweler for 20 plus years I have repaired or built nearly 100,000 jewelry items. If you have damaged jewelry I have probably seen it before. I want to go over a few of the gemon questions that gee from customers and a few things you may never think to ask.
Gold and Diamond information.
Gold is the least reactive element. Gold and silver for that matter does not tarnish (oxidize) in air or liquids easily. Gold or silver may be unearthed and it looks like gold or silver, not to say gold and silver isn't mined from ores and processed chemically. Gold and silver as in jewelry is an alloy and processed to be easily manipulated and formed. Most gold jewelry is 10 or 14 karat (.410% gold or .585% gold). Silver such as sterling is also an alloy (90% silver). Gold and silver alloys have a much lower melting point even though they are much harder and offer better rigidity.Diamond is crystallized carbon. Diamond is the worlds hardest naturally occurring substance. Diamonds have impurities that may be undesirable and may be cause for concern as it relates to toughness. Diamonds may be broken or scratched. Many diamonds are artificially enhanced to change color and clarity. This may or may not involve laser drilling, filling, or light irradiation to change color.
How do I clean my jewelry?
As a jeweler I would like to say there is a magic formula available only in jewelry shops. The truth is every jewelry I know cleans jewelry with diluted soapy ammonia in an ultrasonic cleaner and a tooth brush.If the jewelry item is tarnished then a weak sulfuric acid may be used gemonly used in products like tarnex or simple lemon juice. If your jewelry item is left in the presence of acidic fluids to long they will burn (oxidize the zinc or nickel in the alloy) and a jeweler will have to heat the items and polish to remove excess residue.
When should I have my diamond jewelry checked for wear?
Most jewelry is manufactured to have years of life but in large part purely dependant on how it is worn and your lifestyle. If you work with your hands you may need to have your rings serviced every year. I built my wife's rings 15 years ago and recently added a couple of tips on the outer stones because they were thinning a bit.
Gold chains usually last longer than the rings and clasps that attach the ends. Every year or so you should look at the rings and if more than 60% of the diameter of the clasp ring is worn off then you should have them fixed. Much of the life of a particular chain is its design. Large link chains obviously last longer but even that can depend on the weight of the particular item.
Bracelets have the highest rate of wear. Significant wear can be observed even on a heavy linked bracelet or watch even after only a few years. Bracelets should be removed for work and active times.
Be aware of a few warning signs:

If your jewelry ever feels different or you feel a sharp edge.
If your ring ever catches on anything like fabric.
If your chain appears longer than normal.
I have large number of customers tell me they heard or saw their stone rattling when driving.
When should I remove my jewelry?

During strenuous activity such as skiing or hiking.
Take your chains and bracelets off during sleep especially flat or thinner chains.
Take off your jewelry when in place that it may be easily lost if dropped like when boating.
Anytime you are working on anything electrical.
I had an accident involving a wedding band and a battery; I have a permanent scar on my ring finger.
Why do my rings bend?
Ring shanks bend when you pick up heavy items or pull on items. This is very gemon and many customers opt to leave their rings in an oval shape.
Other things you should know.
Chemical damage is very gemon. Where gold is almost immune to anything that your skin is, the geponents in the gold alloy and the solder that holds it together is not. Many gemon household chemicals will destroy your jewelry. The solder that holds your ring and chains together has a zinc high content, which is very reactive to many hair products (bleaches and peroxides).
I see a somewhat higher number of hair stylist's jewelry. Jewelry from many of these customers are very tarnished and often cracked and brittle. If this damage continues the gold will begee fragile and break with very little force applied.
Bleach can damage your jewelry. Chlorine that is used in swimming pools is essentially the same chemical used in bleach. People with pools are ruining their jewelry and never realize it until it's too late. As a jewelry student I was never made aware of this until I started higher volumes of work. Once this damage occurs the links will fall out of the chain or the shank of the ring will crack. I once had a customer let her ring soak in bleach overnight only to find her ring in seven pieces the next morning.
An important note about some diamonds.
Some diamonds are enhanced for appearance. If you have stones like this then you may be in for disappointment. Diamonds that have been drilled or color enhanced must not be tipped. They may need to be reset once the ring has sustained significant wear. I have a friend that calls these stones "hooted" stones and they are getting much more prevalent in the market place. The stone is diamond but to rid the impurities they drill a hole to the imperfection (flaw), boil in sulfuric acid and fill the hole with a clear acrylic. If the diamond is heated the acrylic may begee visible or turn colors. This process can make a very poor stone into something that looks fantastic.
Do not confuse hardness with toughness. Diamonds can be chipped with very little force if applied at the proper spot and angle. Avoid putting multiple diamond rings into the same container as your diamonds may scratch each other. Special care must be given to diamonds with feather, as this is a separation of the crystal lattice. I put a 3.5 carat in an ultrasonic and it came out in half, so some jeweler will not work on diamonds with large flaws. Otherwise diamonds are tough. On a couple of occasions I have had diamonds brought in that were in a house fire and the gold melted into a lump leaving the diamonds in perfect condition.
Silver
Much of today's silver is plated with chrome or nickel. This makes a jeweler's job difficult when repairing or resizing. Once heated the plated material buckles and cracks leaving a undesirable finish. If you are buying silver rings it is a good idea to buy the proper size. If repair is needed often it is practical to replace the item. This does not apply to silver wear.
I hope this information proves helpful.