Even fresh water pearls which are usually comprised entirely of nacre are more fragile than most other gemstones, so you must handle them carefully to keep them in the best condition.
Always keep pearls away from substances that will damage the pearls surface like chlorine bleach, vinegar, ammonia, hairspray, perfume, and cosmetics. Put pearls on last after spraying perfume or hairspray and putting on makeup. Be careful with salad dressing.. if you're wearing a rope you can always toss it over your shoulder when eating a salad with dressing lol. Remove pearls before exercising to avoid perspiration. (I live in the tropics, wear mine often, and they are coping well). When it's especially humid I wear a rope over a blouse with a collar so I don't sweat all over them.
Pearls should be wiped gently with a warm, damp cloth to remove body oils or dirt (as it can discolor the pearls) before putting them away. I use a terry face cloth, but a microfibre cloth would probably do the job very well. Be GENTLE, let your fingers relax, don't drag.
For pearls strung on Powerpro you can wash them by hand, which means they can be worn on hot sweaty days.
Run some tepid water into the bathroom sink (with plug in), add a squirt of baby shampoo.
mix with hand, pop in necklace, gently swish it around a bit. If its really dirty you could put it in a stocking and gently roll around in your hands under the water. Rinse under tap, lay on clean facecloth to dry. I just found a bracelet I'd dumped in a bowl on the dresser about a year ago. It looked awful, very dull and almost peeling and I thought I'd ruined it. So I put it in a stocking, wet it under the tap then squirted a bit of baby shampoo on it. I rolled it around in my hands a bit, rinsed it off and left it to dry. It looked as good as it did when I made it. If strung on silk, probably best done when they are in need of restringing.
Please don't wear them in the pool. I wore my favourite earrings in our salt chorinated pool and the silver went black (easy for me, I can remake them). The pearls are fine though.. this time.
Never clean your pearls with solutions that contain ammonia or harsh detergents.
Don't put pearl jewelry in an ultrasonic cleaner.
Don't use abrasive cleaners or rub pearls with abrasive cloth. Both can damage the nacre.
WEAR THEM. I even wear mine when I collect my son from school. They are to be enjoyed. I'm often amazed at the colours that appear when I see them outside in daylight.
Storing Pearls
Don't store your pearls with other jewelry, because they can be scratched easily when metal or gemstones rub against them. I will provide you with a silk pouch for you to keep them in when they're not being worn. Pearls require moisture - do not store pearls in a plastic bag or other airtight package.
Your fine pearl necklaces should be restrung periodically so that you're sure the silk cord holding them is in good shape. In the event of a breakage the knotting will limit how many beads can leave the strand.
