Black Pearl Jewelry
I just received as a gift a black pearl pendant, 10mm. I am not sure what
the proper care is for it. Is it bad to sleep and shower in it?? how
about cleaning and polishing?
Any help for me????
You really want to limit the pearl's exposure to as many chemical agents as
possible. Pearl is of organic origin and is consequently fairly soft and
somewhat porous. Since the oils of our skin are somewhat acidic it can slowly
eat into the surface of the pearl and ruin the luster. Once that happens it
cannot be reversed. You can't polish pearls. Whatever you do don't rub the pearl
on the oils of your face to make it "shiny". Short term gain causes long term
damage.
If you wear the pearl all night and all day against your skin it stands to
reason that deterioration will occur faster than if you didn't wear it at night.
Not everyone has the same acidity so there is no hard fast rule as to how much
you should or shouldn't wear it.
Take care to not spray cologne or perfume, hairspray etc. on the pearl. These
are very acidic. If you happen to by mistake don't panic. Just take a soft damp
cloth and gently wipe it off.
The major worry you should have in showering with it on is that the chain could
break and the pearl will drop through the drain. Once in the shower drain you
can say goodbye. Most showers do not have a drain trap like the other drains
around the house. Same goes for earrings. If you should lose one in the shower
it's gone.
Don't haphazardly toss the pearl in your jewelry box with the rest of your
jewelry. Virtually everything else in there can scratch the surface of the pearl
and ruin it. Put it in a separate pouch or something similar to separate it from
the others.
Keep in mind that most of these things are likely to happen over a fairly long
period of time but it is the gradual accumulation of minor inuries to it that
will take its toll.