How should I care for my pearls?

Since a tooth has a hardness of 5 and pearl is between 2.5 and 4, it is a soft material and needs to be treated delicately. One advantage of pearls is they are relatively tough compared to their softness. This means they are harder to chip than to scratch. Besides being soft, pearls are easily attacked by acid such as lemon juice or vinegar. They are also attacked by perfume and some hair spray. heat can turn pearls brown and dry them out, which may make them crack.

The best way to clean pearls is to wash them in a mild non-detergent soapy solution and rinse them in cool water, then dry them thoroughly with a soft towel. We find that water may be able to break down the cement used to secure pearls to jewellery such as earrings and rings. Therefore be careful how long you soak a pearl which is cemented to a piece of metal.

Do not use commercial jewellery cleaners unless they are safe for pearls. Some contain ammonia which will attack pearls quickly.

Never clean pearls in an ultrasonic cleaner or with tooth brushes. Never use toothpaste.