1. Store your jewelry in a moderate, safe place. Don't store your stones or jewels anywhere that's too hot, too cold or too humid. Inside the house in a jewelry box is typically fine, but not in the freezing cold garage.



2. Keep gems, gold and silver stored separately. To avoid the pieces from scratching one another, keep the different metals and gems separate. Fine jewelry should be stored in a soft cloth or pouch as protection and never touching other stones.

3. Don't jam everything into your jewelry box. A crowded jewelry box means items can easily be damaged or misplaced. If your gem is truly valuable, it merits appropriate storage.

4. Check your fine pieces every one to two years by a reliable jeweler to see if the settings are secure. You don't want to lose a stone because of poor maintenance or a damaged ring prong.

5. Take off your jewelry before you bathe, shower or wash the dishes. Soap will leave a fine film of residue that can diminish the beauty and liveliness of a piece of jewelry. You should also protect your jewelry or remove it before and after you put on makeup. The powders and creams can leave a dulling residue on it. Additionally, a gem can easily become lost in wash or sent down a drain.

6. Don't wear fine jewelry when doing hard labor or cleaning. If you're using abrasives or hard chemicals, these can scratch your jewelry or discolor it. For example, ammonia and chlorine (both common cleaning ingredients) can cause discoloration of many metals and even dull the polish on gem stones.

7. Don't expose your jewelry to extreme temperatures. Gems like opals can be very sensitive to temperature changes, so think first before leaving a piece in an in-the-ground safe during winter or out in a car overnight.

8. Never boil jewelry. You should never boil your jewelry to clean it. The pressure can crack many stones.

9. Don't store jewelry in a safety-deposit box for long periods of time. Gems like sapphires, rubies or diamonds won't be affected by it, however stones like opals and emeralds can be adversely impacted by the dryness. Some jewelers recommend storing a damp cloth in the box with the stones to keep moisture levels up.

10. Never take off your rings or jewelry in a strange place. While you should avoid washing dishes or showering with your jewelry on, it sometimes isn't worth the risk if you're in a strange place. Too many beautiful diamond rings have been left by the side of public sinks. Remember, you can always have your stones re-polished if they become dirty, so don't take unnecessary risks away from home where a lost jewel might never be found.