As organic gems, pearls should be treated with particular care. They should never be washed or immersed in water, left in sunlight, exposed to strong perfumes or exposed to household chemicals – all of these can wear away the nacre and cause the colour change.
As a rule of thumb, pearls should be restrung once every couple of years or as soon as the stringing thread shows signs of fraying or a build-up of grime. Wipe your string of pearls with a soft dry cloth after every outing and then store safely away until next time.
Because pearls are very soft they are best stored in soft cotton or chamois pouches – never in plastic bags. Each piece of pearl jewellery that you own should be stored separately and away from other kinds of jewellery that may scratch and abrade your pearls even within their pouches.
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