First of all, if you own pearls in any form of jewelry, then congratulations, they are so beautiful, gentle, subtle and somehow spiritual in the way they enhance the appearance of the wearer, at any age. It is as if they want to blend with the skin and help to beautify it. Even artificial pearls can look stunning, and are often quite expensive, so need to be taken care of. So it is important to know which type of pearls you own, as this will inform you how best to look after them. Not everyone knows whether they have real or artificial; they have have been given the pearls as a present or left them as a legacy, a part of family history to cherish and remind us of our feminine heritage. 

First of all, if you own pearls in any form of jewelry, then congratulations, they are so beautiful, gentle, subtle and somehow spiritual in the way they enhance the appearance of the wearer, at any age. It is as if they want to blend with the skin and help to beautify it. Even artificial pearls can look stunning, and are often quite expensive, so need to be taken care of. So it is important to know which type of pearls you own, as this will inform you how best to look after them. Not everyone knows whether they have real or artificial; they have been given the pearls as a present or left them as a legacy, a part of family history to cherish and remind us of our feminine heritage. 

In order to test which type of pearls you have, just put them between your teeth, taking care not to bite down on them of course. Real pearls are kind of gritty, while the others are smooth. A better option might be to call in at your local jewelry store and ask them to check for you, but don’t show any surprise if they put your precious pearls between their teeth! 

 

So if your pearls are artificial, taking care of them is quite easy. All they need is a gentle rub with soft chamois leather. Do not wear them in the shower, bath or swimming pool. That applies to strings of real pearls too – the water may rot the thread and cause it to break eventually.

But assuming you are fortunate enough to own a string of real pearls to love, wear and take care of, then the advice is to wear them often, every day if possible, because by absorbing moisture from the body, they stay lustrous and shining. While this is undoubtedly true, how would you feel jogging, or at the gym, or toting the groceries or a large baby or toddler around, while wearing your pearls? Yes, not a good idea, but you can take steps to keep the pearls looking good and staying safe. 

They can be washed carefully in very, very salty water – that should make them feel at home (if they are not fresh water pearls), but in any case, should do them no harm. You can also polish them back to a shine with – yes, you’ve guessed it – a soft chamois leather. Add a teeny drop of olive oil and they should really glimmer. 

 

 

If you have pearls set in gold, such as rings, pins or ear-rings, you will want the gold to shine as well. Again, do not wear your gold jewelry in the shower or bath, as the soap will build up on it, making it dull. One tip for cleaning gold is to soak it in gin, which might NOT be good for pearls. Instead, use our old friend, yes, the faithful chamois leather, and rub gently to buff them up to a sparkle. 

Finally, remember that if you preserve and care for something as beautiful as real pearls, they will last forever. They will give pleasure not only to you, but to your daughters, and their daughters and grand-daughters. That is worth a thought, as you gently polish your prized pearls.