Do you really know how to take care of your jewelry?

Lorenz Baumer is a passionate. He loves stones, writes a lot, surfing is an obsession, he has a fine palate, shares his experience and photographs what he wants. On top of that, he is a famous jeweler and respected in the industry. His showroom located 19 Place Vendôme is a must-seen where touring around Paris. In “My own dictionnary” a coffee-table book quite different from the usual ones you may find about jewelry, Lorenz Baumer hands out 10 jewelry tips to keep in mind when buying and taking care of jewelry.

Purchasing a piece of jewelry
Before buying a piece of jewelry, try it on in daylight, then under all the other lighting conditions possible. (For a piece to be worn in the evening, try it under electric lights, as well as in the dark.) I call your attention also to the comfort factor (weight of the earrings, distance between the fingers for a ring), the way you will wear the jewelry, the gemstone certificates… Let yourself be guided by your jeweler.

The learning curve
There is nothing better than to train your eye to be able to distinguish an exceptional piece of jewelry. In Paris, the musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Louvre offer a plethora of treasures, as do the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden. Books are also a good source of knowledge, and among the are Gemstones of the World by Walter Schumann, The Master Jewelers by Kenneth Snowman and Jewelry 7000 Years : An International History and Illustrated Survey from the Collections of the British Museum edited by Hugh Tait.

Insurance
Yes or No ? That is the big question ! Discuss this with your insurance agent, who can provide all the conditions so that you can make an informed decision. Don’t forget to ask for an invoice or receipt and/or an estimate when you make a jewelry purchase in order to determine the amount of insurance.

Estimates
Talk to an expert. There are several values to be taken into consideration : the replacement cost, if you would have to re-purchase the piece ; the sales prices that you paid for it ; the price that it would fetch at auction (this amount is increased or decreased due to fees incurred by both the buyer and seller, respectively) ; the estimate because of a property settlement (all goods must be estimated on the same basis, if possible by the same expert).

Fragility
Jewelry is fragile, some more so than others. Thus, wearing jewelry is strongly discouraged when playing golf, tennis, or boxing. To avoid damaging the piece, certain chemicals must also be avoided such as perfume, acid, acetone (nail polish remover), or white-spirit that can cause deterioration in gemstones. To safeguard your jewelry, transport it in a proper, protective case.

Investment
As with other works of art, jewelry should be purchased because you love it and then only because the purchase has been well thought out. Other considerations are secondary !

Cleaning
You can clean your jewelry with liquid dish soap by rubbing it very gently with the rotating head of an electric toothbrush. It can then be dried with a soft cloth. It is best to leave the jewelry on when whasing your hands, otherwise you risk forgetting it somewhere. Don’t use chemical products as they can damage the piece, in particular those with pearles or emeralds.