Gemstones are one of the most precious substances known to mankind. Their worth alone is reason enough for us to care for them. A gemstone can cost a fortune and one scratch or impurity can ruin there value. As strong and durable as they may be, they can be scratched, dirtied and even broken if mishandled. There is not much we can do to care for them, but some precautions are necessary.

Cleaning gemstones requires a simple knowledge about gemstones. There are generally two kinds of gemstones; transparent and opaque. Transparent gemstones will make dust visible even if it gathers behind the stone on the ring or any form of jewelry that holds them. These are mostly single crystal stones and therefore application of water will not affect them too much. The use of a soaked cloth to clean the dust gather behind the stone is therefore not a bad move. You may even use a brush to clean the dust if you like.

However, opaque gemstones or organic gemstones are affected by water or any chemical substance. These are usually porous and will allow the water or chemical to flow inside the gemstone. Once inside they can either build up inside, make the stone loose its color or even cause it to crack. Therefore these kind of gemstones should be kept away direct contact with any kind of chemical in sprays, cosmetics and even from water.

There are advanced methods using certain technology to help clean gemstones. Expert jewelers and dealers are well-versed with all these methods and know how to clean each specific kind of gemstone. Therefore it is advised that you do not do the cleaning yourself and rather, have it done by someone who knows more about how to deal with them. Gemstones are hard materials. In contact with some other gemstone or the metals which contain them such as gold, they can crack each other or the metal. Therefore care must be taken with jewelry how it is kept and handled. Jewelry is expensive and valuable, especially those with precious gemstones in them, therefore they should be treated with care.

Loose gemstones are not very cheap to come by. They cost a lot and have to be stored carefully. This is because these gemstones can be very fragile and have to be stored carefully when you do not use them. If the loose gemstones come in contact with the other jewelry options or are stored inappropriately, it can ruin them. You should know how to store the gemstones to make sure that they are not damaged.

You should try to keep the gemstones into the boxes which they came in. It is the best way to store the delicate gemstones in the original boxes as these boxes are very soft and comfortable from inside. The boxes are cushioned from inside to offer proper protection. Also other pieces of jewelry will not come into contact with your gemstones, thereby avoiding any scratching or other form of damages.

The velvet jewelry bags are a fantastic way to store the loose gemstones. In case you do not have velvet jewelry boxes you should simply wrap the jewelry in a piece of velvet to make sure that the piece is fully protected. In case, you do not have enough velvet pieces to store every single of the loose gemstones individually, you should wrap them together inside a piece of velvet that has to be put in a larger jewelry box. You should not move the box too much to avoid any friction between the various gemstones.

You should make sure that the loose gemstones do not come in contact with humidity. The gemstones like pearls tend to respond badly to heavy amount of humidity. In case, the gemstones are placed permanently in a damp place it can disfigure them. Make sure that you do not store the gemstones in the plastic bags. This is because these bags tend to trap the moisture for an indefinite period. You should remove all the moisture inside the plastic bag before you store the loose gemstones inside.