How to Care for Pearls

Unlike diamonds or sapphires, pearls are organic, porous, and soft — roughly 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale. They react to acids, dry out in the wrong conditions, and abrade against harder stones. None of that is a problem if you handle them accordingly.

The single most useful habit

Last on, first off. Put pearls on after perfume, hairspray, makeup and moisturiser have dried, and take them off before you undress. Nearly every case of dulled or yellowed pearls traces back to cosmetics and fragrance sitting on the nacre.

What damages pearls

• Perfume, hairspray and cosmetics — the alcohol and acids etch nacre.
• Sweat — mildly acidic; wipe pearls after wearing.
• Chlorine and salt water — both attack nacre and weaken silk.
• Ultrasonic and steam cleaners — cause permanent, irreversible damage.
• Household chemicals — including vinegar, bleach and most jewellery dips.
• Harder gemstones — stored loose alongside pearls, they scratch them.
• Very dry air — over years, pearls can dehydrate and craze.

Cleaning, properly

1. Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth after each wearing. This alone does most of the work.
2. For more thorough cleaning, use lukewarm water with the smallest amount of mild non-detergent soap on a soft cloth. Wipe; do not soak.
3. Never submerge a knotted strand — wet silk stretches and takes days to dry, staying weak throughout.
4. Lay flat on a towel to dry completely before storing. Hanging a damp strand stretches it.

Storage

• Store flat, not hanging, so the thread is not under constant tension.
• Use a soft pouch or a fabric-lined compartment, kept apart from harder stones.
• Never use an airtight container or a plastic bag. Pearls hold trace moisture and sealing them in can dry them out and cause crazing.
• Avoid a safe deposit box for long-term storage for the same reason — the air is too dry.

Restringing

Silk thread stretches, absorbs oils and eventually fails. Restring a regularly worn strand every two to three years, and sooner if you see the thread discolouring, gaps opening between pearls, or the strand hanging longer than it used to. Always ask for knotting between pearls, and for the original clasp to be inspected at the same time.

Wear them

Contrary to the instinct to lock them away, pearls do better for being worn. The trace moisture and natural oils from skin help maintain the nacre. A strand worn regularly and wiped afterwards will outlast one kept sealed in a drawer for a decade.