Your jewelry is precious and you'd do everything you can to preserve its beauty and make sure it can withstand the test of time. In fact, if you hold onto it long enough, it can become a family heirloom and if you've been given jewelry throughout the years from loved ones you'll want to ensure it'll remain within the family for generations to come. With that said, long term jewelry care and protection is exactly what you need to focus on and Intercept Silver & Jewelry Care Company has three tips to help you maintain your jewelry for many years to come!

1. Safes & Lockboxes

If you have jewelry that you are planning to hold onto for a very long time but don't want it falling into the wrong hands, you'll need to consider using a home safe or a safe deposit box at a bank. Home safes are quite affordable and can be found at department stores, home improvement stores or online. When considering a personal home safe, be sure you purchase one that is fire and water resistant to ensure your jewelry can survive extreme conditions. While a home safe is very convenient, you could also opt to keep your valuable jewelry in a safety deposit box at a bank. Most major banks offer safety deposit boxes at their local branches that vary in size and dimension. Just like personal safes, safety deposit boxes are relatively affordable and banks generally charge a nominal fee that's either annual or monthly.

2. Professional Cleaning

In order to maintain your jewelry's stunning finish, you will want to have it professionally cleaned by a jeweler and inspected once a year to ensure various components are in good working condition. Sometimes prongs or links on some jewelry can become loose and a jeweler can tighten it or make adjustments when necessary. If you frequently wear certain pieces of jewelry, they are less likely to need frequent cleaning because the natural oils in your skin will help keep it in good condition and prevent tarnish. Just always remember to care for the jewelry you rarely wear. As a tip, when you take your jewelry in for professional cleaning, take a picture of it before it's cleaned and make sure the jeweler has liability insurance to cover unexpected damages.

3. Anti-Tarnish Protection

When you have precious metals in a jewelry box or cabinet, it’s extremely important to make sure you have anti-tarnish paper, strips or tabs alongside the jewelry. You can even seal some individual pieces in anti-tarnish silver storage bags to prevent tarnish and corrosion from forming on the jewelry's finish. In fact, you'll only want to trust anti-tarnish products that are made of Intercept Technology^TM because they have special reactive properties that neutralize corrosive gases and contaminants in the environment, which eliminate the chance of tarnish.

These special products don't harm the jewelry in any way and can be in direct contact with the anti-tarnish product – giving you peace of mind. And since Intercept Technology^TM was developed over 25 years ago, museums, mints, historical archives and jewelers have been using the protective products to keep items safe for many years. As a tip, add a few strips or tabs into your personal safe or safety deposit box too.

Are you ready to protect and care for your precious jewelry for the future?