THE DO'S
The safest way to clean and care for your Native American Indian jewelry is a dry jewelry polishing cloth. Buff jewelry using the polishing cloth for beautiful results. No liquid cleaners are required.
Sterling silver will polish up by rubbing or buffing it with a soft cotton cloth.
A chemically treated cloth, like a Sunshine Cloth, makes the job a lot easier and faster.
Remove Jewelry During Tasks – When performing manual tasks, remove your jewelry to prevent physical damage or exposure to chemicals or cleaning fluids. Some tasks that should be avoided when wearing jewelry include kitchen work, gardening, cleaning the house and other common tasks.
Put Jewelry On After Applying Makeup – Cosmetics, hairspray, perfumes and lotion can contain chemicals that can often damage jewelry. Putting jewelry on after applying these materials will limit exposure to jewelry and any potential damage.
If you wear earrings, it's usually best to remove them while you're having your hair styled. That way the stylist's comb won't catch them.
If you're right-handed, think about wearing a bracelet or watch on your left wrist since you don't use it as much as your right. The opposite applies if you're left-handed.
THE DON’TS
Your jewelry should never be worn when washing dishes, in the shower, etc.
Bezel-set semi-precious stones are done by hand and therefore not 'sealed' as a piece of manufactured jewelry may be. This may allow liquid to get inside and under the setting.
When Native American jewelry is introduced to any type of liquid there is a risk of corrosion, damage to the stone and permanent damage to the setting. Once liquid has been introduced any semi-precious stones may be damaged and eventually fall out. Once inside a setting the only way moisture can be removed is to remove and reset the stones.
Battery or electric-powered "sonic" jewelry cleaners as well as liquid 'dip' type cleaners are popular and convenient, however they should NEVER be used to clean Native American Indian jewelry.
Avoid putting your jewelry in extreme temperatures or sunlight for long periods of time. This can alter the stone's color.
Avoid dropping, banging or scratching inlay jewelry. Do not wash with soap and water. Instead, use polishing cloths to shine or clean inlay jewelry.
Do not attempt to reshape or bend a bracelet, necklace, ring or pendant with inlay or channel work. Do not re-size rings with channel or inlay work. Changing the shape of the underlying metal can loosen the stones. They can actually pop out while the item is being bent and/or the integrity of the setting can be compromised, so that the stones may fall out later on, without being noticed.
BOLO TIE CLEANING
Metal polish is recommended for metal or silver clasp pendants to remove scratches, tarnish and fingerprints. After cleaning the metal pendant with the polish, wipe it with a cloth sprayed lightly with a lubricant like WD-40. This will give it a nice shine. (Note: If using WD-40 or similar lubricant, be throurogh wiping the resude off and only use on plain sterling silver bolos with no stones.)
The cord can be wiped with a damp cloth. If the cord is made of leather, use a leather treatment.