To escape the winter chill, many of our clients find themselves heading south! As you head to your tropical escape, make sure you’re thinking about your jewelry!
At the Beach
We always recommend taking your jewelry off before you hit the beach, but we know many people still wear their pieces in the sun and sand.
When your day is done we recommend rinsing off your jewelry in warm, soapy water. This removes sand, and any left-over residue from things like sunscreen.
Make sure you do the cleaning in a small dish, and not over the sink, to avoid any slips!
At the Pool
Just like the beach, we recommend not wearing your jewelry in the pool. In fact, chlorine is very corrosive. Repeated exposure to chlorine can result in damage that can be hard to see until it’s too late. The chlorine can eat away at the metal in your jewelry, weakening prongs and making it easier to lose stones.
Again, if you choose to wear your jewelry in the pool rinse off in warm, soapy water at the end of the day.
Keeping Your Jewelry Safe
Make sure you lock your jewelry and timepieces in a vault when you leave the hotel room. Also check your insurance policy. Some policies will not cover theft internationally.
We find that many of our clients like to travel with pieces that may look beautiful, but are actually low value.
Julie Vos or lab grown pieces are perfect for that!
Shopping in the Caribbean
It’s easy to get carried away on vacation and come home with a treat for yourself. We strongly recommend being a smart consumer when traveling abroad, in particular.
Across the Caribbean it’s quite common for stores, geared towards tourists, to excessively mark up their jewelry—only to then discount it so they can close the sale, making you feel as though you got a deal. You’re rarely getting a deal.
Be sure to ask questions about what you’re purchasing, particularly when it comes to buying diamonds.
During a recent trip to St. Thomas a member of our research team noticed many stores were not disclosing if diamonds were natural or lab grown until specifically asked.
We're Here to Help
When you come back from vacation please stop by for a free cleaning and inspection, to ensure your pieces stay in top shape!
We can also offer appraisals to validate any pieces you may have purchased elsewhere, for a fee.