How Do You Care for Pearls?

The pages how to clean pearls and what damages pearls go into detail, and the care planner turns the advice into a plan for your own pearls. The advice below comes from GIA and from CIBJO, the international jewelry confederation, and applies to natural and cultured pearls alike.

What damages pearls#

Pearls are soft: GIA puts their hardness at 2.5 to 3.0 on the Mohs scale.¹ They can be damaged by heat and by hair spray, perfume, cosmetics and acid perspiration.² CIBJO adds solvents and acids to the list, warns never to put pearls in an ultrasonic cleaner, and notes that some color-treated pearls can fade or revert to their original color under strong light.³

Nacre quality matters too. Thin nacre affects durability as well as luster.⁴

Everyday care#

• Put pearls on after applying perfume or cosmetics.²
• After wearing them, wipe them with a soft cloth dampened in clean water.³
• Handle them gently, and take them off for heavy work.³

Storing pearls#

Store each piece separately, so nothing scratches it, and don’t wrap pearls in materials that absorb moisture, such as cotton wool. Pearls that go unworn for long periods should still be wiped with a soft, damp cloth at regular intervals.³

Restringing#

Over the years, the string on a strand stretches and weakens, and pearls can easily be restrung by a jeweler.² Knots between the pearls stop them from rubbing against each other and keep you from losing them all if the string breaks.² The page restringing pearls explains how often.