Diamonds as any other gem can break, chip or fracture even with the most careful of wear. Prongs can break off, pearls can lose their luster, emeralds can lose their color. There are preventative measures you can take as well as do's and don'ts for wearing, storing, and traveling with your jewelry. These tips can help you extend the life of your treasures: Store your jewelry in a dry place avoiding extremes of temperature. Separate your jewelry. Don't place pearls with gold chains. Interlock your earrings to avoid scratching each other. Diamond jewelry will scratch other diamonds as well as other jewelry. Store jewelry in soft pouches, fabric or zip lock bags. Don't overcrowd your jewelry box. Hang flat chains, like herringbones, to prevent kinking. At least once per year have your jeweler check your jewelry for wear, breakage and restringing. Keep your jewelry clean; a loose stone can be held in place by grime. If a stone is loose, do not continue to wear the item. If you hear your jewelry rattling, something is loose! Remove jewelry before bathing or swimming as well as well as before applying make-up, perfume and hairspray. Avoid wearing fine jewelry while doing rough work or housework. Most household cleaners will pit gold or discolor the metals and remove the polish from the stones. Avoid extremes in heat, including cooking. Never boil jewelry to clean it. Never clean opals, emeralds or pearls in ultrasonic cleaners or with most jewelry cleaners. Don't pull your rings or earrings off by grabbing the stones; grab the mount instead and gently pull off. Better to wash your hands with your jewelry on when away from home than to take it off and forget it! When traveling, don't check your jewelry through, it's better to carry it with you. Do not go sightseeing with jewelry in a purse or pocket. Either purchase a body pouch or check them into the hotel safe. For customs purposes it is useful to take Polaroid's of the jewelry you are taking with you. have the photos notarized and dated prior to your trip. Check with your jeweler for particulars on how to clean a specific item of jewelry. To clean most jewelry requires only water, non-detergent ammonia, a mild soap and soft brush. Use the mild soap extremely diluted with warm water to clean opals, pearls, emeralds, lapis, onyx and other highly porous and/or easily fractured stone when they require cleaning. Otherwise wipe them down with a soft cloth after wearing. A very diluted solution of non-detergent ammonia with warm water will do wonders for most of your other jewelry. Please check with your jeweler on the cleaning of your jewelry for any special requirements your jewelry might need.