Mother of pearl adorns musical instruments, ceramics, marble – anything that could benefit from an artistic flourish of iridescent beauty. Though it’s essentially scraped from the shells of molluscs, mother of pearl can be breathtaking, particularly the reflections, which can appear to be different colors depending on how the light plays. Even better than any of the above uses, mother of pearl is gorgeous in jewellery.

Though once reserved for royalty, nowadays it’s cheap enough to be readily available to the average person, and it’s exquisite enough to convince many to pass the jewellery down from generation to generation.

That’s not possible without the proper care and maintenance. Mother of pearl can easily lose its luster.

Here are six great tips to keep your mother of pearl jewellery bright.

(1) Be gentle with your jewellery. Put on and remove the item with care; don’t allow the pearls to grind against one another. The friction will strip the nacre in time and you’ll be left with some dull, but nicely shaped lumps.

(2) Don’t jostle your jewellery. This means don’t run, don’t crawl, don’t headbang, don’t do anything that will cause your jewellery to be cast about. If you do, you risk snagging your jewellery, which is not only unpleasant but could also wind up with you losing or permanently damaging pearls if they should fall. Sweat can wear down the string in a necklace and cause the pearls to rub together, thus breaking down the nacre and ruining your jewellery in the process.

(3) Don’t bathe or shower while wearing your necklace. It’s never a good idea to submerge jewellery in water, and mother of pearl is no exception. Doing so can result in a situation similar to the last tip – water can break down your jewellery which could cause friction among the pearls. Be smart: remove all jewellery before bathing.

(4) If your jewellery does get wet, allow it to dry completely before storing. The thought process here is twofold. First, allowing it to dry prevents any unnecessary wear and tear on the jewellery itself. Second, being dry, there’s much less chance of bacteria growing in your jewellery. You want a beautiful accessory, not a germ farm. You are putting this on naked skin, after all.

(5) Clean your jewellery carefully if it gets dirty. Mother of pearl is very delicate, and any cleaner that’s even slightly abrasive can cause trouble. For the same reason, never put mother of pearl jewellery in any kind of ultrasonic cleaner. If you can, wipe the offending dirt with a soft cloth to clean your piece, or, if you must, use a very mild soap and water mix. Don’t forget to allow it to dry.

(6) Store mother of pearl jewellery in its own soft cloth bag. Keeping your mother of pearl jewellery separate from the rest of your stuff prevents any wearing down or crushing. Being in the bag will help reduce dust issues as well.

Mother of pearl jewellery is beautiful when you buy it, no question. It’s something you’ll want to keep forever. With a little attention paid to the above details, you’ll find your mother of pearl breathtaking for many years to come.