Caring for a velvet box, and for what is in it

Keeping the velvet clean

Dust and lint show on dark velvet first. Brush the outside lightly with a soft, dry brush or pat it with the sticky side of a tape roller, and keep the box closed when it is not in use.

Do not wet the velvet or put the box in water. If a mark will not brush off, leave it, and keep the box out of direct sun so the color does not fade unevenly.

Storing silver

Silver darkens when sulfur-containing gases reach it. The Canadian Conservation Institute lists wool and wool felt, rubber bands and latex gloves among the everyday sources, and says silver keeps best in dry air, below 50 percent relative humidity.

For storage, the institute recommends closed containers that seal where possible, and advises keeping wood and wood-pulp products, rubber and textiles such as wool or felt away from metal. In practice: a wooden ring box is lovely for the proposal, but a silver ring kept for months is better in a closed container without wood, and a rubber band never belongs in a jewelry box.

Storing pearls

GIA rates pearl at 2.5 on the Mohs scale, which means it scratches easily, and warns that high heat can damage pearls. Because pearl scratches so easily, a strand is safer apart from harder pieces and away from heat, and GIA describes wiping it with a soft clean cloth after each wearing as routine care.

The LED boxes

Keep the lit boxes dry, like anything with a small light inside, and keep them closed when they sit on a shelf.