Caring For Your Jewellery

Storing Your Jewellery

Store your jewellery appropriately to protect it from scratching and denting. Avoid chemicals, direct sunlight, damp areas and excessive heat/cold when choosing storage. Specifically damp, hot conditions may tarnish metals and damage pearls, watches and certain stones over a period of time.

Remember jewellery can become scratched when they come into contact with one another. Therefore each piece should be stored individually, preventing tangles and reducing scratching and damage.

Prolonging Your Jewellery’s Life

Consider your daily activities when choosing your jewellery or remove your jewellery when undertaking specific activities that may result in damage, such as gardening, playing sport or at the beach. Harsh chemicals can damage your jewellery, therefore avoid wearing them when swimming or cleaning.

Avoid contact with nail polish remover, perfume or hairspray.

We advise cleaning your jewellery regularly with professional products and once a year get your jewellery professionally cleaned.

Gold
Containing no oxides, pure gold is the only precious metal that will not tarnish. However it is a relatively soft metal and care should always be taken with your gold jewellery to avoid scratches or dents. Generally, the higher the carat weight, the softer the metal.

Gold should be cleaned regularly in order to maintain its beauty. A soft, lint free cloth or a gold polishing cloth is an effective way to keep gold jewellery looking its best.

Platinum
Platinum is a very dense, malleable and precious metal and is resistant to corrosion and incredibly hardwearing. This makes platinum suitable to be worn every day; however, care should still be taken to prevent scratches.

Platinum jewellery can be cleaned with a mild soapy water solution and a soft bristle brush. Over time platinum jewellery develops a natural patina which can be polished.

Sterling Silver
Silver Jewellery will naturally tarnish over time.

Clean your silver jewellery in warm soapy water, ensuring that it is rinsed thoroughly and dried before storing. Alternatively polish your silver jewellery with a soft cloth.

Gold Vermeil
Quite simply, gold vermeil is a layer of gold over sterling silver. To be considered vermeil, the gold must be at least 10 carat and at least 1.5 microns thick.

Never wear your gold vermeil jewellery in the shower or when swimming. Chlorine, especially at high temperatures, can permanently damage or discolour your gold vermeil jewellery.

Gently clean your gold vermeil jewellery with a soft polishing cloth or even a silver polishing cloth. Gold vermeil will fade with time.

Diamonds
Diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance known; however, they can still suffer chips and fractures from sharp blows.

Clean your diamonds with warm soapy liquid and a soft toothbrush, rinsing the stone and setting afterwards to ensure no soapy residue.

Cord Bracelets
The best way to clean cords on friendship bracelets is to occasionally wash the cord with a mild soap in lukewarm water.

Protecting And Caring For Your Gem-Set Jewellery

Take care to protect your gem-set jewellery from impact against hard surfaces. Gemstones such as amethyst, emerald, kunzite, opal, pearl, peridot, tanzanite and tourmaline are very delicate and easily abraded.

Check your jewellery often to ensure stones are secure and don’t rattle; even gently shake your piece of jewellery close to your ear.

Gently rub your piece of jewellery against a thin cloth to ensure that claws are not catching to avoid pulling and loss of setting strength.

Gemstones are precious and they require care and attention. Certain coloured stones, such as emeralds, can crack if they are allowed to become dry. For this reason, they should be re-oiled every two to three years.

The build-up of hand cream, finger prints and general dirt is common amongst your most loved jewellery, and can easily cleaned with warm water, a touch of mild soap and a soft brush or cloth.

All gemstones also susceptible to damage by chemicals, water and even sunlight but prolonged exposure to the latter may cause certain gemstones to become paler.

Caring For Your Pearls

Pearls are relatively soft and can scratch easily, especially if stored with other jewellery – so store each item separately. Avoid spraying perfume or other strong chemicals on to your pearls, and keep them away from direct heat (pearls can also crack if exposed to excessive dryness).

When cleaning your pearls, refrain from using any strong detergents. Instead, keep them clean by wiping them with a dry, lint-free fabric. Keep your pearls in a soft pouch made of chamois, silk, leather or another non-abrasive material. Never store pearls in a plastic bag.

Wear your pearls. As an organic material they react well to the natural oils in your skin and it is the best way to maintain their lustre.

Have your pearl necklace re-strung every few years; to prevent abrasion, most jewellers knot pearls on silk thread which wears in time.

Do not use chemical cleaners; especially those containing ammonia and bleach, as this will destroy their lustre.