Caring for your jewellery
The Golden Rules.
The following ‘golden rules’ for caring for your jewellery should ensure that your favourite pieces are kept looking as fresh as possible for years to come:
1 The chemicals present in perfumes, body sprays, deodorants, hair sprays, nail varnish removers, cleansers and moisturisers can all cause jewellery to tarnish, discolour or even corrode.
2 Ensure to remove your rings even when you wash your hands or do the dishes. Soap, washing-up liquid and detergent are full of chemicals too.
3 Chlorine, salt water and even perspiration are all likely to discolour or corrode your jewellery, so ensure to remove it before you swim or hit the gym.
4 Keep jewellery out of bright sunlight or hot, damp or humid conditions.
5 Store your jewellery in a dark and dry place. An airtight container like a sealed plastic bag will stop the chemicals in the air oxidising the metals and turning them black.
6 Clean jewellery by gently polishing with a soft, lint free cloth. Use a toothbrush, with soft bristles, to get into awkward places.
As a rule, try to remember that your jewellery should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off!
Sterling Silver.
Solid sterling silver is much more durable and can be worn pretty much constantly if you so desire! Be careful though as some chemicals can cause silver to tarnish very quickly and develop a black coating. Chlorine is particularly bad for this but even swimming in the sea has been known to cause tarnishing more quickly.
Silver can also tarnish if it is not worn or stored properly for long periods of time. Its always best to keep unworn jewellery in its box to prevent this.
Silver tarnishing can be easily cleaned and cared for though. The easiest way is to use a specialist cloth impregnated with silver cleaner like the ones we sell here online and in the store. Otherwise a soft cloth or brush and some warm soapy water also work with a bit more patience.
Gold.
Gold plated jewellery will wear off over time, however you can ensure that it lasts as long as possible taking extra care when wearing, storing and cleaning.
Please take care when handling gold plated jewellery to protect the layer of gold from excess wear and scratching. Although gold-plated jewellery will not tarnish over time like silver, the gold appearance may slightly fade depending on wear and exposure to chemicals and cosmetics.
Avoid wearing jewellery whilst showering, bathing or swimming. Chlorine, in particular can permanently damage or discolour your gold plated jewellery.
Alcohol gel isn’t very friendly with your jewellery so please be careful, particularly with rings. It can wear gold plating faster than normal and also tarnish sterling silver.
it is advisable to remove all jewellery when partaking in any physical or labour intensive activities. For this same reason, it is also advisable not to wear jewellery when asleep at night.
Always remove your gold plated jewellery when applying perfume and cosmetics. When removed please make sure to keep all jewellery in separate pouches or boxes to prevent pieces rubbing and scratching against one another.
For more information check out our blog post on caring for your gold plating.
Brass.
Brass is an underrated material for jewellery! It has a beautiful dark gold hue that can be brought back to life easily without the issue of wearing off like gold plating. Its also a more affordable metal which means you can spend less and get more, more, more! Perfect for some of our chunkier more statement pieces.
Always try to keep it dry and store in non-humid conditions.
If you live in a more humid country or are taking your brass jewellery with you on holiday we recommend storing in a plastic bag (please find one to re-use).
Brass can be polished back to life with wire wool which is easily and cheaply bought from DIY shops.
Stones and Pearls.
Every style is different but we definitely recommend keeping jewellery with stone and pearls in away from water and skincare products! If you feel like the stone is becoming loose please bring the item back to use to have a look at.
**finally….please refer to the designers individual website for more specific information on caring for their products.