Jewellery Care
Our handy how to guide on how best to care for your precious jewellery at home. This includes our top-tips for keeping your jewellery looking at its best whilst caring for the integrity of your pieces.
Tarnishing
Silver is a metal that naturally tarnishes, and exposure to skin products, moisture, perfumes and alcohol can speed up this process. To clean your silver jewellery at home, submerge in warm soapy liquid for a few minutes, then rub gently with a soft toothbrush to loosen and remove any dirt, and rinse under running water to remove any residue. To bring extra shine you can then dip for a few seconds in silver dip (do not use silver dip if your jewellery is plated, has any enamel, stones or pearls!) and rinse thoroughly. Finish up your DIY at home polish with a silver polishing cloth.
Refinishing
Due to the contact and slight friction jewellery comes into with our skin as we move in daily life, a matte finish on jewellery will almost always buff up to a slightly more polished look particularly in raised areas, such as the textures and ridges that can be found on our landscape band. To re-mattify your jewellery at home, rub gently with an abrasive sponge or scourer.
If you are unsure and would prefer your jewellery cleaned professionally, please get in touch to arrange a ring TLC servicing.
Pearls
‘Pearls should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off’
Pearls are generally affixed to your jewellery with a two part resin epoxy adhesive, this fixative can become compromised when it comes in to contact with chemicals, perfumes and alcohol. As such we always recommend to remove your pearl pieces when cleaning, using alcohol based hand gels and to apply things such as perfume. Accidents do happen though, and we will always help out where we can.
If you have a string of pearls the above quote applies, to keep them looking as good as possible for as long as possible they should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. Pearls will every so often need to be restrung, to not only keep them looking their best but also to make sure they are secure.
Cleaning stones and pearls
When cleaning jewellery set with stones, we can only recommend that you use a very soft toothbrush, and soapy water. Please do not use any silver dips. These chemicals can damage, discolour, compromise and even cause certain stones to be irreparable. If in doubt, it is always best to seek the advice of your jeweller. You can use a soft microfiber cloth to buff away any residue.
Our top tips for keeping your jewellery looking its best
Remove your jewellery at the end of each day and don’t wear it to bed.
Wipe your jewellery regularly with an anti-tarnish cloth, or any soft cloth, to help it stay clean and reduce the need to use silver dip.
Put on your jewellery as your last step when getting ready as this will help minimise contact with perfumes, creams, hairspray, etc.
Minimise prolonged contact with water wherever possible, particularly jewellery with softer stones such as emeralds, opals and pearls.
Avoid wearing your jewellery when showering, when in the bath, and when swimming.
Remove rings when cleaning, or using chemicals. This not only protects your jewellery but also your skin, as the chemicals can be trapped between your ring and skin and lead to skin reactions such as dermatitis and eczema.
When not wearing your jewellery, particularly when not wearing for prolonged periods of time, we always recommend storing it in a ziplock bag.
Try to store each item of jewellery separately to prevent items becoming scratched or tangled. Take care with chains in particular, as these can become damaged when tangled.