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Jewellery Care

Top tips for ensuring your jewellery remains in good condition:

• Take care to protect your jewellery and always store it in it’s original packaging or a fabric lined jewellery box.

• Be careful not to drop, knock or scratch your jewellery.

• Remove your jewellery when exercising, swimming, cleaning or gardening to prevent knocking, scratching or damage from household chemicals.

• Avoid contact with hard or abrasive surfaces.

• Always remove your jewellery when applying scents, lotions and creams.


Gold Jewellery:

Gold should be cleaned regularly in order to maintain its beauty. A soft, lint free cloth is an effective way to keep gold jewellery looking at its best.
Gold is particularly susceptible to damage from chlorine which can permanently ruin or discolour it. For this reason, you should avoid wearing gold jewellery when in a pool or hot tub or whilst using chlorine or bleach.

Silver Jewellery:

Silver tarnishes, though this is less likely to happen as quickly if it is worn regularly.
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.
As with gold, silver is susceptible to damage by chlorine and you should avoid wearing silver jewellery when using chlorine or bleach.
The salt in sea water will also tarnish silver so make sure to remove it before going swimming.

Gold and Rhodium Plated Jewellery:

Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal, most often onto silver.
Rhodium plating is often applied in a thin layer onto white gold to brighten its appearance while sterling silver is often rhodium-plated for tarnish resistance.

Over time this layer of plating will be susceptible to wear, so to prolong it:

• Always remove your plated jewellery when applying scents, lotions and creams and avoid wearing it in the shower or when swimming.


• Avoid your jewellery coming into contact with any chemicals as these can permanently damage and discolour your plated jewellery.

Gently clean your plated jewellery with a soft polishing cloth.



Gemstones:

Gemstone hardness is quantified using the Mohs' scale. The higher the Mohs' scale number, the harder the stone is and equally, the lower the Mohs' number the more susceptible the stone is to scratching, chipping, and breaking.
Please take this into consideration when wearing, cleaning and storing your jewellery.

The build-up of grease, creams, fingerprints and general dirt is normal on your jewellery and can easily be cleaned.
Use some warm soapy water, and a soft brush for any gemstones which have a hardness of 7 or higher. For those which are less than 7, use a soft cloth instead of a brush.

Gemstones such as opal, pearl and turquoise are fairly porous and should not be immersed in water for very long, it may be better to just wipe them with a water soaked piece of cotton wool.

Emeralds are often treated with oil or resin to disguise the common inclusions associated with the stone and improve the overall appearance.
You should take particular care when cleaning emerald jewellery and never put it in an ultrasonic cleaner or leave it to soak in detergents or solvents, as this can affect the look of the stone.

Many gemstones are susceptible to damage by chemicals, water and even sunlight.
Stones such as Amethyst, rose quartz, topaz, zircon and aquamarine if left in strong sunlight can fade or change colour.

For further information please consult our gemstone guide.


Pearls:

 

Pearls are an organic material and much softer than most other gemstones. They can be scratched easily, therefore extra care should be taken with your pearl jewellery.

• Avoid wearing pearls whilst doing anything that could cause abrasion.

• Clean using water and cotton wool, then dry with a soft cloth. If they are a strung lay them flat to dry and avoid stretching the thread.

• Avoid contact with perfumes, hairspray and make-up.

• When dressing or undressing, pearls should be last on, first off.

• Avoid storing them in dry or hot conditions.

• Do not soak in jewellery cleaner and keep away from acids such as household cleaners.