Cleaning your most-loved pieces of jewellery is vital to ensure they stand the test of time while remaining as beautiful as the day they were bought. We recommend bringing your most-worn jewellery into us every year to have claws, settings, and mountings checked. This will ensure that the piece remains structurally sound and the risk of losing stones - that can often have the same sentimental value as they do monetary - is low. In between times, we recommend the following tips for home care…
Storage
When your jewellery isn’t being worn, it should be stored in a clean and dry area - ideally a jewellery box -and always use caution when handling to prevent scratching.
Gold Care
Sadly, gold jewellery can be tarnished in a number of ways. It’s wise to remove any gold pieces before swimming or before relaxing in a spa pool or hot tub because chlorine damages the finish and can cause discolouration. Also remember your Marigolds if wearing your rings while doing household chores, as many cleaning products contain chemicals that may blemish the metal. Tip: Clean your gold pieces gently with warm water, mild soap and soft brush and dry the pieces carefully.
Silver Care
Silver tarnishes really easily so avoid exposing it to light and try to store silver items in a cloth or felt bag, in a cool dry place. As before, steer clear of household cleaning items and chlorine, as they also tarnish silver. Tip: Most silver can be cleaned with specialist silver cleaner but always check first.
Platinum Care
Despite its strength, platinum can still be scratched so it also should be stored separately. We advise that you polish your precious metals every so often with a soft chamois cloth or a specially purposed jewellery cleaning cloth to make them sparkle beautifully, but if they are heavily tarnished or have a stubborn stain, then bring to us for a full service.
Diamond Care
When you own a diamond ring, you want it to sparkle beautifully for you - and everyone to see. Dull or unclean stones do not sparkle because they cannot reflect light, so it’s better that the stones stay clean. Everyday use of soap, lotion, hairspray, cosmetics and fragrances are the main culprits of a dull film on diamonds. Tip: Clean diamond pieces gently with warm water, mild soap and soft brush and dry the pieces carefully to prevent further build up.
Pearl Care
Pearls also tarnish easily so put them on after applying hairspray, cosmetics or fragrances. When it is time to take them off, give them a gentle wipe with a soft cloth. If they are sticky or stained, clean with a mild soap and water mix and a soft brush. Be careful during handling, and wrap the pearls in a soft chamois bag for storage. Since pearls weaken over time, we advise you bring much loved and often worn pearl necklaces to us to be restrung once per year to keep them from breaking.
Watch Care
Watches should be carefully cleaned and dried to prevent corrosion. Water-resistant watches can be polished gently in a warm water and mild soap mix and non-water-resistant watches should be cleaned with a slightly damp cloth. If your watch has stopped, then have the dead batteries removed immediately as they may leak and cause corrosion. We advise bringing your watch in for regular check-ups, cleaning and all repairs, including battery replacement.
