Top tips to help you care for your jewellery

The most treasured jewellery often holds sentimental memories of a person, an occasion or a memorable moment in time. Looking after your jewellery is so important to maintain its beauty and shine and ultimately means it will last longer.

Depending on your preference, budget and style you may choose to buy plated jewellery or solid gold/sterling silver jewellery. Here is your simple straight forward guide to looking after your pieces:

Firstly, let’s talk about the difference between solid and plated jewellery. Plating is a process where a layer of gold is placed on to coat the surface of another metal. As the jewellery is not 100% solid gold, extra care should be taken to maximize its lifespan. Anything plated will eventually tarnish with time and wear. To decrease the chances of your jewellery losing its beauty, below you can find some tips on how to keep your plated jewellery looking it’s best for longest.

In contrast to this, solid gold doesn’t tarnish and is easier to clean and care for. It does get dirty from the oils in the skin but can easily be restored to its original shine.

Sterling silver requires a different approach and gets shinier with wear. In contrast to caring for plated jewellery, not wearing the piece can, in fact, tarnish the piece. Wear your silver jewellery often and the oils in the skin will help to keep your jewellery shiny and clean. Should you need to deep clean your sterling silver jewellery you can find some tips below.

Gold/Rose/Silver Plated:

Plated jewellery needs a little more attention when it comes to maintaining its beauty. A general rule is to avoid wearing your piece in the shower/pool as chlorine and hard water can tarnish it. When applying, body lotion, perfumes, or hairspray make sure it has soaked into the skin prior to letting your jewellery come in to contact with it. When it comes to cleaning plated jewellery we advise the below:

Firstly, try to gently clean your piece with a soft 100% cotton cloth to maintain your jewellery’s shine. Should this not be enough to clean your piece you can prepare a small bowl of hot water and gentle soap mixture to place your jewellery in for 1 minute. After that use your cotton cloth to gently pat dry your piece. Make sure the cloth is not a traditional jewellery polishing cloth soaked in solution as this might damage the plating, a clean cotton rag will be perfect.

When you are not wearing the piece make sure it is stored in a little airtight bag (small ziplock bags are easy to find). This will minimise tarnishing.

A top tip is to store similar items together. Do not store gold plating and silver or rose plating together. The different metals will cause each other to tarnish, fade and/or change colour. Have different storage places for different colours of metals and store in a dry area.

Sterling Silver:

Maintaining sterling silver pieces is very different from plated pieces. You can avoid tarnishing your piece by wearing it often, the oils in your skin will “clean” the silver and keep it looking shiny. Sometimes you do need a deep clean and, in that case, you can use the below tips:

Sterling silver pieces can be cleaned using any of the commercially available solutions. These can be purchased online or in jewellery shops.

For the best care, store your jewellery in a little airtight bag when it’s not being worn to minimise tarnishing.

Solid Gold:

Fill a small bowl with hot water and gentle soap. Place your jewellery in the solution for 1 minute, rinse with clean water and polish with a soft 100% cotton cloth and pat completely dry.

We advise that you store your jewellery separately so that pieces do not tangle, rub or scratch against each other.