Always caring for your Jewellery

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Beautiful jewellery is to be adorned and adored, however precious and semi-precious jewellery is not indestructible!  With care and a little attention, your jewellery can enjoy a long life with lots of wear and limited tear.

Beware everyday wear and tear!

Rings usually suffer the most with your hands getting so much use, as do bracelets and bangles.  Ideally you should remove your jewellery to protect it  -  just remember where you put it down! Everyday activities can be things which can eventually lead to wear and tear.

Where our hands go, so do our rings, bangles and bracelets and over time this can cause the metal to become thin.  All types of precious metals will show signs of wear in time, pure gold is soft and malleable and even though 9 carat is the hardest gold available, it will still scratch and show signs of wear.  Specifically, check the settings of your stones regularly as this is where damage is most likely.  We recommend an annual check on your jewellery, especially those with claw settings. We are always happy to give your jewellery a quick check and offer free advice on the condition of items if you visit our workshop.  Looking after your jewellery with care will give you many years with your cherished pieces.

Jewellery care doesn't have to be difficult, cleaning most gemstones is simple, be gentle with a soft toothbrush and weak solution of washing up liquid.  Just lightly brush over the top of the stones and then rinse in clean, cool water. We advise against poking the brush into the back of the setting, just in case a stone is loose and any dirt could end up pushed further in rather than coming out. Take care using this method with stones such as Lapis, Turquoise, Opals and Pearls; they are porous and could be damaged.  Just buff the surface of these stones lightly with a dry cotton bud.

Your gemstones are not invincible!  We do not recommend you wear your jewellery in the shower, washing up, swimming, in the gym, mending your car or rock climbing!  Your Gemstones require care as many semi precious stones can scratch or chip. Precious Sapphires and Rubies register 9 (out of 10) on the Moh’s scale of hardness but can still chip or scratch.  Diamonds are the hardest gemstone at 10 on the Moh’s scale and although incredibly hard to scratch, can still chip. Diamonds occasionally are cut on what’s called their ‘cleavage direction’ and this can make them weak. The point of a cut Gemstone is likely to be the weakest part of its structure for example: a square or pear shaped stone can chip at its points, if knocked hard enough.

pH levels in our skin and other chemical elements can tarnish jewellery.  Gold and silver can be cleaned with a 'Polish Cloth’ designed specifically for each metal, this will apply a shine back to the metal but it will not remove scratches. Hair sprays, perfumes and lotions applied to the skin or hair should be allowed to dry before putting on jewellery. This is especially important if wearing pearls.

If you’ve been wearing your jewellery for a while and it’s a little scuffed, a professional clean and polish is recommended to remove scratches.  Brushed and matte finishes on jewellery are not permanent and with wear the item will gradually appear more polished - just as a highly polished item will scratch and become duller.  These can be revitalised using our re-finishing service in the workshop.

Take extra care if you own Gold Plated Jewellery.  If scratched, the underlying colour of the metal beneath will show through.  With this kind of jewellery, in time the Rhodium or Gold plating will wear off and for a small fee, it can quickly and easily be re-plated.

Ensure butterflies are tight on earrings. Listen for a ‘click’ when attaching them, if this doesn’t happen we can tighten and make sure your earring post has a notch for the butterfly to nestle into.

 
Chains can be very delicate, so do take care not to catch or pull on them. Always check catches are securely fastened!