Jewellery Care Guidelines

Your jewellery is designed to last, but even the best pieces need a little love and attention to keep looking their best. Use this guide to understand how to wear, clean, and store your pieces based on their specific materials.

General Golden Rules

Before diving into specific materials, keep these universal habits in mind for all your jewellery:

  • The "Last On, First Off" Rule: Always put your jewellery on after applying lotions, perfume, hairspray, and makeup. Take it off first before your evening skincare routine.

  • Avoid Chemical Exposure: Remove all jewellery before swimming (chlorine and saltwater are harsh), showering, cleaning with household chemicals, or exercising.

  • Smart Storage: Store pieces individually in soft pouches or separate compartments of a lined jewellery box to prevent them from scratching one another.

Gold & Platinum

Solid gold and platinum are highly durable, but they can accumulate oils from your skin and lose their luster over time. White gold may also require occasional re-rhodium plating over the years to maintain its bright white finish.

How to Care & Clean:

  1. Mix a few drops of mild, fragrance-free dish soap in a bowl of warm water.
  2. Soak your jewellery for 10–15 minutes to loosen dirt.
  3. Gently scrub with a new, extra-soft bristle toothbrush, paying attention to under-the-stone settings.
  4. Rinse thoroughly under warm running water (make sure the sink drain is plugged!).
  5. Pat dry with a soft, lint-free microfiber cloth.

Diamonds & Hard Gemstones

Diamonds and hard gemstones are incredibly resilient, but they are magnets for grease, skincare products, and lotions. A cloudy diamond is usually just a dirty diamond, so keeping them clear allows light to pass through and maximize their natural brilliance.

How to Clean:

  1. Prepare a gentle soak: Mix a few drops of mild, fragrance-free dish soap in a small bowl of warm water.
  2. Soak to loosen buildup: Submerge your gemstone jewellery in the soapy water and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to break down trapped lotions and skin oils.
  3. Brush the hard-to-reach areas: Use a new, extra-soft bristle toothbrush to gently scrub the piece. Pay close attention to the underside of the stone and the small gaps in the setting where dirt loves to hide.
  4. Rinse and dry completely: Make sure your sink drain is securely plugged, then rinse the jewellery thoroughly under warm running water. Pat it dry using a soft, lint-free microfiber cloth.

Pearls & Soft, Porous Gemstones

Soft gems such as pearls, opals, and turquoise are delicate and organic. They are sensitive to heat, structural pressure, chemicals, and excess water. Pearls, in particular, can easily scratch and absorb chemicals that permanently destroy their luster.

How to Care & Clean:

  1. Never submerge them: Do not soak pearls or porous stones in water. Excess moisture can weaken the silk thread on pearl strands, stretch the string, or cause stones like opals to crack.
  2. Wipe gently after wearing: After every wear, simply wipe the pieces down with a clean, soft, barely damp microfiber cloth to remove body oils, perfume residue, and sweat.
  3. Let them breathe in storage: Do not store pearls in airtight plastic bags or safe deposit boxes for long periods. They require a small amount of moisture from the air to keep from drying out and cracking.
  4. Keep them separated: Because pearls have a soft surface that scratches easily, always store them flat in a soft fabric pouch or a separate velvet-lined compartment away from hard metals and diamonds.

Sterling Silver

Sterling silver naturally oxidizes (tarnishes) when exposed to air, moisture, and sulfur. While this is completely normal, following these steps will quickly restore its brilliant, mirror-like shine.

How to Care & Clean:

  1. Wear it often: The natural oils in your skin actually help prevent sterling silver from tarnishing, so regular wear is the easiest way to keep it looking bright.
  2. Use a silver dip for deep tarnish: For pieces that are heavily oxidized or need an extra boost of shine, submerge the jewellery in a specialized liquid silver dip for the exact amount of time recommended on the product label (usually just a few seconds).
  3. Rinse thoroughly: Immediately after removing the piece from the silver dip, rinse it completely under warm running water to remove any chemical residue.
  4. Buff with a polishing cloth: Dry the piece and use a specialized silver polishing cloth to buff the metal.

Gold Plated Pieces

Because gold-plating features a layer of gold over sterling silver, stainless steel, or base metals, it requires entirely different care to ensure the gold layer does not wear away over time.

How to Care & Clean:

  1. Keep away from chemical cleaners: Never use silver dips, harsh chemical cleaners, or ultrasonic machines on plated pieces. These intense treatments can strip or dissolve the gold layer entirely.
  2. Avoid coarse polishing cloths: Do not use abrasive silver polishing cloths or jewellery polishing compounds. The micro-abrasives in those cloths are designed to grind away tarnish, but on plated jewellery, they will wear away the gold.
  3. Wipe down after each wear: Use a clean, ultra-soft, completely dry microfiber cloth to gently wipe the piece after wearing. This simple step removes sweat, skin oils, and cosmetics before they can dull the finish.
  4. Clean stubborn dirt gently: If the piece needs a deeper clean, wipe it with a soft cloth dampened with a tiny amount of plain, warm water. Immediately pat it completely dry with a fresh, dry cloth—never leave it to air dry.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is incredibly tough, highly resistant to rust, and won't tarnish like sterling silver. However, it can still lose its brilliance over time due to a buildup of sweat, dust, and daily grime.

How to Clean:

  1. Prepare a soapy water bath: Fill a small bowl with warm water and add a few drops of mild, lint-free dish soap.
  2. Soak the piece: Submerge your stainless steel jewellery in the soapy mixture for about 5 to 10 minutes to naturally loosen up stubborn surface oils or dirt.
  3. Gently brush away grime: Use an extra-soft bristle toothbrush to gently clean any intricate links, clasps, or engraved patterns. Avoid using stiff bristles or scrubbing too hard, as this can create hairline surface scratches.
  4. Rinse completely: Wash the jewellery thoroughly under clean running warm water to eliminate any leftover soap film that could leave a dull residue.
  5. Dry and buff: Dry the piece immediately with a clean, lint-free microfiber cloth. Give it a final polish by rubbing gently along the natural grain lines of the metal to enhance its clean, industrial shine.

Note on Pool Water: While stainless steel handles water exceptionally well, it is still best to remove it before diving into a heavily chlorinated swimming pool. High concentrations of chlorine can occasionally break down the metal's protective top layer over time, leading to micro-corrosion.

FAQs

No, please avoid using both—this is one online trend that can permanently damage your pieces.

While baking soda and toothpaste are great for other household tasks, they are highly abrasive.

  • Baking soda acts like liquid sandpaper. When scrubbed onto metals like sterling silver, gold, or platinum, it leaves behind thousands of microscopic scratches that dull the metal's finish over time.
  • Toothpaste contains abrasive particles (like silica) designed to scrub teeth, which will quickly wear away the delicate gold layer on plated or vermeil jewellery. Furthermore, toothpaste leaves behind a dull, cloudy residue underneath gemstone settings that is incredibly difficult to wash out.

Stick to mild, fragrance-free dish soap and warm water with an extra-soft toothbrush. It is completely safe, highly effective, and won't scratch your precious pieces.

Ultrasonic cleaners use high-frequency sound waves to blast away dirt, which works wonders on solid gold or platinum pieces set with diamonds, sapphires, or rubies. However, never use them for pearls, opals, emeralds, tanzanite, or other soft & porous stones, as the intense vibrations can crack or shatter these delicate stones. They should also be avoided for gold vermeil or plated items.

Pro Tip: Even for hard stones, the vibrations can occasionally loosen a prong that was already slightly weak. If you use one at home, always check your stones closely afterward to ensure they are perfectly secure.

What you are seeing is tarnish, a natural chemical reaction that happens when sterling silver comes into contact with sulfur and moisture in the air. It doesn't always mean your silver is fake or low quality. A gentle buffing with a specialized silver polishing cloth will lift the tarnish right off and bring back its original mirror-like shine. Read more about cleaning sterling silver above.

Boiling water can cause severe thermal shock, leading gemstones like opals or tanzanite to crack instantly. Rubbing alcohol and harsh sanitizers can strip away the protective finishes on metals, dry out porous stones, and dissolve the glues or structural resins sometimes used in vintage or pearl pieces. Stick to mild dish soap and warm water, it’s incredibly effective and completely safe for water-hardy pieces.

Reminder to avoid submerging porous organic gemstones, such as pearls and opals, as they can be damaged.

While it’s tempting to leave everyday pieces on, sleeping poses a few hidden risks. Sheets and blankets can easily snag delicate chains or fine prongs, potentially snapping a link or loosening a gemstone. Furthermore, your fingers can swell slightly overnight, making rings uncomfortable or difficult to remove in the morning. Your pieces, and your skin, will benefit from a break.

To keep necklaces from knotting into a ball, thread the chain through a standard drinking straw and clasp it closed. For smaller items like earrings and rings, a dedicated, padded travel jewellery wrap or a pill organizer keeps everything separated and secure so pieces don't scratch against each other in your bag.

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