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Care of your jewellery
Each piece of jewellery that you order comes with it’s own specific jewellery care instructions Please read the instructions carefully and retain for future reference.
In addition to the instructions provided with your piece, the following general guidelines may be of interest to you.
Silver jewellery.
Sterling silver is an alloy of .925 silver with .075 copper. Over time the metals react with various chemicals in the atmosphere creating an oxidation layer on the surface of the metal, more generally known as tarnish.
On highly polished silver surfaces oxides are not desirable and should be removed. This is best done by gentle rubbing with a specially impregnated silver or jewellery polishing cloth to remove the oxides and restore the lustre of the piece.
Having said that, designers often deliberately oxidise a surface for decorative effect. In this case it is not desirable to remove the oxide layer. Care should be taken with these objects and a polishing cloth used only to restore areas that should be shiny leaving the darkened areas well alone.
Many people will say never use silver dip. I tend to agree with this though I do have silver dip and I do occasionally use it, with great care to clean chains. Why? Most silver dips contain ammonia. Ammonia is an oxidising agent. If the piece is not thoroughly rinsed and dried after contact with ammonia, the surface will oxidise again and at an accelerated rate!
Never put a piece that has been deliberately oxidised into silver dip, you will remove the decorative finish.
Care of pears and pearl set jewellery.
Pearls and pearl set jewellery should never be immersed in any liquid. After removing your pearls they should be wiped with a damp cloth and stored where they cannot be scratched. A separated compartment in your jewellery case is ideal. Perspiration, deodorants, hair sprays and perfumes can all damage the lustre of pearls. It is always best to leave your peals until last when dressing.
Care of stones and stone set jewellery.
Most strands of stones can be simply wiped with a soft cloth. If they are desperately
dirty, most can be cleaned with a cloth dampened in a mild soap and water solution
and thoroughly dried. However, getting a strand wet does decrease the longevity
of the strand as it is impossible to dry completely under the beads. The wet stringing
material can stretch or rot requiring the piece to be re-
Stone set jewellery should in the first instance be cleaned with a jewellery polishing cloth. Only clean in specialist liquid jewellery cleaner if very dirty and after checking the instructions on the packaging of the cleaning product to ensure that it is suitable for the type of stone that you wish to clean.
It is important to know something about your stones before you attempt to clean them. Many stones are treated in some way including being dyed, coated, or impregnated. Other stones are naturally soft and would degrade in some way if exposed to chemical cleaners.
Always begin cleaning using the least aggressive means that you can.