The Complete Jewellery Care Guide
The Complete Jewellery Care Guide
Our jewellery is designed to last. We only use the highest-quality metals, techniques and stones so that your purchases can be treasured forever. To maximise your jewellery’s lifespan, follow our simple jewellery care guide.
Gold
Gold is an incredibly durable metal. It does not react with gases or liquids, so it will never rust.
However, with daily wear, gold jewellery does need looking after to keep it beautiful and lustrous.
Gold can get scratched quite easily, and this is a natural part of wear and tear, but storing each item separately in a small jewellery box will help to reduce this. Try to keep your jewellery out of direct sunlight when storing it.
To clean gold items, wiping it with a standard cloth is often sufficient. But if you need to be more thorough, soak the jewellery in soapy water and brush gently with a cloth or soft toothbrush. Pat dry before storing or wearing.
Try using this gold polishing cloth for an easy clean. The cloth is impregnated with polishing and cleaning agents designed to bring the best out of your gold jewellery products.
For a deep clean, opt for the Jewel Sparkle. This product comes with a dipping basket and brush to help give a thorough clean.
Silver
Silver is a great material for crafting jewellery; however, it does require a little bit more effort than gold to maintain. But don’t worry – there is nothing a gentle polish can’t fix.
Tarnishing is a natural process in which the metal discolours due to a reaction with chemicals in the air. There are simple steps you can take to avoid this, which we will list below, but even if your silver does begin to darken in colour, it is easy to remove.
To prevent tarnishing, wear your jewellery! Your skin’s natural oils help to keep silver shiny. But, when you are not wearing it, store it in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. The best option is to store jewellery in the suede pouches all My Adornments purchases come in.
Always remove silver items when doing household chores, showering, swimming – basically any activity in which the jewellery may come into contact with chemicals. Always put jewellery on after perfumes and creams have been absorbed by your skin.
To clean your jewellery if it does become tarnished, soak in warm water and mild washing up liquid. Brush clean with a soft toothbrush and pat dry. Finish with a silver polishing cloth.
For an easy deep clean, use a liquid cleaner for silver jewellery. This will remove tarnish in minutes and restore shine.
Gold Plated Silver
If solid gold is out of budget, gold plated sterling silver is a great alternative. Our items have a solid thickness of plating, usually around one micron. As long as they are taken care of, gold plated pieces will last a good amount of time. If needed, they can also easily be replated at a local jeweller for an affordable price.
Friction, water, sweat and chemicals slowly wear away at the plating. So to keep it looking lustrous, remove any gold plated items when exercising, showering, swimming, using antibacterial hand gel or cleaning. Always put jewellery on, especially plated jewellery, as the last step in your morning routine. This means creams and perfumes will be absorbed into the skin first.
Storing separately from other items will reduce scratches and damage.
To clean, simple is best. Polishing cloths, ultrasonic and steam cleaners will damage the plating. Use only plain cloths with no extra cleaning properties added. If any dirt is particularly stubborn, dip a cloth or soft toothbrush into warm soapy water and brush against the surface. With plated jewellery, a long soak in cleaning solution is not a great idea, but a quick clean is okay. Always pat dry afterwards.
Gemstones
The appeal of gemstones is their wonderful colour and durability. However, despite being relatively strong, a few simple steps are necessary to keep them looking radiant for a lifetime.
It is a good idea to store different gemstones separately. They all have different degrees of hardness and a more sturdy stone can rub against a weaker one and damage it. Store them in different compartments of a jewellery box or in their own pouches – all My Adornments jewellery comes in a beautiful suede pouch for storing.
Protect your gemstone jewellery from sunlight and heat. These can impact the stone’s colour and durability. Stones like amethysts can fade in direct sunlight and pearls can potentially bleach. Wearing your jewellery on a sunny day is, of course, fine but remember to remove it when sunbathing and never leave it out in direct sunlight.
As with all jewellery, chemicals can damage gemstones. Always remove when swimming, showering, cleaning, using antibacterial products and allow perfume and lotion to absorb into the skin before wearing.
To clean gemstone jewellery, dip a soft brush into warm water and washing up liquid. Brush against the stone and make sure to get the bristles around the back. Rinse and pat dry.
For pearls, try a pearl spray. This will gently remove surface impurities while protecting the pearl. Additionally, the pearl care tissues have been developed for cleaning delicate stones and will remove surface impurities while protecting the pearl.
A microfibre cloth is a good all-rounder for cleaning gemstones. It will wipe away fingerprints and marks from delicate surfaces to keep them shining bright.
