Cleaning & Caring For Your Jewellery
Tips For Caring For Your Jewellery
To ensure your beautiful antique jewellery remains as perfect as the day it was made, here are a few tips to care for your collection.General Cleaning Tips – Cleaning and Caring for Your Jewellery
Remove or cover up jewellery when using corrosive cleaning products or applying lotions.
Take off your rings when going in the sea. Our fingers contract in the cold so rings will easily slip off and fall to the bottom of the ocean.
Polish your jewellery with a soft, clean cloth, or for a professional clean take it to your local jeweller.
Visit our A-Z of gemstones page to learn more about precious stones.
Platinum
Although platinum is hard wearing it will over time develop a natural patina which can be polished off. Use mild soapy water and a soft toothbrush and dry with a soft clean cloth to clean.
Gold
Gold is not as hard wearing as platinum and is susceptible to being scratched. Wearing similar carat weight gold together will cause the least possible harm. Chlorine can damage gold and therefore we advise not to wear whilst swimming. Polish your gold using a soft, lint free cloth.
Silver
To avoid discolouration is it best to wear your silver regularly. You can use a soft clean cloth to polish your silver or to remove dirt soak in warm soapy water and lightly brush with a soft bristle brush or old toothbrush.
Diamonds
To keep your diamond looking dazzling clean regularly use a mild soap and soft bristle brush or old toothbrush. Dry with a soft clean cotton cloth. You can also use a jewellery dip to revive the shine if you like.
Pearls
Wipe off your pearls with a soft cloth after being worn to remove any harmful substances and keep separately to the rest of your jewellery as Pearls are vulnerable to being scratched. Chemical cleaners and high heat need to be avoided to protect your pearls from losing their lustre or cracking.
Emerald
Clean with warm soapy water and a soft cloth or toothbrush. Try to get into the hard to reach areas, because that’s where the main dirt build-up will be. Rinse thoroughly with water to ensure that no soapy residue is left on the stone. Dry with a lint free cloth. Avoid harsh chemicals, commercial jewellery cleaners and ultrasonic cleaners as these can cause the stone to fracture. It is not advised to wear Emeralds whilst swimming, showering or putting on makeup. Emeralds should be stored separately from other jewellery to avoid scratches.
Opal
Solid opal should only be cleaned gently with mild detergent in warm water and a soft toothbrush or cloth. Avoid bleach, chemicals and cleaners. Doublets & triplets may be wiped with a damp soft cloth and mild detergent, but should never be soaked or immersed. Never allow anyone to clean your opal in an ultrasonic cleaner, as the intense vibrations may cause cracking in a solid opal, and water penetration in a doublet or triplet. Opals are very sensitive to change in temperature so avoid very high temperatures or low humidity extremes.Ruby
Clean with warm soapy water and a soft cloth or toothbrush. Place your ruby jewellery pieces separately in soft cotton pouches and store them within a jewellery box. Ruby is a hard substance and very few stones can scratch it, but it can easily scratch softer gems.Emeralds should be stored separately from other jewellery to avoid scratches.
Coral
Coral is very soft and therefore must be treated with great care. It should be cleaned with a soft, clean cloth, and then rinsed in warm, soapy water. It should never be soaked, put in a jewellery dip or subjected to an ultrasonic cleaner. If coral is dusty, the dust can be blown off with a can of compressed air but it should not be wiped with a cloth until the dust has been removed. Coral should be stored in its own soft cloth pouch to avoid being scratched or scratching other items. Apply perfume and makeup before Coral is worn. Avoid swimming, washing dishes, cleaning and cooking with vinegar whilst wearing coral.Porous gems; Amber, Onyx, Agate, Dolomite etc
Most porous gemstones should not be cleaned with water or submerged in water as this can cause discolouration and damage them. Use a soft dry cloth to carefully remove any dirt. Where such stones are dampened, they should always be allowed to dry completely before being stored away. Avoid harsh, abrasive products including cleaners, makeup, hairspray and perfumes. Do not use steam or ultrasonic cleaners on porous gems.
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