Taking Care of Your Fine Jewellery

Fine jewellery is crafted in the most beautiful materials, so just a little care is needed to keep your precious pieces beautiful forever.

Here are the key tips for wearing, storing and cleaning your jewellery pieces.

Care when wearing your jewellery

Avoid wearing jewellery when showering, swimming, or during exercise. You should also remove rings when working with your hands, including cleaning, dish washing, or gardening to avoid scratches or tarnishing.

Gemstones and precious metals can be damaged by chemicals which may cause colour changes or even structural damage to your jewellery, so don’t let your jewellery come into contact with household cleaning agents like bleach and ammonia, swimming pool chlorine and even toiletries and cosmetic.

Always remember to put your jewellery on after, not before you dress to avoid contact with perfume, hairspray or cosmetics.

Care when storing your jewellery

When not being worn, your jewellery should be stored in a soft pouch or box in a cool, dark place.

Ensure you keep your pieces away from extreme temperature or bright sunlight, particularly for pearls. High heat can burn cultured pearls or cause discolouration or splitting, while heat from intense light can cause dehydration and nacre cracking.

Avoid stacking your jewellery, keep pieces separate from each other to avoid scratching. Diamonds, the world’s hardest material, are hard enough to scratch metals or other stones.

Don’t forget to close necklace or bracelet clasps to avoid knots.

Care when cleaning your jewellery

Gold: Clean gold pieces with a dedicated polishing or soft cloth. Depending on the stones included in your piece, a gentle clean with warm water may also be appropriate.

Gold pieces will develop small marks and scratches from wear, but can be re-polished to a perfect finish by a jeweller.

Diamonds: Diamonds get dirty - partly because they have a tendency to attract grease and oils, and partly because you’ll enjoy wearing them every day!

At home, you may clean diamond pieces with a soft brush and warm soapy water, gently drying your pieces with a soft cloth.

Most diamond pieces may be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner, which can remove built-up dirt and grease from jewellery.

However, some coloured stones are especially vulnerable to damage in ultrasonic cleaners, such as emerald and malachite. Keep this in mind if you have to clean jewellery that contains a combination of diamonds and coloured gems. Always follow instructions for the most delicate of stones.

Precious Gemstones: Rubies and Sapphires may be cleaned with warm soapy water and a soft brush, before gently drying with a soft cloth.

Emeralds are more delicate stones and require a little more care. Do not expose your emeralds to extreme temperatures or knocks. Warm, soapy water is the safest way to clean your emeralds, drying them gently with a soft cloth. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners.

Gemstones: A safe way to clean most coloured stone jewellery is with a soft brush and warm, soapy water, drying them gently with a soft cloth.

Before cleaning any jewellery, make sure you cover the sink’s drain. A rubber mat in the sink can stop stones from chipping if they drop.

Malachite and mother-of-pearl are naturally delicate stones. They can be carefully cleaned with a soft, dry cloth, avoiding all contact with water.

We do not advise cleaning porous, fracture-filled and oil impregnated stones and stones with low toughness in an ultrasonic cleaner. Cultured pearls, lapis, malachite, mother-of-pearl and tourmaline are particularly susceptible to damage if cleaned in this way.

Pearls: Pearls need gentle care to preserve their natural beauty and brilliance. Pearls should not be allowed to dry out, so wear your pearls regularly and store in their original box in a reasonably humid environment. Avoid contact with cosmetics and perfume.

Do not use any cleaning agents or place in an ultrasonic cleaner, as these may damage the lustrous surface.

Pearls should be cleaned only with a soft, dry cloth.

Knowing the basics of jewellery care will help you to preserve the beauty and shine of your most precious fine pieces.