Whether you’ve bought it as a treat for yourself, or been given it as a gift, our jewellery tends to be among our most precious belongings. There are pieces we want to treasure forever, and maybe even pass down the generations.
This means it’s important to take good care of your jewellery, to keep it clean, and prevent it from getting damaged. Different types of jewellery require different cleaning methods, so read on to discover the best way to clean gold, silver, sterling silver, and pearl jewellery to help keep it in the best possible condition for as long as possible.
Day-To-Day Jewellery Care Tips
Day-to-day, it’s important to store and care for your jewellery in the right way to help it to stay in the best possible condition. Make sure your necklaces and bracelets don’t become tangled, and be aware of the products you should avoid using on your jewellery.
Jewellery Care Dos
Always add jewellery last when you’re getting dressed to avoid snagging your clothes
Store your jewellery carefully to avoid it becoming tangled or getting scratched
Always handle your jewellery with care and patience - jewellery is often delicate, so treat it gently
Check any fasteners or clasps periodically for signs of wear and tear - take them to a jeweller for repair if needed to extend the life of your piece
Jewellery Care Don’ts
Never wear jewellery in the bath, shower, or when swimming. Contact with water can tarnish and damage jewellery, and you also don’t want to risk losing yours
Don’t wear your jewellery in bed - this will help to prevent earrings being lost, and necklaces tangling in yours or your partner’s hair
Don’t wear jewellery when doing housework, DIY, or gardening. Jewellery is not only more likely to become damaged in these situations, but it increases the risk of injury too
Never use abrasive cleaners on your jewellery, as these could cause irreversible damage
Don’t allow any direct contact between your jewellery and perfume, hairspray, body lotion, foundation, or other products, as these could significantly damage its appearance
How Often Should Jewellery Be Cleaned?
If you wear your jewellery regularly, you should be cleaning it at least once a month. You may want to take these pieces into the jeweller’s for a professional clean once a year.
Even pieces that are kept in a jewellery box most of the time should be cleaned every few months to prevent dust and grime gathering, and to stop tarnish from setting in.
How To Clean Jewellery At Home
Heavily tarnished or discoloured jewellery may require professional cleaning by a jeweller, but if you simply want to keep your jewellery in good condition day-to-day, there are methods you can try at home to help keep your pieces in beautiful, sparkling condition.
How To Clean Gold Jewellery
As white gold and yellow gold jewellery are completely different in colour, they require slightly different cleaning methods. Read on to learn how to clean gold jewellery to perfection.
Yellow Gold
Yellow gold jewellery is a precious metal with natural warmth and lustre. Although specialist cleaning and polishing by your jeweller is recommended periodically, you can keep yellow gold jewellery looking clean and lustrous at home by using a magic ingredient: baby shampoo. To do this, follow the below steps:
Add a few drops of baby shampoo or another mild detergent to a bowl of warm water
Dip a soft-bristled brush into the water and apply the solution to your jewellery, using gentle strokes
This should help to lift any dirt or grime from the jewellery; as baby shampoo isn’t sticky, you should be left with a smooth, shiny finish
Repeat the process until all dirt and grime is removed
To finish the process, use a soft cloth - such as a glasses cleaning cloth - to polish the jewellery until you have a buff finish
White Gold
The above method for cleaning yellow gold jewellery can also be used on white gold items. However, white gold jewellery is more high-maintenance than yellow gold; this popular, beautiful precious metal comprises a white lustre that’s enhanced by rhodium plating (rhodium is a member of the platinum family), which will naturally suffer general wear and fade over time.
To restore this white lustre and keep your white gold jewellery in the best possible condition, re-rhodium plating will be required periodically - this specialist procedure can be carried out by a professional jeweller.
How To Clean Silver Jewellery
Silver jewellery is more likely to tarnish than gold, but knowing how to clean silver jewellery to remove any tarnishes may help to keep your pieces in great condition for longer. To clean silver, you can use a simple homemade solution made from:
3 parts bicarbonate of soda (cornstarch is a good alternative)
1 part water
Method:
Mix the ingredients together to form a paste, then apply this to your silver jewellery, taking care to avoid any diamonds, pearls, or other stones
Use a soft brush or cloth to gently work the paste into your jewellery - this will help to remove any tarnish
Repeat the process until the shine begins to return to your silver
Rinse off the paste, then buff your jewellery using a soft, lint-free cloth to lock in that shine
It’s likely that this process will need repeating regularly to keep your silver jewellery in the best condition, but it’s much better to keep up this maintenance than to have to pay for a professional clean due to significant tarnish.
How To Clean Sterling Silver Jewellery
As sterling silver contains some silver, it shares traditional silver’s natural characteristic to tarnish. It’s therefore recommended that you clean sterling silver jewellery using the same method that you would for silver jewellery.
How To Clean Pearls
All types of pearls - cultured, freshwater, and simulated - need to be treated with care, and they should always be cleaned using a soft cloth or tissue after each wear.
When adding pearls to your outfit, it’s important to make sure any cosmetics, perfume, or hairspray are fully dried before you add your pearls to prevent any damage.
Shop Quality Jewellery At Warren James
Discover a fantastic range of high-quality jewellery at Warren James, where all pieces have been tested by the Royal Assay Office, guaranteeing that each precious metal is of the level of fineness stated. The precious metals we use have been responsibly sourced, and crafted using a fusion of traditional jewellery techniques, combined with modern skills and a passion for great design.
The gold and silver that we use has been recycled over thousands of years, and we only use certified sterling silver, which means it is 92.5% pure and precious. All of this means you can be sure that our necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and jewellery gift sets are of excellent quality, making them ideal gifts or the perfect treat for yourself.
Always store your jewellery pieces individually, preferably in your Missoma soft-lined box or pouch so that they don’t rub together, scratch or tangle. Particular care should be taken with gemstones to ensure that they do not knock against one another when stored. Also remember to keep your chains fastened so they don’t become tangled.
Living in a humid environment? Store your jewellery with a small packet of desiccant crystals to help reduce tarnishing.
Your gold vermeil and silver jewellery should be kept in a dark, cool and dry place. With time and wear, sterling silver will naturally become oxidised and eventually tarnish. Storing silver jewellery in a sealed plastic bag or airtight box when it is not being worn will keep out the air that causes oxidation. The oxidation process is also slowed down by wearing your jewellery often. If however your jewellery is stored for long-periods of time, occasional cleaning is recommended to maintain shine and keep oxidation at bay.
All our Missoma sterling silver jewellery is rhodium plated which protects the silver from exposure and helps reduce long-term tarnishing.
Your jewellery is particularly susceptible to damage from the effects of chemicals present in perfume, hairspray, make-up, nail polish remover, body oils, sun tan lotion and deodorant.
Do not keep jewellery in direct sunlight as prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause many gemstones to fade and lose their colour. Amethyst, rose quartz, chalcedony and smokey quartz are just some of the gemstones that can become paler from exposure to sunlight.
HOW SHOULD I CLEAN MY JEWELLERY?
Clean your jewellery carefully with a soft, non-abrasive and lint-free cloth or chamois; this helps maintain or bring back its shine. If necessary, you can use a mild washing up liquid with warm water and a soft toothbrush, then rinse with clean water and pat dry with a soft cloth.
Avoid using ‘dip’ polish or abrasive jewellery cleaners as these contain harsh chemicals and can destroy your jewellery over time. We do not recommend the use of any jewellery polishing cloths which have been treated with cleaners or polishing agents.
WHAT CAN ERODE OR DULL MY JEWELLERY?
Do not swim or shower while wearing gold-plated or silver jewellery, and remove rings when washing your hands. Chlorine, salt water and fresh water can damage precious metals and gemstones by dulling or eroding them. Gold and silver are particularly susceptible to damage from chlorine, which can permanently damage or discolour them. Soapy water when bathing and showering can also leave a thin film, which makes the metal seem dull.
Some stones can also be quite porous (such as turquoise and lapis lazuli), which is why you shouldn’t leave these kinds of stones immersed in water for too long. Liquids and oils can seep into the gems through the tiny cracks between the crystals, causing permanent discolouration and damage. In addition, porous gems should not be worn to a beach or other hot, extreme environments.
HOW DO I TAKE CARE OF MY LEATHER JEWELLERY ROLL?
Our jewellery rolls are are handmade in India from natural leather, which is responsibly sourced from a Gold certified Tannery in Italy, the highest possible sustainability rating. We keep all weathering to a minimum, however, being a natural skin we view these unique markings as part of the charm and appeal.
To keep your roll in best condition, see below some TLC tips:
- As a skin, leather is prone to stretching, avoid over filling the roll so it maintains its shape.
- Avoid putting the leather in harsh sunlight as the product colour may fade/change, and please keep in dust bag when possible.
- Pebble leather has a surface texture so when cleaning use a soft, clean light-coloured cloth to wipe away dust/dirt, use no harsh chemicals. Focus on removing any dirt that builds up in the grooves. To better remove build up in grooves you can use a soft brush to buffer.
- Take care to avoid contact with any sharp or heavily embellished surfaces as the skin could be scratched.
- Avoid leather getting wet as this can change the texture/shape. If the roll does get wet pat dry and allow to dry naturally, away from direct heat.
- Avoid contact with fragrances, make up and hand creams.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE FOR METAL ALLERGIES
If you are allergic to gold-plated earrings, or get a rash or itchy reaction when wearing them, try putting a little bit of clear nail varnish on the post and scroll. When it eventually wears off just re-apply it.
ENAMEL JEWELLERY
Clean your enamel jewellery pieces with warm water, a mild liquid soap and a soft cloth, and store in a dark, cool place to prevent damage. Keep your enamel away from harsh chemicals, perfumes, detergents and chlorine.
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