Caring for gold and silver jewellery

Precious metals like gold and silver are softer than you’d generally think, and require delicate handling. Keep in mind that rough handling can lead to your gold or silver jewellery becoming misshapen, dented, broken or scratched, so it's best to remove your jewellery before going to the gym, doing the gardening, or engaging in any work that requires heavy use of your hands. Acidity and chemicals also affect precious metals, so please avoid exposing your jewellery to chlorine, perfume, moisturisers and household cleaning products as much as possible. 

Gold and silver naturally tarnish over time when exposed to air, especially when not being burnished by the skin with regular wear. Silver tarnishes much quicker than gold so you’ll notice that more often. To remove tarnish, simply polish your jewellery with a jewellery polishing cloth (these can usually be purchased from your local jeweller’s shop) and store jewellery inside its pouch or box to limit further tarnishing while the jewellery isn’t being worn. Please keep in mind that regular polishing of gold-plated jewellery can eventually wear down the original lustre of the gold layer, so it is best to gently clean gold-plated jewellery with warm water and a soft cotton ball, and only when needed. Replating is sometimes an option for beloved pieces that have had many years of wear, so feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this service. 

Caring for precious and semiprecious gemstone jewellery

Although some gemstones are harder than others, none of them are indestructible and all should be treated with care and delicacy in order to keep them in their best and most beautiful condition. Every different stone has its own needs so feel free to contact me if you have questions about your particular piece of jewellery, however it can be helpful to keep in mind a few general rules of care with all gemstone jewellery: 

Rough handling can result in chipped or scratched stones and damaged stone settings, so please avoid wearing any gemstone jewellery to the gym, whilst doing the gardening, or engaging in any kind of work that involves heavy use of your hands. Exposure to harsh temperatures can fracture or discolour some gemstones, so avoid storing your gemstone jewellery in a place that receives lots of sun exposure, wearing it whilst doing the dishes, or wearing it in environments that entail harsh temperature exposure, like saunas or ice baths. Most gemstones are sensitive to chemicals and acidity, so avoid direct exposure of your gemstone jewellery to excessive sweat, household cleaning products (even basic soap in some cases), moisturisers and perfumes. This isn’t to say that you can’t wear your lovely gemstone necklace or earrings along with a dab of perfume when you head out - just apply on an area of skin that isn’t too close to the stone placement, or if using a spray perfume then apply it ten minutes before putting on your jewellery. 

A final note on general jewellery care is to respect and honour each piece of jewellery as an individual body of work, with its own character and needs. For example, you may wear your small studs or smooth-edged dangly earrings with a winter outfit and bulky scarf with no problems at all, but this may not work quite so well with a pair of earrings that feature jazzy spiked edges. Both your earrings and scarf are in danger in the latter scenario, so the sharper-edged earrings may be best kept for the warmer months when less clothing is required and they can hang free to dazzle on their own, unencumbered by excess fabrics. No piece of jewellery is exactly the same as another, especially when it comes to unique handmade contemporary jewellery. Always pause to give thought to whether an outfit or activity is going to treat your jewellery with the care and respect that it deserves.