Cleaning and Maintaining your Branded Jewellery
15 Feb 2016
Jewellery can mean so much to us, a moment in time, a remembered occasion, a treat for a birthday or Christmas gift or just a well deserved treat for yourself. It is so very important to make the jewellery last as long as possible and to retain that shine you saw when you first opened the box. These few tips will help keep your designer jewellery looking perfect for as long as possible.
Remove Jewellery when Performing Tasks
Your jewellery is not invincible! It will scratch, stones can come loose and it can become soiled with products, dirt and grease. Always remember to take your jewellery off when washing up, doing chores or DIY and generally any activity that involves your jewellery coming into contact with anything over a prolonged period.
Remove Jewellery when Coming in Contact with Water
Like mentioned above, water is not your jewellery’s friend. Water will tarnish your jewellery, leaving it dull and potentially damaging any metal platings. Any products in the water will also assist in leaving it looking dull and worn.
‘Last Thing on, First Thing off’
This saying is key to keeping your jewellery looking amazing. Dress yourself in your jewellery as the last part of dressing and remove as soon as possible after your event.
Maintaining and Storing your Designer Jewellery
Store Correctly
Correct storage will provide a safe place for your jewellery. A jewellery box with a soft lining is best, away from harsh lights and also provides a place in which to put your jewellery of which you wont forget about! I’m forever taking my rings off and then forgetting where i put them! With an adequate jewellery box this won’t happen.
Correct Cleaning Routine and Products
Cleaning your jewellery all depends on what the jewellery’s made from.
Sterling silver jewellery – Cleaning cloths or silver dip are fabulous for sterling silver jewellery and will leave a high polish. Silver with a brushed effect is easy to clean with an eraser, just rub over the affected area to remove any tarnishing.
Silver coloured metal or rhodium plating – A little warm water and detergent applied with a soft toothbrush is best for plated jewellery as not to remove the plating.
Gold or gold plating – Unlike silver, gold wont develop a tarnish over time so is easier to keep. Similar to metal plating, drop the item into a bowl of warm soapy water and leave for a short while to loosen any dirt. Then clean into the nooks and crannies with a toothbrush to remove the dirt. Do not use boiling or hot water as this can affect some precious stones, such as Opals.
For a heavy clean that should only be done rarely, ammonia can be used on solid gold items to lift the colour and remove dirt. Submerge the item into the cleaning product diluted at 1 part ammonia: 6 parts water and leave it for no longer than one minute. Rinse immediately with hot water to remove any trace of the product. Then clean off with a soft dry cloth. Please only do this method if the item is only gold and has no stones.
Jewellery with Stones
There are two ways to mount stone into a jewellery item, stones can either be glued in or contained with claws around the stones.
Glued stones - submerging them in water and chemicals are going to loosen the setting and could lead to the stones becoming loose. So for glued stones we suggest using the toothbrush methods around the stone but not fully submerging it.
Claw set stones - you should submerge these, leave for several minutes and then clean with a toothbrush.
A toothpick or cotton swab can also be used to clean around the edges of the stone to remove grease and dirt build up.
Please make sure you know what your jewellery is made from before you clean it. How do I know what my jewellery's made from, you may ask? Check for hallmarks, if you can see none you can presume it is plated metal and should be treated carefully.
If you are unsure on how to clean your jewellery and keep it looking its best then please contact us at the shop and we will advise.
