Now that you’ve got your hands on some gorgeous jewellery, how do you keep it looking as beautiful and sparkly? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best advice we can find to make sure your jewellery stays looking as good as the day you bought it.
Treat chains gently. Avoid breaks and scratches by taking off your jewellery before you do any physical activity. Keep the chains fastened when storing to avoid tangling, it’s also best to store each piece separately so they do not tangle with and scratch each other.
Avoid contact with perfume & toiletries. We advise that you wash and apply any lotions and perfumes before putting on your jewellery, allowing time for them to dry. Not doing this can increase the likelihood of your jewellery tarnishing and cause damage to organic gemstones like pearls.
Take off jewellery when cleaning. Similarly to perfumes, certain chemicals in household cleaners can cause metal discolouration and even damage any stones set in the jewellery.
Don’t wear whilst swimming or bathing. Exposure to water like this, especially water containing chlorine, can cause serious tarnishing.
Keep away from extreme temperatures and humidity. The heat and the damp can cause a lot of tarnishing so we recommend keeping your jewellery safe in an airtight jewellery box, ideally with a soft lining, to keep them safe.
And lastly, do not sleep in your jewellery.
For the same reason as not wearing jewellery when cleaning, do not use regular cleaners on your jewellery. Instead we recommend a specialist jewellery cleaner or a soft silver polishing cloth - even a good microfibre cloth will also do the job.
An excellent silver cleaner we suggest is the silver sparkle kit from Town Talk. The directions are simple and give fantastic results. Just place your silver item in the cleaning fluid for 2 minutes. Use the brush provided to gently clean hard to reach areas. Once clean, rinse the silver in water then dry with a soft cloth. Polish with the Silver Polishing Cloth provided for anti-tarnish protection.
However, we do not recommend using this on purposefully oxidised jewellery as you may lose all of that lovely detail. Instead, carefully clean with a soft microfibre cloth.
If you do not have any specialist cleaners, some warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush will also do a good job at removing tarnish. Remember to rinse off any remaining soap when you’re done and dry with a soft cloth.
When cleaning gold it is important that you don’t use any cleaners or chemicals unless you’ve checked to make sure the specialist cleaner is suitable - such as these gold polishing cloths. Just soak the jewellery in a bowl of warm soapy water for around 10 minutes to allow the dirt to loosen. Then you can take the jewellery out and carefully scrub with a soft toothbrush - but don’t scrub too hard as this can cause excessive wear.
After you’ve rinsed the jewellery, dry with a soft cloth or leave the jewellery on the cloth to air dry.
When cleaning gold plated items you can use the same process, however this may not return the jewellery to its original sparkle. For this we recommend actually getting the jewellery replated to restore it to its original glory.
Since many gemstones are delicate, there are quite a few things that must be avoided at all times unless using specialist products. And, as gemstones have such a range in hardness and durability, it’s better to be safe than sorry when cleaning them.
Clean your stones with a soft damp cloth after wearing. Very porous stones such as turquoise and emeralds should be cleaned with an untreated, dry soft cloth only. Tissue paper or paper towels can cause scratching.
When cleaning both your silver jewellery, DO NOT dip the entire piece in the cleaning solution if it has gemstones set into it - this can cause a lot of damage to the stones.
You can also get brilliant specialist cleaners such as Town Talk’s jewel sparkle wand which is perfect for hard gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and amethyst set in gold, platinum or silver jewellery. Simply, twist the base of the wand until you can see the cleaner appearing through the brush. Apply the liquid to your jewellery, and behind the settings, working it into a lather. Rinse and polish dry with the microfibre cloth included.
Pearls have a rather soft surface in comparison to other gems. This means extra care must be taken to make sure the pearls stay as beautiful and maintain their lustre. It is recommended that they are the last thing to put on and the first thing to take off.
Try to wipe them with a soft cloth after wearing and clean them simply using a damp cloth. To make things a little easier, we even stock a pearl care kit which you can find here...
You can find our full collection of jewellery cleaning kits from Town Talk here...
Our jewellery is covered against faulty workmanship by a 6-month guarantee when accompanied by a valid receipt. Problems arising from wear and tear or mishandling can often be remedied, but we may charge for repairs and postage.