Cleaning your jewellery

21 Sept

Caring for 14k Gold Filled, 14k Solid Gold and .925 Sterling Silver:

While we craft with specific materials to ensure that the piece you purchase from us is durable and built to withstand everyday wear, there are definitely steps you can take to preserve your piece for as long as possible.

When it comes to gold items, be that Gold Filled or Solid Gold, there is one specific rule to keep in mind, that is that oils are not their friend.

We recommend washing your gold jewellery once a month or so, this process removes any built-up body oils, which act as a catalyst for tarnishing. Try not to dry your pieces with a paper-based product instead opt for a soft cloth.

Sterling Silver however, is quite the opposite. Your natural body oils work as a protective barrier against oxygen; contact with oxygen is one of the most common reasons for silver tarnishing.

While we do still recommend a clean every once in a while no matter the metal to keep clasps and other mechanisms working well, body oils are not the enemy when it comes to Sterling Silver.

Read more about our materials here.

CLEANING YOUR JEWELLERY:

For general gold or silver cleaning and upkeep we would recommend making up a mix of warm water with a drop of mild detergent in a small bowl.

To this mix, add your pieces and let them soak for a few minutes. Follow up with a gentle scrub of each piece using a wet cloth or soft toothbrush, then rinse under clean water and pat dry with a soft cloth - we like to use microfibre.

If you’re attempting to clean off heavier tarnish on a silver piece (please note this is only recommend for solid sterling silver), you’ll need a small dish or bowl lined with aluminium foil.

Pour hot water into the bowl and add equal amounts of salt and baking soda, give the mixture a stir and add any tarnished silver jewellery to the lined bowl, ensuring that each piece is both touching the aluminium foil and below the water lines. Let sit for about 5 minutes then rinse and rub dry. Any remaining spots should rub off but if not, repeat the process with a bit more salt and baking soda and leave for a little longer.