Caring for Jewellery

Caring for SilverBack to top

Silver is a soft metal and care should be taken when cleaning and polishing it - it can scratch relatively easily and while most scratches can be polished out, obviously this is best avoided wherever possible.

Another concern is tarnishing. When silver is exposed to sulphur it reacts to form silver sulphide, which is dark in colour, causing the silver to tarnish. So over time, any piece of silver jewellery will change from its initial bright, sparkling appearance becoming first slightly yellow-ish and then black. It is not true that only low-purity silver items tarnish (though they may tarnish faster, all other things being equal).

Since there are sulphur compounds naturally in the air, this process is inevitable. However there are ways to speed it up or slow it down. Materials like wool, rubber, latex gloves and many oils contain sulphur compounds that will cause your silver to tarnish more quickly. Oils secreted from your skin will also increase the speed at which silver tarnishes, depending a bit on what food you have been eating (eggs and onions contain a lot of sulphur compounds). Contact with many cosmetics and creams can likewise cause silver to tarnish at a faster rate. Silver also tarnishes more quickly in hot or humid environments.

So, taking all this into account, the best way to stop your silver from tarnishing is to keep it locked up tight in an airtight box, lined with a sulphur-free material, never open it to look at it and especially never touch it! This seems somewhat pointless for something you really want to enjoy wearing, so we have a few, more practical tips:

• Put on your silver jewellery last when you get dressed, after your make-up and cosmetics.
• Take it off first when you get back home.
• Take off your jewellery (especially rings) when doing manual tasks such as washing dishes or when having a shower.
• Use a phosphate-free soap or detergent (most “environmentally friendly” brands are now phosphate-free). These can also be used to clean your jewellery and may help remove any mild tarnish.
• Store your silver in a dry environment out of direct sunlight (placing then in a box with some silica gel packets is a good idea)

Caring for GoldBack to top

Gold is the noble metal and hence does not tarnish or corrode. However it is very soft and care should be taken to protect it from scratches. Also the same cannot be said for other metals that are frequently mixed with gold, so unless your jewellery is made from pure gold, the colour may change over time, especially if it is exposed to harsh chemicals.

Caring for GemstonesBack to top

As a rule of thumb, most transparent gemstones are fairly hardy and resistant to minor abuses. The greatest risk is of the stone shattering with a sudden blow. Organic gemstones, such as pearl, coral or amber can be more vulnerable and should not be exposed to harsh chemicals such as detergents, chemical cleaners etc. whenever possible. More information about particular gemstones can be found here.