Jewellery Care Guide
General Jewellery
Care Guide
Here are a few helpful hints to keep your Jewellery looking shiny and new:
- We advise that jewellery should be removed before sleeping, engaging in exercise, undertaking physical activity such as gardening or other heavy duty activities to avoid unintentional damage.
- Items should be stored separately to prevent scratching.
- Non flexible items are best kept flat when not being worn.
- Direct contact with perfumes and hairspray may cause Jewellery to discolour.
- Special care is needed for hollow items, as they may dent under impact or pressure.
- It is not recommended that stone set Jewellery is worn while swimming or showering.
- It is recommended that you have your purchase professionally cleaned every year.
- The settings of any stone-set piece should also be examined yearly to prevent the loss of precious stones.
- Quality cleaning products are available from our stores. Our sales team will be happy to advise you.
- Prouds the Jewellers display boxes are intended for presentation purposes. We do not recommend that your precious item be stored in the display box. For best results, store items separately in soft pouches to prevent oxidisation.
White Gold Jewellery
Care Guide
Thank you for choosing a beautiful piece from our white gold collection. All our white gold Jewellery is rhodium plated to enhance the white colour which is a standard practice in the Jewellery industry.
The rhodium plating is a layer of rhodium that is electro plated over white gold to enhance the white colour and shine of your Jewellery.
Rhodium plating will wear off over time. White gold items will require re-plating in order to maintain the premium shine and white finish. In order to protect your jewellery and prolong the life of the rhodium plating, please follow these few simple guidelines.
- When dressing and applying make-up, always put your Jewellery on last. This avoids any thread catching on claws or clasps which may damage them. Make-up and perfume can be acidic and this acid could affect the lustre of your white gold Jewellery.
- Remove your white gold Jewellery when doing housework so as not to expose your Jewellery to harsh chemicals. Chlorine-based detergents and the like can have a damaging effect on white gold over time.
- Do not wear your white gold Jewellery while taking a shower or swimming due to traces of chlorine and salt in the water.
- When storing your white gold Jewellery, if possible keep your items separate to your other Jewellery to avoid scratching and store in a soft pouch to help protect it from any oxidization.
- Care should be taken when cleaning your white gold Jewellery. A soft cloth should be all that is needed as any cleaning solutions can be too harsh and may shorten the life of rhodium plating.
Rose Gold Jewellery
Rose Gold achieves its beautiful blush colour by mixing gold with copper - a bright, orange-red metal. A piece of jewellery with a higher copper content will have a stronger red colour. Rose Gold is sometimes also alloyed with silver, to create a softer pink shade.
Care Guide:
Rose Gold Jewellery requires a certain level of care as they may tarnish easier compared to Yellow and White Gold Jewellery due to the higher copper content.
Things to Consider:
- When storing your jewellery, it is best to keep these pieces separate in a soft cloth bag or pouch away from other jewellery, to avoid the risk of scratching and prevent oxidation (blackening).
- Remove your jewellery before sleeping to avoid accidental damage.
- Remove your jewellery when bathing, showering and swimming, as soaps, shampoos, chlorine and saltwater are specifically more harmful to Rose Gold jewellery as ‘copper’ is one of the least resistant metals to salt-related and chlorine-related corrosions.
- Avoid contact with perfumes, creams, cosmetics and hairsprays, as well as any other chemical or acid-based products.
Cleaning:
- Most pieces can be cleaned using our Elite Jewellery Cleaner.
- For pieces set with crystals and pearls, do not use any jewellery cleaning solutions, as this may affect the lustre and loosen the setting of the stones. To clean these more delicate items, use a soft tissue or soft polishing cloth to wipe away any grease or marks.
- Rose Gold jewellery may dull over time; a quick buff with a soft polishing cloth should brighten it up.
Pearl Jewellery
Care Guide
Pearls will last a lifetime if looked after well. In order to protect your pearl jewellery and to keep your pieces looking as good as new, please follow these few simple guidelines:
Things to consider:
- When caring for your precious pearl jewellery, it is best to keep pearls separated from other jewellery items in a velvet or silk-lined pouch. This will assist with avoiding the risk of scratching and chipping.
- Pearls love natural skin oils. When finished wearing pearls, use a tissue or pearl polishing cloth to remove the excess oils off the pearls.
- Silk thread is used to string pearls; it is soft yet very hard-wearing. Knotting the thread between each pearl will avoid the pearls from scratching and stops the stand from feeling stiff. Pearl necklets should be restrung every year if worn often.
- It is best to keep your pearls away from water; if the string knotted between each pearl does not dry properly, it can rot and loosen the tight grip holding each pearl.
What to Avoid When Wearing and Caring For Pearls:
- Do not clean pearls in ultrasonic and/or steam jewellery cleaner
- Do not bathe or swim whilst wearing pearls
- Avoid wearing perfume, cosmetics or creams on your neck or ears when accessorising with pearls.
- Avoid contact with chemicals and acids
- Avoid abrasive clothing; such as wool, sequins, beading, etc.
- Avoid hairspray lacquer
- Avoid wearing pearls in dry heat; this causes dehydration leading to the crazing and cracking of nacre.
Cleaning:
In order to maintain the cleanliness of your pearl Jewellery use a tissue or soft polishing cloth to wipe away any excess oils or acids (which pearls may absorb if not cleaned regularly).
Body Jewellery
Care Guide
Body Jewellery, like all jewellery requires some level of care. In order to protect your jewellery and to keep your pieces looking as good as new, please follow these few simple guidelines.
Things to consider:
- Sterilise your body jewellery before use with an antiseptic wipe.
- Do not use body jewellery for piercing.
- Allow your piercing to fully heal before inserting body jewellery.
- Toe rings should not be pulled apart or squeezed together when placing on your toe. This may cause the precious metal to crack or the stones to loosen.
- Anklets may break if pulled or caught on stockings or shoes.
- Remove your jewellery before sleeping to avoid accidental damage.
- Remove your jewellery when bathing, showering and swimming as soaps, shampoos, chlorine and saltwater may be harmful to your jewellery. Only stainless steel body jewellery can be worn in water.
Cleaning:
- Most pieces can be cleaned using our Elite jewellery cleaner
- For pieces set with crystals and pearls, do not use any jewellery cleaning solutions, as this may affect the lustre and loosen the setting of the stones. To clean these more delicate items, use a tissue or soft polishing cloth to wipe away any grease or marks.
Nickel Content:
- We always request all of our body jewellery, either 9ct gold or silver and steel, to be nickel-free, however occasionally some pieces may include very small traces of nickel.
Crystal Jewellery
Care Guide
Unlike precious stones (such as diamonds, which are set with metal claws to protect them) our lovely crystal Jewellery is set in to a special resin. This gives our Jewellery a wonderful sparkly look; however it does require special care.
In order to protect the sparkle and to keep your pieces looking as good as new, please follow these few simple guidelines:-
- Do not shower while wearing your crystal Jewellery. Too much water may loosen the stones and may make them appear cloudy.
- Do not swim while wearing your Jewellery. Any chlorine or chemicals may affect the shine. Perfumes, creams and some cosmetics could have a similar effect.
- Try not to wear your Jewellery to bed as some pieces are delicate and damage could occur.
- Try not to wear too many pieces together to avoid any abrasion
- Should your crystal Jewellery require cleaning use a soft cloth to polish the metal surfaces and not any Jewellery cleaning solutions, as these could affect the lustre of the crystal and loosen the setting of the stones.
Tungsten Carbide Jewellery
Care Guide
Tungsten carbide is a metal alloy renowned for its superior strength, hardness, and durability. However, despite its resilience, it is not indestructible. As is the case with all precious jewellery, tungsten carbide rings require a certain level of care.
Things to consider:
• While technically scratchproof due to its strength (scoring 9 out of 10 on the Mohs’ scale of mineral hardness), tungsten carbide can still be scratched by substances with superior hardness, such as diamonds.
• Our tungsten carbide jewellery is finished with an ion plating to provide different tones and a lustrous finish. Whilst not scratch-resistant, ion plating represents the most superior metal plating technique available and should provide many years of wear without fading. Taking some extra care with your jewellery, such as removing the rings when engaging in heavy manual tasks or working with chemicals (including cosmetics, hairspray, chlorine etc.), will contribute to the plating’s longevity.
• While tungsten carbide’s exceptional hardness offers many advantages, it’s important to consider its unique characteristics. The hardness of this metal, while providing remarkable durability, can also make it less malleable. This means that while it’s highly resistant to wear, it may be more prone to breakage under extreme pressure, such as if it’s dropped or subjected to excessive force against a hard surface. To protect the longevity of your tungsten carbide ring, we recommend removing it during strenuous activities that may involve heavy impact.
• To clean tungsten carbide jewellery, use a solution of warm, soapy water free from harsh chemicals, or a tissue/soft polishing cloth to wipe away any grease or marks.