Jewellery is often an investment and, for many people, has a great sentimental value attached to the pieces. Therefore, it is important to take care of your jewellery to make sure they look their best for years to come. Whether you are trying to clean a diamond engagement ring, a cherished pearl necklace or a gold bracelet, follow our guide and take care of your jewellery with confidence.
A professional should regularly check jewellery for damage or wear. If you have any concerns about your jewellery condition, take it to your local member of the NAJ. They will take great pride in helping you keep yours looking as good as the day it was bought.
Here are a few tips on some of the things you can do to keep it in great shape:
Make sure you have a detailed insurance valuation for your jewellery. As a rough guide, the description in a professional jewellery valuation will be detailed enough that a jeweller could use it to draw a pretty accurate sketch of the item. The NAJ has registered valuers located within the UK.
If in doubt about the care, repair, or valuation of your jewellery, then seek the advice of an NAJ member. For the sign of a professional jeweller, look for the National Association of Jewellers’ Grant-of-Arms, which identifies retail jewellery shops around the UK that have been vetted by the NAJ.
The best news of all is that your jewellery will very rarely be beyond repair or restoration. If you need advice or help, pop into an NAJ jeweller for a quick check-up.
Here’s a quick checklist of some of the things to look out for:
Gemstones are bought for their sparkle and colour, so it’s essential to keep them looking their best. However, it is important to know what type of gem you are cleaning and how to get it back to looking like new.
Many coloured gemstones have been treated to enhance their appearance. These treatments can negatively interact with some cleaning products and damage the jewellery. If in any doubt, take your jewellery to a jeweller for advice.
Although a gemstone may appear tough, many can be susceptible to heat. Whenever cleaning, make sure that you use warm water rather than hot or boiling water. Inclusions within gemstones can weaken their structure if aggressively cleaned. Gemstones, such as emeralds that have been oiled to improve colour, can be negatively affected by mechanical cleaning such as steam and ultrasonic cleaning.
For nearly all coloured gemstones cleaning with warm water, a couple of drops of washing-up liquid and a soft brush will be more than adequate. Make sure to avoid hard and rigid brushes. A toothbrush is usually an excellent tool due to head size and flexibility. If using a toothbrush, it is important to buy one labelled with a soft or extra-soft brush.
When cleaning malachite, use cool water as it is particularly sensitive to heat and hot water may damage the gemstone.
Despite being the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth, diamonds require care and attention. They are hard, but they can still fracture and be scratched by other diamonds due to their directional hardness. Oil deposits from fingers and general dust and grime can quickly adhere to the diamond surface and affect a diamond’s brilliance.
Handle the diamond carefully and store it away from other jewellery to avoid scratching the other pieces, including other diamond jewellery. Keeping the diamond in individual small plastic bags or a fabric-lined case will help reduce damage, wear, and a build-up of dirt.
Clean the diamond regularly. Soak in warm water with a degreasing solution (a couple of drops of washing-up liquid will suffice). Gently brush with a soft, clean toothbrush before drying with a lint-free cloth. Be extra careful with the stone’s setting as this may be fragile. Avoid using bleaches or other hard abrasives. This can easily damage the precious metal in which the diamond is mounted.
Organic gems like pearls and opal possess different chemical compositions to mineral gemstones like sapphires and diamonds. Because of this, they also require other methods of care. Most organic gems are much softer than mineral gemstones and liable to be scratched and damaged if not cared for correctly. Due to their chemical makeup, they are vulnerable to acids and many chemicals found in cleaning products.
This brief guide should help you avoid damaging your peals, opals, and amber jewellery.
Do not submerge the gemstones in water. Instead, wet a soft cloth with warm water and gently rub each stone individually. Avoid pulling the stones through the cloth as this is liable to stretch or damage the string. If stubborn dirt remains on some of the gemstones, then a soft brush should help remove the grime. Be careful and go gently.
Dry the gemstones with a lint-free cloth. Excess moisture can build up in the drill holes and next to the knots causing discolouration. A hard blow with the breath or daubing with the cloth should remove this. Do not use a hairdryer to remove moisture, as the heat will damage the stones.
Never clean with steam, boiling or ultrasonic tools as these will irreversibly damage the gems.
It doesn’t take long for gold jewellery to lose its shine. Fingerprints and a daily build-up of dirt can quickly dull even the brightest gold. Thankfully, we have some tips to help you to get it shining once again.
If the gold jewellery has gemstones or pearls, please be extra careful when cleaning the piece. Check out the rest of the guide for how best to clean the individual gems so that you don’t cause any damage to the jewellery.
A cleaning solution designed exclusively for jewellery is a safe option, but make sure any solution is intended for the correct precious metal or gemstone.
If in doubt, it is best to stick to using the following steps:
Silver is subject to tarnishing over time, resulting in dull or even black jewellery. Tarnishing occurs when silver is exposed to oxygen and sulphur in the air. It is unavoidable, but, thankfully, it doesn’t damage the metal and can be removed easily with cleaning.
Simply wearing your silver jewellery will slow the process of tarnishing. Being careful with how you store and wear the silver will also help reduce the speed of tarnishing.
However, when the metal begins to look dull or starts to turn black, it is time to get the cleaning products out to get the jewellery looking like new.
The simplest way to clean silver is to buy a specialist cleaning solution or cloth. There are numerous examples on the market. Just make sure that they have been specifically designed for cleaning silver. Silver cleaning cloths should be soft and infused with anti-tarnishing agents.
If you don’t have specialist cleaners at home, then do not fear as there are household options to get your silver shining. A bowl of lukewarm water and a few drops of washing-up liquid will help remove tarnishing.
For more stubborn tarnishing, you can use a white vinegar and water mix.
Your watch is a very intricate piece of engineering and works non-stop day after day. You would not expect your car to do this without a service so follow the instructions on servicing. As a guide a service every three or four years should help it last for decades.
Give your watch a quick check on a regular basis, making sure that the strap or bracelet is securely attached to the case. If you have a mechanical watch wind it in a clockwise direction. Often it is recommended that you do this about the same time each day. Remove the watch from your wrist when winding so as not to place undue pressure on the winder. Water resistance is often misunderstood, for example, a watch saying 30 metres on the dial sounds like it is perfectly safe to swim in. The 30 metres is a static pressure that the watch can take. Did you know that just jumping into a pool can exceed this pressure therefore possibly letting water into the watch?
If you really must know the time when you are in the pool, it is recommended that you have a watch with a 100-metre water resistance or greater. Even then don’t wear it in the bath or while taking a shower.
