JEWELLERY CARE

GOLD INFORMATION

Gold, element Au, was one of the first known metals. Its beauty, versatility and unique physical characteristics, and scarcity, continue to make it a valuable commodity. Gold is a noble metal. This means it will not tarnish, rust, or corrode, or be affected by any acids. It is strong, and yet the most malleable of all metals. Gold is exceptionally soft, so it is alloyed with a mixture of metals like silver, copper, palladium, and zinc to give it strength and durability.

CLEANING GEMSTONES

Dust, pollution, oxidisation and daily wear combine to cloud the brilliance of a gemstone and dull the surface of all precious metals.

CLEANING YOUR GOLD JEWELLERY

Gold, element Au, was one of the first known metals. Its beauty, versatility and unique physical characteristics, and scarcity, continue to make it a valuable commodity. Gold is a noble metal. This means it will not tarnish, rust, or corrode, or be affected by any acids. It is strong, and yet the most malleable of all metals. Gold is exceptionally soft, so it is alloyed with a mixture of metals like silver, copper, palladium, and zinc to give it strength and durability.

JEWELLERY STORAGE

All jewellery is best stored in plastic ‘seal it’ bags within a fabric outer bag. The sealed bag slows the rate of oxidisation which effects both silver and gold vermeil, and the outer bags protects from scratching and abrasion which can damage the finish of the piece. Always remove your jewellery when applying scent, lotions and potions, or even better, always put your jewellery on last when getting dressed. Please note that chlorine is especially damaging to jewellery. Avoid storing your jewellery next to costume jewellery or watches with leather straps which can create discolouration on precious metals..

STERLING SILVER INFORMATION

Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver and other metals, usually copper. Pure silver is too soft for everyday wear, therefore, copper is generally used to give it hardness and durability. As with most precious metals, sterling silver tarnishes, but this process is slower if the piece is worn regularly. To clean, rub with a silver polishing cloth, and store in a sealable bag. If you use silver dip to clean silver jewellery, ALWAYS make sure the solution is fully rinsed from the piece, and thoroughly dried, otherwise a discolouring coating builds up over time.