Whether you’ve invested in a stunning brooch or inherited an antique ring, it’s important to care for fine jewellery in the correct way. Here are our top tips for looking after and cleaning your fine jewellery, so you can keep it in perfect condition for years to come.
Looking after your fine jewellery
Store it in a safe place
Fine jewellery comes in a variety of precious metals. From sterling silver and gold to platinum, they can all be affected by moisture. Ideally, you want to store your jewellery in a fabric-lined case, away from direct sunlight. Alternatively, you can wrap each item in fabric or tissue paper before storing it in a drawer.
Not only will this keep your jewellery safe and dry, but it will also prevent scratching, and stop necklace chains and bracelets from getting tangled.
Avoid contact with chemicals
If you wear your jewellery regularly, try to avoid using lotion or other beauty products on the areas the item sits upon. Perfumes, moisturisers, and hairspray can damage or discolour certain metals or gemstones.
Remove when swimming or exercising
As well as suffering from contact with chemicals in beauty products, chlorine in swimming pools may damage jewellery. Besides, the last thing you’ll want to do is try and retrieve your antique jewellery from a swimming pool drain!
It’s also best to remove your fine jewellery at the gym. This will reduce the risk of moisture damage, debris buildup, and losing your items.
Cleaning your jewellery
When it comes to cleaning your fine jewellery, it’s important to be gentle. A good starting point is to take a bowl of lukewarm water mixed with a drop of very mild washing up liquid. Dip a soft bristle toothbrush into the solution and carefully buff away any dirt or residue.
After cleaning, pat the jewellery dry then let it air dry completely.
How to clean silver
Is your silver jewellery looking tarnished? You can restore its former shine by using commercially-available silver polish and a soft cloth. Small circular motions will rub away the buildup, however you can also use a silver dip solution to clean silver chains.
If you don’t have access to silver polish, you can make your own using a paste made from two tablespoons of water and ¼ cup of baking soda. Apply the paste to the silver and buff gently with a soft chamois. It’s important to note that this isn’t suitable for fine or antique jewellery containing pearls or gemstones.
How to clean gold
As with cleaning silver jewellery, your best bet with gold items is to use a commercial polish. These gold polishes will quickly restore your jewellery’s shine without scratching it. You can also soak the item in a solution of mild washing up liquid and warm water, then rub it with a lint-free cloth. A quick dip in rubbing alcohol can also remove heavy tarnishing from plain gold jewellery.
How to clean platinum
Platinum jewellery is incredibly strong and doesn’t tend to tarnish as much as gold and silver. In fact, overpolishing can actually cause more damage by scratching the surface. You can use the water and washing up liquid solution detailed above.
Professional jewellery repairs
Do you have a beloved item of jewellery that’s been sitting in a box or drawer because it needs repairing? At Susan Rumfitt, we offer specialist jewellery services, including repairs and rethreading. Sometimes, a simple professional fix is all that’s needed to give your fine or antique jewellery a new lease of life.
If you have any questions about caring for or repairing your fine jewellery, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Susan Rumfitt team.