Jewelry Care by Material

Most jewelry damage is not wear — it is cleaning. The wrong agent, the wrong brush or an ultrasonic bath on the wrong stone does more harm in five minutes than a year of wearing.

Safe for almost everything

Warm water, a drop of mild washing-up liquid, a very soft brush, and a lint-free cloth. This is enough for gold, platinum, silver, diamond, moissanite and CZ.

Gold and platinum

Both are stable; the enemy is abrasion. Store separately, avoid chlorine, and have white gold re-plated every 12–24 months. Platinum develops a patina — if you prefer the bright finish, a re-polish restores it, at the cost of a few microns of metal.

Sterling silver

Tarnish is sulfur in the air reacting with copper in the alloy. Slow it with a sealed bag and an anti-tarnish strip; remove it with a polishing cloth. Silver dip works fast but strips rhodium plating, so use it only on unplated pieces.

Diamond and moissanite

Both attract grease, which kills sparkle. A weekly wash keeps a stone looking new. Ultrasonic is safe in solid metal settings; skip it if the stone is set with glue or in a fragile antique mounting.

Never ultrasonic

Pearl, opal, emerald, tanzanite, turquoise, lapis and any fracture-filled stone. Heat and vibration can craze opals, drive oil out of emeralds and shatter filled stones. Wipe only.

The monthly check

Hold the piece to a lamp, look at each stone, then press a soft cloth against it and try to move it. Movement means a loose setting. Stop wearing it and email us — tightening a prong is cheap; replacing a center stone is not.

Storage

Separate pouches, dry, away from sunlight. Never stack rings loose in a dish: diamond scratches everything it touches, including other diamonds.