So much love has gone into your pieces, and with some love and care they will be a part of your collection for a reasonable amount of time.
As a golden rule, your jewellery is a delicate piece and should be treated delicately.
Your jewellery should be the last piece you put on after dressing, and the first thing you remove before undressing. Don't sleep with your jewellery and avoid other rough handling activities such as exercising and cleaning as accidents can happen and this will bend and snap parts that wouldn't otherwise be broken from proper wear.
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Solid Gold
We have a small but eventually growing range of solid gold pieces. Yellow gold is the most pure form of gold jewellery. It is also the most hypoallergenic. White gold features an alloy of nickel or palladium. These strong metals make it more resistant to scratching, tarnishing, and damage. The easiest way to care for your gold jewellery at home is to make a mixture of 10 parts water and 2 parts dish soap. Soak your pieces for at least two hours, then polish with a soft cloth. Never use paper towels or a silver polish cloth to polish your solid gold jewellery.
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Gold filled
Gold filled pieces are made by heat and pressure bonding a layer of gold to a base metal, in our case it's either brass or copper, to give it the appearance of gold. Gold filled pieces can withstand water and sweat, but avoid scratching them or exposing them to alcohols (which are in perfumes and moisturisers, not just in your cocktails!). Scratches on the gold layer may expose the underlying metal, which will then trigger tarnishes as well as skin reactions if you're allergic or brass or copper.
If your jewellery comes into contact with alcohols, soak a soft cloth in gentle soap and water, to clean your piece, then pat dry.
And while they are water resistant, avoid exercising, showering or swimming with them as accidents can happen and you risk breaking and losing your piece.
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925 Silver
Some pieces are in 925 silver which are more hypoallergenic than gold-filled. The key to keeping a lasting shine on your silver is keeping it away from sulphur, (not water), as much as possible.
But what is sulphur?
It's a natural occurring gas that causes your silver to darken over time, sulphur is produced by our bodies so tarnishing is unavoidable and it varies from each individual.
The good news? You can slow down the process and easily bring back that shine. To slow down tarnishing, remove your jewellery after use, gently wipe away any residue with a soft damp cloth, pat dry and store in a cool, dark, dry place.
When your silver eventually tarnishes use a silver polishing cloth to polish it back to a shiny lustre.
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Gold-plated & Vermeil
Gold-plated jewellery consists of a layer of gold being electrically charged onto a base metal. When the base is sterling silver, it is called vermeil. Our gold-plating is done in-house with 18k gold and we pride ourselves in ensuring a thick gold plating, non of that cheap flash-plated junk that wears out within days.
As of 2021, all our plated pieces will also have a layer of sealant to maintain the longevity of the beautiful gold layer.
Over time the gold will fade, but you can preserve the life of your pieces for longer by keeping it away from moisture, sweat, alcohol and preventing scratches from occurring.
When the underlying silver eventually tarnishes you can either use a silver
polishing cloth – which will also strip the gold, but will leave you with a new silver piece – or you can contact us for a polish and re-plate service. Think of it as sending your jewellery to a spa so it can return shiny, rejuvenated and looking new.
For gold plated brass do not use a polishing cloth, our polish and replate is best if you wish– get in contact for more information.
