Jewelry Care

Jewelry is low maintenance, not no maintenance. Like any investment, fine jewelry should be looked after carefully and treated thoughtfully. We get that “taking care of things” isn’t everyone’s forte, so we’ve drafted some basic guidelines for keeping your jewelry in tip-top condition. Trust us, your grandchildren will thank you.

DAILY ROUTINE

  • Jewelry should be the last thing you put on & the first thing you take off. Like a nice little daily suit of armor. 
  • Remove your jewelry for: 
    • Showers & baths
    • Exercise
    • House cleaning
    • Yard work
    • Sticking your hands into the sink drain to try to unclog it but really you just made it worse because your ring fell off and now you have to call the plumber before your significant other finds out...
  • Take it off to sleep and store it in a special lil’ bag or a box — not just on your vanity or dresser. (Note: this is especially true if you have cats.)

STAY AWAY FROM

  • Water… generally speaking. Definitely no pools or oceans, and we recommend no showers. Daredevils may their hands with a ring on at their own risk… but don’t say we didn’t warn you!
  • Perfumes, oils, lotions, hair sprays — anything scented, really. Avoid spritzing the areas of your body where your fine jewelry hangs out. After all, you wanna smell good, your jewelry doesn’t.
  • Harsh chemicals of any kind.

MAINTENANCE

  • To keep your jewels spaaaarkly, we recommend a quick and gentle scrubbing once a month. Directions below. 
  • Bring it in for us to clean, polish & check the settings twice a year (complimentary service).

CLEANING

GOLD 

  • Place in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of a mild, non-detergent soap (most dish soaps fit the bill) for 5-10 minutes to loosen dirt & buildup. 
  • Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to get into nooks, crannies, and underneath the stone setting to gently remove any extra dirt.
  • Rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cotton cloth. 

SILVER 

  • For polished silver: follow the directions for gold jewelry. Use a specialty silver jewelry polishing cloth as the last step to restore polish and shine. 
  • For matte silver: follow the directions for gold jewelry. After rinsing, make a thin paste of 1 part baking soda and 2 parts water — rub gently with fingers and wipe clean with a damp cloth to remove buildup.

BLACK RHODIUM STERLING SILVER 

Black rhodium is a plating that can wear off over time. As such, it’s more sensitive than  silver & gold, and is particularly sensitive to items containing sulfur (i.e., leather rubber, chlorine), anything that’s scented, certain natural bodily occurrences (oils, perspiration), and also comments on how it looks. Be nice!

  • Don’t polish your black rhodium silver jewelry with a specialty sterling silver cloth.
  • Avoid silver polish or any dip-style cleaning products — they’ll remove the plating.
  • Wipe down with a clean, nub-free cotton cloth only when necessary.

If you need your black rhodium jewelry cleaned or replated, please contact us.