Jewelry Care
To enjoy your new favorite pieces of jewelry for a long time, it is important to care for them regularly. Here you can learn how to give your jewelry the care it deserves.
Cleaning Jewelry
Do you wear your jewelry regularly for different activities and also leave it on when you sleep? Then it can get a little dirty from sweat, cosmetics, and other things from time to time. To maintain the beauty of your jewelry for as long as possible, you should clean your jewelry, preferably regularly.
The best way to clean your gold chain, your earrings, or your rings depends on the material. However, the following always applies: treat your jewelry as gently as possible, take it off during sports and sleep, and do not let it come into contact with cleaning agents and cosmetics. That way, your jewelry will stay shiny and beautiful for a long time.
Why does jewelry tarnish or become dull?
The “tarnishing” of the material is nothing more than a chemical reaction: oxidation (i.e. reaction with oxygen). This causes the dark patina to form on silver and the shine to be lost on gold. By rhodium-plating our silver jewelry, i.e. by additionally coating the material, tarnishing is delayed. But don’t worry: oxidation cannot be completely prevented, but at least it can be removed with proper care and also by careful cleaning. By the way, stainless steel jewelry does not tarnish, its color does not change even after regular contact with water. This also applies to gold-plated stainless steel jewelry, which does not lose its gold plating over time. Here you can find more information about our jewelry materials
General Tips and Tricks
Your favorite jewelry is confronted with all kinds of “dangers” in everyday life. That’s why there are a few points you should keep in mind when caring for and storing it:
- Caution: Jewelry should not come into contact with chemicals as they attack the material and gold plating. It is therefore better to take off rings, bracelets, and the like when doing housework. Semi-precious stone jewelry should also not be exposed to shocks.
- Hydrophobicity. In principle, gold-plated jewelry lasts longer if you don’t expose it to too much water. Can’t do without your jewelry when showering and swimming? Then go for stainless steel jewelry or a non-gold-plated version.
- Safe and Sound. In a closed jewelry box, keep your favorite necklaces, earrings, etc., because here they are protected from moisture and too much oxygen. You can find more tips in our guide to jewelry storage.
Which material should be cared for and how?
The right cleaning depends on the materials of the jewelry. Jewelry materials are like skin types: each needs special care that suits its needs. This is how you give your jewelry the care it deserves:
- Stainless steel: As 316 L stainless steel neither rusts nor tarnishes, you usually only need to polish it with a soft cloth to give it back its shine. If the stainless steel jewelry does get dirty, you can simply clean it with lukewarm water, a little soap or washing-up liquid, and a soft toothbrush.
- 925 sterling silver: You can make tarnished silver shine again either with a silver polishing cloth or a bath of lukewarm water, salt, and a strip of aluminum foil. If the oxidation is particularly strong, you can clean it with a silver bath from the drugstore or jewelry.
- Gold plating: For yellow gold or rose gold plated jewelry, cleaning should not be too aggressive, as the gold plating can peel off sterling silver over time. Lukewarm water, a mild soap, and a soft cloth are usually sufficient for care. Above all, make sure to dry your jewelry carefully and gently.
- 18K gold: 18K real gold is a very resistant and durable material that is particularly suitable for everyday wear. That is why real gold has always been very popular for jewelry making. Moreover, gold is extremely easy to care for because, unlike silver, it does not oxidize and can also withstand contact with water without any problems. Only if you want to swim in chlorinated water, you should take off your gold jewelry, as chlorine can discolor gold. Polish your gold jewelry with a soft cloth from time to time to make it shine again. If your jewelry is very dirty, you can use lukewarm water with a little mild soap. Just be careful not to be too aggressive and always dry your real gold jewelry well after cleaning.
- Semi-precious stones: You should always be careful with semi-precious stones. Although it is a hard material, it is also more susceptible to scratches and cracks. For necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. gemstones, lukewarm water, a little mild soap, and a soft toothbrush can be used for cleaning. Then dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. The same applies to freshwater pearls, but these can also be air-dried.
Trust is good, control is better!
Cleaning jewelry is also a good opportunity to check the material and the gemstones and pearls. Semi-precious stones should be checked for major scratches and cracks. For set or glued gemstones and pearls, you should also check that they are still firmly in the setting.
You should check the finish of jewelry without stones. Shiny jewelry becomes duller over time and matt jewelry becomes shinier. You can restore lost shine by polishing with a soft cloth, and you can give your favorite pieces an edgy matte look again with a special matting sponge. Simply sweep the surface in the desired direction to make it beautifully matt again.
