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Caring for your jewellery

How to wear, store and clean your pieces, so they stay as beautiful as the day you received them. Our care and cleaning advice follows the guidelines of GIA, the Gemological Institute of America.

Wearing your jewellery

  • Take your jewellery off before swimming in a chlorinated pool and before household cleaning. Chlorine bleach can pit and damage gold alloys, and chemicals can damage or discolour precious metals.
  • Even the hardest stones can chip or break from a hard enough blow, diamonds included. Avoid hard blows and rough wear.
  • Protect your jewellery from excess light, high heat and sudden changes in temperature, which can fracture some gemstones.
  • Hairspray, lotion, perfume and cosmetics can contain chemicals that permanently damage the surface of pearls.

Storing your jewellery

  • Never toss your jewellery into a drawer or onto a dresser, where it can be scratched and stones can be damaged. Keep each piece in its box or a pouch.
  • Diamonds can scratch other stones and precious metal, so store your pieces separately.
  • Pearls and opals draw moisture from the air, so very dry storage can harm them.
  • When travelling, pad each piece in its own box or case.

At home

Cleaning at home

Our advice for almost all of your jewellery: a very soft toothbrush and warm, soapy water.

  1. Step 1: Soak

    Let the piece soak for a moment in warm water with a mild soap. Never soak opals or turquoise: clean them with a soft, damp cloth instead.

  2. Step 2: Brush gently

    Use a very soft toothbrush, an old one is perfect, and a soft touch on delicate settings.

  3. Step 3: Don't forget underneath

    Clean underneath the stones, not only the part you see. It gets dirty first and is most often forgotten: skin oils and dirt get stuck there. When it is dirty, light can't travel through the stone and reflect back, and the stone will always look dull.

  4. Step 4: Rinse and dry

    Rinse in a glass of water rather than in the sink, or cover the drain. Dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Never use chlorine bleach, powdered abrasive cleansers or toothpaste. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners can shake stones loose in their settings: leave this kind of cleaning to us. Pearls, opals and turquoise need a gentler approach: see the stone chart below.

Based on GIA

Stone by stone

What GIA advises for each of our stones. At home, warm, soapy water is all you need: ultrasonic and steam cleaning are best left to a jeweller. Pearls, opals and turquoise ask for extra care.

  • Safe
  • Usually safe
  • Leave to us
  • Not recommended
  • Diamond

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Leave to us
    Steam
    Leave to us

    Can also be cleaned with commercial jewellery cleaning solutions or household detergents. Ultrasonic and steam can loosen stones in their settings, so leave them to us.

  • Sapphire and ruby

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Usually safe
    Steam
    Usually safe

    Our sapphires and rubies are never fracture-filled or dyed. Star sapphires and star rubies never go in an ultrasonic cleaner.

  • Spinel

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Usually safe
    Steam
    Usually safe

    Fractures in a stone can make ultrasonic and steam cleaning risky.

  • Garnet

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Usually safe
    Steam
    Not recommended

    Ultrasonic is usually safe, except for stones with fractures.

  • Aquamarine

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Usually safe
    Steam
    Usually safe

    Not for stones with liquid inclusions or fractures. Avoid exposing aquamarine to heat.

  • Tourmaline

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Not recommended
    Steam
    Not recommended

    High heat can alter the colour, and sudden temperature changes can cause fractures.

  • Zircon

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Not recommended
    Steam
    Not recommended

    Heat can alter the colour of some zircons. Zircon can be brittle: avoid hard rubbing against other materials.

  • Emerald

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Not recommended
    Steam
    Not recommended

    Wash gently. Vibrations can weaken stones with fractures, steam can make the filling sweat out, and heat can damage emeralds.

  • Extra care

    Pearl

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Not recommended
    Steam
    Not recommended

    Wipe with a very soft cloth after each wearing; use soapy water for an occasional thorough clean, and let strung pearls dry completely. Keep away from cosmetics, perfume, perspiration, heat and intense light.

  • Extra care

    Opal

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Not recommended
    Steam
    Not recommended

    Never soak an opal. Clean it with a soft cloth dampened in warm, soapy water and dry it straight away. Intense light, high heat and sudden temperature changes can make it crack.

  • Extra care

    Turquoise

    Warm, soapy water
    Safe
    Ultrasonic
    Not recommended
    Steam
    Not recommended

    Never soak turquoise: it is porous and absorbs water and soap. Clean it with a soft cloth dampened in warm, soapy water and dry it straight away. Chemicals, cosmetics, skin oils and perspiration can discolour turquoise, and high heat can damage its surface.

Source: GIA care and cleaning guides. Not sure about your piece? Bring it to us: we clean it and check the setting, free of charge.

Gold, platinum and patina

We work in 18kt gold, in rose, yellow and white, and in platinum.

Over time, a soft patina forms where your jewellery meets the world most, such as the underside of a ring. We hope you will come to love it: it is the mark of a piece that is worn and cherished.

Every polish removes a tiny amount of metal. That is why we advise polishing a piece only now and then over its lifetime, not often. We understand the love for a mirror shine, but jewellery is made to be worn, with care. If your white gold piece is rhodium plated, the plating can wear over time, and we can re-plate it for you.

When to bring it in

Have your jewellery checked once a year. A loose stone can wear through a prong over time, so if a stone feels loose, stop wearing the piece and bring it to us.

Our aftercare

Bring your piece by appointment and we will clean it and check the setting, free of charge. Polishing and rhodium plating are possible at a price we quote in advance.

Live further away? You can send your piece to us with insured transport, at your cost, or have it cleaned by a jeweller near you. For repairs, resizing or re-setting, please come back to us: work by another jeweller ends the warranty.

Our warranty

Lifetime warranty on craftsmanship: if a defect ever shows in the making of your piece, such as a setting or a solder joint, we repair it free of charge. Normal wear, knocks and accidents, stones lost after a blow, and work done by another jeweller are not covered. Your invoice is your proof of warranty.

Resizing is always looked at case by case, because it depends on the setting and the stones. You are welcome to come in any time to have your piece checked.