Everything you need to know about jewellery care & jewellery cleaning

We will tell you everything you need to know about jewellery care. How to store your favourite pieces and what you need to consider when caring for and cleaning jewellery.

Storing jewellery - what to look out for

We recommend storing each piece of jewellery in a dry place, as airtight as possible and as protected from light as possible.
The best way to store jewellery is in a jewellery box. Jewellery made of different materials should be stored separately to protect it from scratches. There is no need to have a separate box for each material, just make sure that the jewellery items do not touch each other. For example, you can pack each piece of jewellery separately in carefully sealed plastic bags. We also recommend storing diamond separately, as the diamond can scratch softer materials or other diamonds.

Cleaning jewellery - how to do it

You can never have enough jewellery. To ensure that you can enjoy your jewellery for a long time, you should clean your pieces regularly. Depending on the material of the jewellery, water and washing-up liquid are not enough and can even cause damage. To avoid this inconvenience, you should follow certain rules when cleaning your jewellery. If you have any doubts, please contact our specialist staff, who will be happy to help you.

Be careful when cleaning

Depending on the type of jewellery you are dealing with, cleaning must be carried out with particular care. Some jewels are robust, while others have delicate pearls or other fragile elements. A simple cloth, for example, is not ideal for this task. It is better to clean the jewellery with a soft microfibre cloth and, to reach difficult areas, use a cotton bud or a soft toothbrush. Do not use towels or heat to dry the jewellery. It is better to place the jewellery on a cloth and leave it to air dry.
If your jewellery is a wedding ring, we recommend you read our article "Tips and advice for the care of wedding rings" .

Cleaning gold jewellery

In addition to the special cleaning products available on the market, there are also simple homemade preparations for cleaning gold jewellery. Gold jewellery, such as wedding rings or gold chains, is exposed to many environmental influences, as well as to substances on your own body, such as perfume, soap, sweat or make-up. This is why gold jewellery can quickly show signs of wear and deposits. Gold jewellery should therefore be cleaned from time to time. For high-value jewellery or jewellery with diamonds, we recommend that you have it professionally cleaned by a jeweller, for everything else, the following homemade preparations will help:

• Dishwashing liquid: used carefully, a drop of the most natural dishwashing liquid possible is often all that's needed, applied directly to gold jewellery and then rinsed off with warm water.
• Toothbrush: heavy deposits or hard-to-reach areas can be carefully cleaned with a soft toothbrush.
• Microfibre cloth: ideal for removing dirt and grease from gold jewellery.

Particular attention must be paid to white gold, which needs to be regularly refreshed with rhodium by your jeweller. The jewellery is placed in a galvanic bath and then coated with a layer of rhodium. Rhodium gives white gold jewellery its bright, clear lustre.

Cleaning silver jewellery

Some people know it from cutlery: silver requires special cleaning. This also applies to silver jewellery. To clean silver jewellery properly, you don't need to use any special cleaning products. Various homemade cleaning products can also be used to clean jewellery gently and thoroughly.
All our silver jewellery is coated with rhodium, which helps it to retain its shine for longer. This rhodium coating is a guarantee of quality that does not apply to all silver jewellery. The thickness of the coating, and therefore its resistance, can vary considerably without being visible. Therefore, we recommand to have your silver jewellery regularly refreshed by a jeweller and to apply a new layer of rhodium. This treatment protects your jewellery from oxidation and makes it last longer.
With silver jewellery in particular, it is important to clean it regularly, as otherwise oxidation will quickly cause black edges to form, which are difficult to clean once they have formed. If this happens, a simple homemade solution based on salt and aluminium foil can help. Place the silver jewellery in a bowl with a little salt and a few strips of aluminium foil. Then soak them in hot water and normally the black marks on those silver rings, necklaces or earrings will slowly dissolve.
However, we advise you not to leave your jewellery in this solution for too long. If your jewellery is stored and cared for correctly, a bath in the salt solution is often not necessary. Black spots of this kind can also be avoided by regular polishing with a microfibre cloth. Depending on the relief and fineness of the jewellery, we recommend that you proceed with caution.

Cleaning pearl jewellery

Unlike gold and silver jewellery, pearl jewellery should not be immersed in baths or solutions, but wiped with a damp cloth.A leather cloth is best suited for this. Cleaning it on a hand that has just been creamed can also work wonders due to the grease. Pearls are sensitive natural products and should not be worn during sport, in contact with cleaning agents or cosmetics such as hairspray and perfume. They are sensitive to sunlight, heat and dry air.
In the event of heavy soiling, cleaning with mild soapy water is sufficient. The pearls should then be carefully left to air dry. Do not use a hairdryer or ultrasonic devices. We recommend that pearl necklaces are regularly reknotted to protect the thread.

Cleaning stainless steel jewellery

Your stainless steel jewellery can be easily cleaned with soap and water. After bathing in water with soap, rinse the jewellery under cold running water and dry with a soft microfibre cloth.

Cleaning diamonds

Diamonds are the strongest material on earth. However, diamonds should also be cleaned from time to time. The best way to do this is with lukewarm water, very little soap and a soft toothbrush. We recommend cleaning the jewellery in a bowl and not over the sink. You can then rinse the jewellery with clear water and dry it with a soft cloth.

Conclusion

You can clean your jewellery yourself using simple homemade preparation. However, if you are unsure, we always recommend that you visit a specialist to have your jewellery cleaned. They will choose the most appropriate method for cleaning the jewellery, whether it is cleaning the jewellery with ultrasound or using a homemade preparation. Our specialised staff will be happy to assist you and take care of the cleaning for you if you wish.