Rock Cakes

Jewellery Spring Clean

Ok, so i’m a bit late coming at you with this one, it’s nearly the summer but things have been pretty hectic here what with the lomocake addition. we are however getting back on track with some exciting new products on the way, in the meantime whilst you are waiting it’s time to sparkle up your old rocks and gems and give them a new lease of life…

Silver tarnishes easily, it simply reacts when exposed to the air so there’s no avoiding it, there are some great “silver dip” products on the market which are inexpensive and available from any good hardware store. They are super simple to use and instantly bring brightness back to the metal and all you need to do is immerse your jewellery into the liquid and give it a good rinse with water afterwards, it’s that easy.
There are also “Silver Cloths” on the market which are like dusters which contain a chemical which removes the tarnish, these work well but i find that the dip effortlessly gets into every nook and cranny.
Another option is to get a friendly jeweller, preferably the one that made/sold you the piece to give it a once over, some jewellers may charge or others (like myself) are happy to renew you item free of charge.

Gold Plated Silver should not tarnish so easily as the silver itself is not actually in contact with the air, in this case to bring the piece back to life it may need to be re-plated as the gold is a thin layer which can wear away, a charge may be applied to this which will vary dependent on the size of your item.

Yellow Gold tends not to need cleaning, if there is a build up of dirt, say behind a setting, a soft toothbrush, some everyday washing-up detergent and warm water can be used to carefully remove it. As gold is a soft metal dulls down with simple ware and tare, this is to be expected and it is best to live with it, a jeweller however can polish it back to life again it is best to go back to where you purchased the ring to have any work done.

White Gold is actually quite a dull grey in colour and pieces are often rhodium plated to bring them up to a super bright white, this can wear away so to get back to that fresh looking piece it may need to be plated again, at a minimum cost.

Stones can all be cleaned but they vary in how porous us they are some some need more care than others, with the exception of pearls, a soft toothbrush, washing up liquid and warm water will usually remove the build up of any dirt, rubies, sapphires and of course diamonds are pretty tough but emeralds and opals are relatively soft so need more delicate care. You can email me directly if you are worried at all or again contact the place where you got the jewellery.

Pearls are super porous and can easily loose their lustre, it is advised that if you wear perfume with pearls that you apply it and let it dry before putting on a necklace, they are also strung onto silk which over time can wear away and begin to give. If your pearls seem loose they should be restrung otherwise you risk the thread breaking and possibly loosing some, stringing is usually charged for.

Enamel is fragile, it is basically glass, so again warm soapy water and this time a soft cloth can be used to wash away any grime.

This is just a basic guide to caring for your jewellery, if you have any questions please get in touch and if you do get cleaning it is at your own risk! (that’s the boring small print)

12/05/2010
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