Jewellery Care Guide: 

All jewellery, especially jewellery that is worn on a daily basis, will need to be looked after with proper care so they can last generations. We advise that you bring in your jewellery annually to have it checked and cleaned.
Below are our general jewellery care recommendations: 

Remove your jewellery when: 

• Doing domestic chores or heavy housework, which does include but is not limited to; gardening, dishwashing, lifting heavy objects, and using chemicals like chlorine, bleach or other cleaning solutions. 
• Going to the gym or doing heavy work with your hands whether it be at work or at home, especially when in contact with other metals. 
• Playing sports or recreational activities. 
• In water including showers, spas, ocean or swimming pools. Some chemicals in a chlorine pool can discolour, damage and possibly loosen the stones and settings. 
• Applying perfume, hand creams, moisturizers, lotions, hairsprays and cosmetics, as it can tarnish your jewellery. In the jewellery industry the saying is, ‘jewellery should be the last thing you put on when you leave the house and the first thing you take off when you get home’.
• You notice something is not quite right, like one of the stones is loose, or if your earrings don’t close properly. In these cases, you should bring your item in right away for us to assess and repair. 

Further recommendation for jewellery care; 

Gold and silver jewellery:

• If you notice your gold or silver jewellery tarnishing, a jewellery cleaning cloth should be used to rub firmly over the metal part of the jewellery, until the tarnish disappears and brings the metal to a shiny lustre. Please do not use jewellery cleaning cloths on any gemstones, as they are embedded with special cleaning materials and can scratch some gemstones. 
• Some of our silver range has a special finish that we like to call our ‘frosted silver’ look. The matt white finish will come off with wear over time (general wear and tear). The matt white finish will also polish away and become a shiny silver if a jewellery cleaning cloth is used on it.

 Caring for Diamonds: 

• Diamonds are tough, rating a 10/10 on the Moh’s Hardness Scale, but they are not invincible. diamonds can scratch other diamonds and gemstones, and they can also chip, crack or cleave if knocked with enough force on hard surfaces. Make sure to store them carefully where they can’t touch other jewellery pieces. 
• Diamonds naturally attract dirt and dust, as well as greasy residues from body oils, hand lotions, sunscreen and some soaps which reduces their sparkle. We recommend submerging your diamond jewellery in warm soapy water and using a very soft toothbrush to help dislodge any dirt and grime from hard to reach areas, like under the stone setting. Make sure to rinse the jewellery well and dry with a cloth.

 Pearls: 

• Pearls are an organic gemstone and can easily be scratched or damaged by other jewellery or materials due to their soft to reasonable hardness. 
• Pearls are affected by anything acidic and most chemicals, such as perfume, hairspray, cosmetics, alcohol, bleach, ammonia, chlorine and even perspiration. It is recommended that you apply perfume and cosmetics before putting on your pearls. When you remove your pearls, they should be wiped with a very soft clean cloth to remove any excess oils and dirt. 
• It’s advised that pearl pieces not be in contact or rub against other jewellery when being worn or stored away to avoid any scratching or damage. 
• The best mode of storage for pearl jewellery is in its original box or pouch, or something of equivalence. Try to avoid storing them in any damp places. 
• Pearls are precious natural gems that require the utmost care and consideration when worn in jewellery.  

 Restringing: 

• It is advised to inspect the thread regularly on your pearl strand, and if there is any sign of fraying, the strand should be re-threaded.  
• Pearl bracelets and necklaces are subject to constant rubbing against the skin and this can cause abrasion after a few years of day to day wear. Pearl jewellery should be treated with care and professionally inspected and re-threaded as required.

 Opals: 

• Opals are known to be a soft gemstone and need to be worn with care as they have a hardness rating (scratch resistance) of 5 – 6.5 on the Moh’s hardness scale.  
• Opal are a porous gemstone and are known to be quite brittle. This means they are susceptible to chipping, cracking and breakage due to incorrect care, which can cause them to lose some of their spectacular colour! Opals can be affected by oils, lotions and water, so we recommend that opals not be worn every day, and rather on occasion.   
• Remove your opal jewellery if there is any chance of it getting scratched, damaged or broken. ( ie gardening, certain house hold chores, sport, physical activities and moving furniture etc.). 
• Solid opals may crack when subjected to dry conditions or sudden changes in temperature. Try to avoid very high temperatures or low humidity extremes, such as boiling water or zero humidity bank vaults. 
• We recommend that you never clean an opal in an ultrasonic cleaner, as the vibrations could crack the opal. 
• We find that many people are unsure if their opal jewellery has a solid opal, a doublet or a triplet opal set in it. Doublets have other materials like plastic, rock or other stones glued to the underside of a thin slice of opal, and triplets also have this, but with another clear plastic section glued on top. Doublets and triplets cannot be submerged in water or get wet as it will weaken the glue and the different sections may come apart. Solid opals are fine to submerge in water or get wet.  
• If you need to clean your opal jewellery, we recommend using a slightly damp cloth with a little bit of mild detergent to gently wipe it. Please do not clean or wipe opals with a dry cloth, as if there is dirt on the opal it could scratch.

 Damascus steel: 

• Damascus steel is a relatively easy metal to look after. But due to the combination of mixed metals it should not be exposed or immersed in salt water, treated water (hot tubs, pools, showers etc.) and harsh chemicals. 
• Occasionally some surface rust can occur, especially within the first few months of wear which can be easily rubbed off using a cloth. 
• Damascus steel rings will scratch and wear like any other ring, however, due to their unique patterns they hide wear very well. 
• Damascus steel rings can always be brought in for inspection and be polished and buffed if required. We do not recommend rhodium plating be put on a ring that contains Damascus steel.

 Leather jewellery: 

• We ask that our customers take care and be sensible when wearing leather jewellery products. Leather is a natural material and it needs to be taken care of appropriately. 
• Please do not immerse or wear your leather jewellery in water, including showering or swimming. Water can damage and cause the leather to deteriorate. There is also the chance it grows mould!  
• Leather can discolour and wear down from coming into contact with chemicals and solvents. 
• It’s advised that leather jewellery is stored in a cool dry place.

 Neoprene: 

• Neoprene is a rubber like material typically worn with pearls as necklaces or bracelets. 
• After wear it is best to wipe the neoprene with a dry or slightly damp clean cloth, as perspiration can cause the neoprene to become hard over time and loose its flexibility.  
• When storing Neoprene, it is best to lay it out flat, but if you do not have sufficient space to do so, you can gently roll it and set as smaller loose circles overlapping. This can help prevent kinks and breaks in the material.

For any other queries on gemstones, materials or items not mentioned, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and ask.