Jewellery Care
EC One’s guide to keeping your jewellery sparkling
DO:
- Keep your jewellery clean – with silver, gold and platinum jewellery, use a soft toothbrush, lukewarm water and washing up liquid (more details below)
- Always store your jewellery individually in the packaging it came in or a jewellery box, to avoid tangled chains and tarnishing
- Check your jewellery regularly for any wear and tear – check stone settings and necklace clasps are still secure
DON'T:
- Expose your jewellery to any chemicals such as household cleaners and perfumes, these cause damage and discolouration to the surface of your jewellery. That means no to cleaning your jewellery with vinegar, gin, and coca cola which can be very acidic!
- Wear your jewellery during activities such as exercising, swimming or gardening to avoid knocking or scratching.
- Let it have prolonged contact with hard or abrasive surfaces. Avoid carrying heavy bags while wearing delicate rings or bracelets as these can cause damage or misshape your jewellery.
Special finishes explained
Gold plating (also called gold vermeil): Some of our fashion pieces are silver with a gold plated finish. Microns of gold are fused to the surface of the silver. As gold plating is a surface finish, it can be susceptible to wear. Looked after correctly, signs of wear should only occur over a long time. Avoid wearing gold plated jewellery when swimming or bathing, and remove rings before applying hand cream as the acids in moisturisers can affect the longevity of the plating. Perfumes can also affect gold plated necklaces, so allow your perfume to dry before putting on gold plated jewellery. Gold plating is available in the EC One workshop for already plated pieces or silver items you might wish to plate.
Rhodium plating: Some of our precious white gold pieces are rhodium plated to give a brighter white or darker blackened finish to the metal. This is a surface finish, and can be susceptible to wear. As with gold plating, avoid wearing rhodium plated jewellery when swimming, washing or during ‘hands-on’ tasks. Jewellery can be re-rhodium plated in the EC one workshop.
Matt and polished finishes: Wear and tear can affect the finish of a metal, whether matt or polished. We can refinish items to make them look brand new again.
Cleaning your jewellery at home
Tarnish: Silver can tarnish (turn dull or grey) over time if unworn or stored against other items of jewellery. Use non-abrasive silver polishing cloth or liquid silver dip. Both are available from supermarkets. We recommend that silver dip is only used occasionally as over use can be detrimental to your jewellery.
Sparkle: Get your jewellery sparkling again (with the exception of opals, pearls and emeralds, as these are porous) by soaking it for a short time in a bowl of warm water with a mild liquid detergent. Then, using a soft bristle toothbrush gently clean over the surface and in and behind any stone settings. Avoid harder bristled brushes or new toothbrushes as these can leave scratches on the surface of the metal. Rinse the piece under running water and use a soft cloth to dry the piece.
Pearls: The golden rule with all pearl jewellery is to put it on as the final touch – after you have dressed, styled your hair and applied your make-up. Avoid wearing pearl jewellery when bathing, allow all creams to soak in and perfumes to dry before putting on any pearl jewellery – this will also keep any chains, ring shanks or earring settings which feature pearls clean. When you remove your pearl jewellery, wipe it over with a lint-free cloth to remove any surface dirt and gently polish the pearls.
Pearls can be cleaned using a very mild detergent and water solution, and a soft cloth. Avoid chemicals or strong soapy cleaners and abrasive cloths and do not leave the pearls to soak. When clean, allow your pearls to air dry.
Store strings or pearls and pearl jewellery in a soft bag made from chamois leather, velvet or the equivalent. If you wear a string of pearls regularly, make sure you have them re-strung once a year; a regular 16″ single strand can cost approximately £45 to be re-strung. Likewise, a pearl necklace which may not have been worn for sometime should be checked for any wear before being worn.
Cleaning Gemstones whether at EC One or at home
There are many different gemstones, all with individual characteristics, colours, cuts and care-guides. Below we have outlined the most popular gemstones used in the jewellery sold at EC One, and how we are able to clean them or what you can do at home.
Emerald
Cannot be cleaned in our Ultrasonic cleaner, due to its brittle nature. At home, use a soft toothbrush and warm, soapy water. Dry with a soft, clean cloth.
Diamond
Can be cleaned in our Ultrasonic cleaner. At home, use a soft toothbrush and warm, soapy water. Dry with a soft clean cloth.
Opal
Cannot be cleaned in our Ultrasonic cleaner, as opals are soft porous stones which can crack under extreme changes of heat or atmosphere. At home, use a dry or damp cloth to clean the surface of the stone.
Tanzanite
Cannot be cleaned in our Ultrasonic cleaner. At home, use warm, soapy water and dry with a soft clean cloth.
Peridot
Cannot be cleaned in our ultrasonic cleaner. Use a soft toothbrush and warm soapy water. Dry with a soft, clean cloth.
Topaz
Cannot be cleaned using our Ultrasonic cleaner. Use a soft toothbrush and warm, soapy water. Dry with a soft, clean cloth.
Tourmaline
Can be cleaned in our Ultrasonic cleaner. At home, use a soft toothbrush and warm, soapy water. Dry with a soft clean cloth
Ruby
Can be cleaned in our Ultrasonic cleaner. At home, use a soft toothbrush with warm, soapy water. Ammonia-based cleaners are OK to use. Dry with a soft, clean cloth.
Sapphire
Can be cleaned in our Ultrasonic cleaner. Use a soft toothbrush with warm, soapy water, ammonia-based cleaners or rubbing alcohol. Dry with a soft, clean cloth.
Garnet
Can be cleaned in our Ultrasonic cleaner (a warm liquid solution bath which ‘shakes’ trapped dirt and removed grease from the surface of jewellery). At home, use a soft toothbrush and warm, soapy water. Dry with a soft, clean cloth.