How to keep your Jewellery sparkling clean

Caring for Your Jewellery

Caring for your handmade jewellery is easy and will help your treasures last a lifetime of

wear and pleasure. This brief guide takes you through the basics, as well as highlighting

some pitfalls to watch out for. But first, a quick word of caution. Before you start any

cleaning activity, please be sure that your stones or beads will not be damaged by

whichever method you have selected.

General wearing advice:

When wearing, protect all jewellery from scratches, sharp blows, chemicals,

extreme temperatures, and sunlight.

The above also appllies to storage, when jewellery is particularly vulnerable,

especially when left in the bottom of a drawer or cupboard.

Store jewellery separately so it doesn't scratch other jewellery.

Remove jewellery when doing household tasks such a gardening, cleaning and

household repairs or other strenuous activities such as sport.

Apply makeup, perfume and hairspray before putting on your jewellery.

Do not store jewellery next to heating vent, window sill, or in the car.

Store jewellery away from sunlight. The sun will fade some gemstones.

Always store bead necklaces strung on silk or cotton flat because these threads

stretch over time.

Store metal jewellery in resealable plastic or jewellery bags with silica-gel sachets

to prevent tarnish.

Jewellery with pearls or opals needs to be stored in fabric instead of plastic bags as

these stones need to "breathe."

General cleaning advice:

After each wearing, gently wipe each piece of jewellery clean of make-up and skin oils with a 100% cotton cloth.

Some jewellery can be washed in warm soapy water providing it is dried carefully before

storage. Do not do this if your jewellery is strung on silk or cotton as these will stretch.

Rinse carefully and pat dry with a soft non-abrasive cloth.

Polish metals gently with a soft jewellery polishing cloth.

Ultrasonic cleaners only work with hard crystalline stones; otherwise avoid them.

Whatever you do, please be gentle.

Do not use Chemical Cleaners:

Many stones will be adversely affected by harsh chemical cleaners. Many will discolour

and some may eventually break apart. The stones which are particularly vulnerable

include Amber, Aquamarine, Coral, Emerald, Jade, Lapis, Malachite, Opal, Pearls, Shell

and Turquoise. If in doubt, simply don’t put in any chemicals.

Light Sensitive Stones:

Many stones will bleach in strong light if left exposed for long periods of time. They will

lose their bright colour and eventually become drab and unattractive. The stones which

are vulnerable to sunlight include Amethyst, Ametrine, Aquamarine, Aventurine, Beryl,

Celestite, Chrysoprase, Citrine, Hiddenite, Kunzite, Rose and Smoky Quartz, Fluorite and

Topaz.

Cleaning Beads:

Beads are usually more robust than semi-precious stones, especially if they are made of

glass, pottery or ceramic. However some beads, in particular those made from wood or

bone are usually very sensitive and have to be treated with great care. Consequently the

same cleaning and storage precautions should be exercised as the advice given for other

kinds of jewellery.

Cleaning Silver and Gold:

Silver and gold can generally be cared for in the same way. Both methods below work well, but make sure that you are not too enthusiastic cleaning plated items, as your vigorous rubbing may wear away the metal coating. Solid items should withstand more vigorous treatment.

Commercial silver/gold cleaners. Be sure that any stones in the jewellery can withstandthe chemicals in the cleaner. Read the label, and if in doubt, do not use the cleaner. Some gemstones that cannot be placed in most commercial jewellery cleaners are: pearls, lapislazuli, malachite, opals, coral, turquoise, and others.

Tarnish can be prevented by storing your jewellery in resealable plastic bag together witha sachet of silica gel. This will absorb any moisture. Silver or gold jewellery containing pearls and opals, however, should not be stored in plastic bags.

Disclaimer: Whilst the information given above is provided in good faith, we do not recommend you do anything unless you are personally certain that no harm will come to your jewellery as a result of cleaning. We do not take any responsibility for damage which ensues from your actions.

Caring for Your Home Decor

Galuchat leather products, please use a soft hair brush or small vacuum cleaner to clean dust from leather grooves.

Avoid exposing leather items to direct sunlight to avoid fading.

For polishing Sterling silver parts, please use the silver polishing cloth ( not cream ) to gently rub the silver.

For shell products, use soft and damp cloth to clean.

For Buffalo Horn and Wood products, use dry cloth to clean or use damp cloth to clean and let the products dry. If wood looks dry, you can use Wood cleaning spray like Pledge to moisturize the wood and the clean it with a clean cloth.

For Glass products, you can use glass cleaner to clean as usual.

For Lacquer Coated Trays, use soft damp cloth to clean

Red Lacquer products, first, clean by dusting it with a soft cloth or a soft brush

Crystal Goblets should only be hand washed.