Our jewellery can be made from lots of different metals so it is important to know just how to care for them properly and ensure they last.
Silver: It’s common for silver to tarnish and oxidise, especially when left unworn for a period of time. This is a natural reaction to chemicals in the atmosphere, heat and the body oils of the wearer. To remove discolouration I’d recommend investing in a good quality jewellery cleaning cloth or silver cleaning solution.
Gold: I like to refer to yellow gold as a ‘self polishing metal’. It still requires regular maintenance however it very rarely tarnishes and doesn’t change colour. Avoiding chemicals like chlorine is a good place to start as this will dull the shine of your yellow gold jewellery and over time can weaken the structure of the metal.
White Gold will require a little more maintenance than its yellow counterpart. All white gold has a plating called ‘rhodium’ and this will need to be re-done approximately every 12 months to maintain the high lustre of your piece.
General wear and tear can be polished out by your jeweller and in between professional cleans you can maintain the look of the metal with a jewellery cleaning solution.
Keep an eye on claws holding your diamonds or gemstones in place as gold is still ‘bendable’ with the right amount of force.
Platinum: Although platinum is perceived to be the strongest metal it still scratches and dents – sometimes more easily than gold! It has a slightly different characteristic to gold.
The metal itself doesn’t wear away when scratched; it displaces or separates and gives way for the scratch. This can sometimes result in deeper grooves and dents than expected from a bump or scratch.
Over time it also develops a rich lustre called a ‘patina’. I personally prefer this worn look and my wedding band is starting to exhibit it now after almost two years of wear.
Platinum is a pure white metal, meaning that it doesn’t require plating like white gold however it is slightly more grey in colour in comparison to rhodium plated white gold. It can be cared for and cleaned using the same method as gold.
