Avoid Chemicals: We often forget to remove our jewellery when cleaning. But, chemicals in cleaning products can easily react with our gold jewellery. These chemicals can affect the shine, finish and overall preservation of our jewellery. So, try to avoid chemicals when decking out in gold. Especially harsh chemicals like household cleaners. Remember to remove your jewellery before cleaning or wear gloves whilst doing so.

Remove Before Exercising: Excess moisture can contribute towards jewellery tarnishing. Removing gold jewellery before working out or engaging in sports can prevent sweat from damaging your jewellery. It also will help prevent your jewellery from getting unnecessarily dented! Gold is a soft metal after all.

Inspect Regularly: Checking your gold jewellery for any signs of wear means you can keep on top of dints, scratches and tarnishing. Gemstones may become loose and catching this early means you can prevent losing any. If you notice any signs of damage that you can’t fix at home, such as loosened gemstones, now would be a good time to take your jewellery to a professional jeweller. They will be able to help preserve your pieces and make sure any loose stones stay secure.

Rotate Your Pieces: Once you have built a collection you’re proud of, you can switch between which gold pieces you wear. Rings can easily get tarnished through repeated wear. Swapping them out for different rings means you can experiment with different looks whilst preserving your other jewellery. Give your daily jewellery space to rest and let your statement rings shine!

Don't Get It Wet: Soap can build up on your gold jewellery and create a nasty film that ruins the shine. Taking your jewellery off before showering removes this stress. As well as this, moisture in any form can have a negative effect on your jewellery. From tarnishing to shine reduction, getting your rings, necklaces and earrings wet means you have an increased chance of needing to take serious care of your jewellery. By taking good care of your jewellery in the first place, you significantly reduce your need to actively clean and polish your pieces.

Put Jewellery on Last: When getting ready, you expose your face and body to an expanse of chemicals. Although not necessarily damaging to your skin, these chemicals can damage your jewellery! Makeup, perfume and other cosmetics can contribute towards tarnishing. When getting ready, it’s a positive practice to get into putting your perfume on way before you leave the house. Then, pop your prized pieces on right before you leave. By this time your cosmetics will have settled and will have less chance of having damaging effects.

Gentle Cleaner: Using a mild soap or a soft detergent like baby shampoo, pop a few drops into a small bowl of warm water. Drop your solid gold pieces in the solution and leave them to soak for a few minutes. After removing them, gently scrub the piece with a soft-bristled brush or toothbrush to remove any dirt. Give each piece a thorough rinse with clean water and pat them dry with a soft cloth.

Polishing: After your jewellery is clean and you have removed any excess dirt or debris, grab a lint-free, anti-tarnish polishing cloth and buff your pieces. This will help to restore your jewellery’s original shine and get it back looking beautiful!

Minimal Cleaning: Getting gold plated jewellery wet is something we should all try to avoid. But, by popping your heavily tarnished jewellery in a mild solution of soap and water, you can clean your pieces thoroughly. Just make sure to soak them for a short amount of time! For gold plated jewellery that is just a little dirty, soaking some cotton buds or pieces of soft cloth and gently rubbing away any debris is a safer way to clean. Create a solution of gentle soap and water and use cotton pads, buds or a cloth to get into the tiny nooks of your jewellery and get it sparkling.

Polishing: For gold plated jewellery that has dulled its shine, a simple polish and buff may help restore your pieces. Take a lint-free cloth and wipe the surface of each jewellery piece. This will help to remove any dirt whilst also giving your jewellery its brilliance back. Giving your gold plated jewellery a gentle buff between wears will also help prevent you from needing to give your jewellery deeper cleans.

Separate Your Jewellery: Gold is a very soft metal. To help avoid scratches, dents and tangles, each piece should be stored separately. Using a jewellery box with different compartments, place your individual pieces into the unique compartments to prevent them from getting caught and scratching each other. We have a large selection of jewellery boxes and cases with enough space to store lots of different pieces. Or, you can place them inside soft drawstring pouches to keep them protected.

Away from Moisture: Keeping your jewellery away from moisture is super important! Especially with gold plated pieces, the more moisture they’re exposed to, the more likely they are to tarnish. Therefore, keeping your jewellery in a dry environment inside a jewellery box or tucked inside a drawer is a great way to reduce the risk of getting your pieces wet.

Sunlight Exposure: When jewellery is exposed to sunlight, it can cause the gold to fade or become discoloured. Make sure to store your jewellery in a box or case away from direct sunlight. Specifically, keep it in a cool, dark place, such as a closed jewellery box.

Anti-Tarnish Strips: As a final preventative measure, you can place anti-tarnish strips inside your jewellery box, drawer or other storage containers. These handy little strips help to absorb excess moisture in the air so your jewellery doesn’t tarnish!