Care guide
Keep it looking brand new
Solid gold and set stones are made to be worn, and a couple of quiet habits are all they ask in return. Here is the routine we use in the studio, and what to do for gold, for gemstones, and for the years when a piece sits in its box.
01
Wash
Warm water with a drop of mild soap. No bleach, no ammonia, no abrasive polish — solid gold and hand-set stones need nothing stronger.
02
Brush
A soft brush worked gently around the setting, the claws and the links of a chain, where soap and skin oils collect.
03
Dry
A lint-free cloth, dried properly before the piece goes back on. Paper towels and tissues leave fibres and fine scratches.
04
Store
Back into its own pouch or box, clasp fastened. Pieces look tired mostly from knocking against each other, not from being worn.
Gold
Every piece we make is solid 18k gold, so the colour is the metal all the way through. It will not wear through, flake or leave a mark on your skin the way a plated piece can.
What gold does do is collect the oils of daily wear. A ring worn every day looks a little dull after a few weeks — that is a film sitting on the surface, not damage, and the routine above takes it off in a minute.
- Clean the pieces you wear daily once a month, and the ones you keep for occasions before you put them away.
- Warm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft brush is all solid gold ever needs.
- Skip abrasive polishes, bleach and chlorine — they dull the finish and attack the alloy.
- Take rings and bracelets off before the gym, gardening or housework. A sharp knock is the one thing gold cannot shrug off.
Gemstones
Stones are set by hand, and the setting matters as much as the stone. Most of the damage we see on a well-kept piece is a loosened stone rather than a scratched one.
Some stones are far softer than others. Unless you know yours well, treat every stone the same way — gently. No ultrasonic machines, no steam cleaners, no soaking overnight.
- Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush, worked around the setting rather than scrubbed over the stone.
- Dry with a lint-free cloth, never a tissue, which leaves fibres behind.
- Check the claws and setting every few months. If a stone moves or rocks, stop wearing the piece and write to the studio.
- Put jewellery on after perfume or body lotion has dried, and take it off before swimming — chlorine and salt are hard on settings.
- A hard stone resists scratches but not a sharp knock, and softer stones need keeping away from harder pieces.
Storing your pieces
The fine scratches that make a collection look tired usually come from other jewellery rather than from wearing it. Give every piece its own place — the box it arrived in or a soft pouch — and the surface stays bright for years.
Keep the collection somewhere dry and dark. Steam and damp are what make stones look cloudy and settings dull, which is why the bathroom shelf is the worst home for a piece of jewellery.
- One piece per pouch or compartment, never a bowl or drawer where pieces can knock together.
- Fasten clasps and lay necklaces flat so the chain cannot knot itself.
- For travel, use a soft roll or pouch and keep pieces apart from anything metal in your bag.
- Bring out the pieces you wear rarely once a year for a clean and a look at the settings.
Worth avoiding
- Swimming pools, hot tubs and the sea — chlorine and salt dull stones and wear fine settings.
- Perfume, hairspray and body lotion: your jewellery goes on last, once everything else has dried.
- The gym, the garden and the housework — rings and bracelets come off before you start.
- Abrasive cleaners, bleach and ultrasonic machines on hand-set stones.
- The bathroom shelf, where steam and damp live.
Send it home when it needs us
Complimentary lifetime cleaning and re-polishing comes with every piece. If a stone has come loose, a clasp has weakened, or a piece simply deserves a better clean than home can give it, write to the studio and we will arrange it.