Tips

• Be careful when removing your jewellery to wash your hands. Do not leave your jewellery on the rim of a sink where it can easily slip down the drain.

• See your jeweller at least once a year to have your jewellery checked for loose prongs, worn mountings, and general wear and tear. Visit your jeweller every six months to have your jewellery professionally cleaned.

• There are many types of small machines on the market that will clean jewellery in a matter of minutes using high-frequency sound. These machines are called ultrasonic cleaners and are available in many different models and prices. They can be a convenient way to quickly clean your jewellery at home. However, ultrasonic cleaners can damage some jewellery and prolonged use may loosen gemstones from their mountings. Your local jeweller can tell you if an ultrasonic cleaning machine is right for your jewellery wardrobe and, if it is, recommend an appropriate model

Keep your jewellery clean...

 

• It is best to use a soft cleaning cloth, chamois leather or synthetic chamois to clean your jewellery. A good gold cleaning liquid is also useful for maintaining the shining glory of your gold jewellery.

• When cleaning your jewellery, always use soft, non-abrasive material. A good cleaning liquid may be used for intricate jewellery with delicate links, which a cloth may not reach. Once in a while, gold ornaments should be cleaned by dropping them into boiling water in which a pinch of sodium bicarbonate has been added, for just half a minute. Drop one piece of jewellery at a time and remove it. Then wipe it immediately with a soft cloth.
  

 

• When you buy gold jewellery, make sure that it is given to you in a box with a satin or velvet lining. Gold ornaments should not be kept in pouches, because this will cause scratching and wearing away of gold when the gold pieces brush against each other. This is even more likely if the ornament is studded with diamonds or other hard gemstones.