Caring for your jewellery.

Plated finishes

Gold plated, matte and antique are all a thin plating on a brass base, sealed with lacquer. They last years with care and months without it, and nearly everything that shortens that is avoidable.

• Put jewellery on last, after perfume, deodorant, hairspray and moisturiser have dried, and take it off first.
• Keep it dry: off before bathing, swimming, washing up and sleeping. Water and sweat are what dull plating and, in time, darken it.
• Wipe with a soft dry cloth after each wearing; nothing more is needed.
• Never use water, toothpaste, detergent, vinegar, baking soda, silver polish or an ultrasonic cleaner. Each one takes plating off faster than years of wear.

Kemp, AD stones and closed settings

Kemp and AD stones are set over foil and glue in their collets; water and solvents find their way behind the stone and dull it from inside, and loosen the glue.

• No soaking, ever. Wipe the metal around the stones with a dry cloth.
• Keep away from perfume and hairspray, which cloud the foil behind the stone.
• If a stone moves when pressed lightly, stop wearing the piece and bring it in: resetting a stone is a ten-minute job, replacing a lost one is not.

Pearls and beads

• Shell and glass pearls are coated; wipe them with a soft dry cloth and keep them away from water and perfume.
• Strung pieces should be restrung when the thread between beads loosens or discolours; the store does this for a small charge.
• Coral and resin beads scratch; store them apart from metal.

Storing

• Each piece in its own pouch, pouches in a closed box, chains fastened so they cannot knot.
• Keep the silica sachet from the parcel in the box, and change it each monsoon.
• Harams flat, not hanging; a heavy haram hung by its clasp stretches the chain.
• Never in the bathroom, and never loose in a drawer with other pieces: plating scratches plating.

Travelling

• Carry jewellery in hand luggage, never checked baggage.
• A rolled soft cloth with pieces tucked into the folds travels better than a hard box.
• Photograph pieces and keep the invoice on your phone for any replacement request.

When to bring a piece in

When a stone moves, a hook has opened, a clasp does not click, or the plating has worn through to brass at a point of wear. Stones, hooks and clasps are repaired at the store free within 30 days of delivery and for a small charge after that; replating a well-loved piece takes a week or two and costs a fraction of a new one. Write to us on WhatsApp with a photograph first.