How to care for gold-plated jewellery

Gold plating is a layer of gold-coloured metal a few microns thick on a brass base, sealed with a lacquer. It is not meant to last forever, but it is meant to last years, and nearly everything that shortens that is in the wearer's hands.

Wearing

• Put jewellery on last, after perfume, deodorant, hairspray and moisturiser have dried; all four attack the lacquer and then the plating.
• Take it off before bathing, swimming, washing up and sleeping. Water and sweat are what turn plating dull and, eventually, dark.
• Heavy jhumkas and harams are for occasions; worn daily against skin they wear fastest at the points that touch you.

Cleaning

Wipe with a soft dry cloth after wearing, and that is all. Never wash plated jewellery, never use toothpaste, detergent, vinegar, baking soda, silver polish or an ultrasonic cleaner: each one takes plating off faster than years of wearing. Kemp, pearl and coral pieces have stones set over foil and glue, and water finds its way behind them.

Storing

Each piece in its own pouch, pouches in a closed box, chains fastened so they cannot knot, and the silica sachet from the parcel kept in the box through the monsoon. Pieces stored loose together scratch each other's plating. Never in the bathroom.

When to bring it in

When a stone moves under a fingernail, a hook has opened, or the plating has worn through to brass at a point of wear. Stones and hooks are a ten-minute fix at the store, free within 30 days of delivery and a small charge after; replating a well-loved piece takes a week or two and costs a fraction of a new one.