Jewellery Care

Cleaning

Warm water, a drop of mild washing-up liquid and a soft toothbrush will remove most of what dulls a stone — hand cream, soap film, skin oil. Work gently around the setting, rinse, and dry with a lint-free cloth. Do this every few weeks and a ring keeps its brightness without any special product.

When to take it off

Remove rings before swimming, cleaning, gardening and lifting weights. Chlorine attacks the alloys in gold over time, household cleaners are harsher than they look, and a bar across the palm is the most common way a band gets bent out of round.

Storage

Store pieces separately, in the pouch or box they arrived in. Diamond and moissanite are both hard enough to scratch gold and platinum, so loose jewellery in one compartment will mark itself.

Checks

Once a year, have the setting checked by a jeweller. Claws wear down slowly and it is far cheaper to have one retipped than to replace a lost stone.

White gold

White gold is plated with rhodium to give it its colour. That plating wears with everyday use and can be reapplied — how often depends on the wearer, typically every one to three years.