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General care
Frequently asked questions concerning jewellery maintenance
White gold is coated with a layer of rhodium. If a piece of jewellery is worn a lot, external influences will cause this layer to wear off. Think of knocks and wearing the ring while showering or washing your hands. Careful handling of the jewellery can prolong the time it takes for the rhodium layer to wear off. More on maintaining your jewellery you can find by scrolling down this page.
DiamondsByMe believes that jewellery should last a lifetime. But of course, a product that is worn will wear down There is no expiry date on a piece of jewellery. Nevertheless, jewellery looks different on everyone after a certain period of time because it is an item you wear which brings it into contact with other materials such as; doorknobs, handlebars or other jewellery/factors that can adversely affect its quality. Taking the jewellery off when exercising or cleaning is only a good thing and prolongs its life. Want more information on maintaining your jewellery please check our Knowledge Base at Jewellery General Care. We also offer a lifetime warranty on our jewellery. Read here what that means.
Absolutely. For a gold alloy, additional metals are always used to strengthen the alloy. This is because gold is itself a soft metal. One of the accessory metals that can be used is copper, and when a gold ring comes into contact with the skin, the acid content in the skin can cause a reaction with the copper. In most cases, this oxidation can simply be removed with a good polishing cloth. Want to know more about our metals? Then take a look at our Knowledge Base. You can also read more about maintaining your jewellery here.
General Care of Jewellery
When you wear a beautiful piece of jewellery, around your finger, arm or neck, of course you want it to stay in pristine condition as long as possible.
With proper care and maintenance you will enjoy your jewellery for much longer. That is why we recommend cleaning and gently polishing your jewellery.
Noble metals used to craft jewellery are often, if not always, softer than the materials they come into contact with during wear. This may cause scratches, dents or other damage to your jewellery. The precious stones may also lose some of their sheen for various external reasons.
Silver jewellery
Silver jewellery may turn black over time, this happens as a result of the Ph-levels of your skin while wearing the jewellery, or because the jewellery is not worn at all. The substance that causes this blackening of silver is hydrogen-sulfide, a substance that occurs naturally in the air and in other materials. As a result of a chemical reaction it causes a thin black layer to form on silver jewellery.
The skin produces natural oils, which can react with silver jewellery. Everyone's skin is different; this does not mean that everyone will experience issues. The use of medication, diet, alcohol consumption, or sweat can more readily cause a reaction between the skin and the jewellery. There is no one clear solution to prevent silver jewellery from tarnishing, but there are a few things you can pay attention to if you are experiencing this:
- Take off silver jewellery during exercise, swimming or cleaning. Consider heave perspiration, chlorine and other detergents.
- Take off your jewellery in the evening and only start to wear it after applying make-up, perfume, hairspray, body lotion or various other cosmetic products.
- When you do not wear your silver jewellery, store it in a box that closes. This enables you to minimize exposure of your jewellery to airborne sulfides.
- Take off your silver jewellery during long-term exposure to bright sunlight, this too may cause the jewellery to turn black.
Silver jewellery which turned black is easily polished with a piece of cloth and some silver polish. Sometimes this may not have the desired result. In that case make sure to contact us, we will certainly be able to help you return the glittery sheen to your silver.
Sometimes we are asked whether jewellery which turns black is actually made from silver. The answer is simple: if anything the blackening of jewellery shows that you are dealing with real silver. This is because other noble metals oxidize in different ways, or even not at all. Silver turning black happens at all levels of purity, and to our .925 alloy as well. Find out everything about our silver alloy here.
Gold Jewellery
Gold jewellery deteriorates over time as well. As explained above, this may be because the jewellery comes into contact with other objects. Consider, for example, tapping a gold ring against the gear stick of a car to the rhythm of a song. Or wearing the jewellery during heavy lifting.
Ring in particular will sustain more damage, because they are worn on your hand and come into contact with hard materials on a daily basis.
Of course a piece of golden jewellery can be restored so it shines as new once more. However there are things you can do to make sure the jewellery stays pristine as well.
Just like with silver jewellery we recommend against wearing jewellery during heavy manual labour, swimming, cleaning or sleep. Many people do not take off their jewellery when they go to bed, however there is the chance that you move in your sleep and hit the jewellery against a hard surface or even get it stuck. We always recommend removing jewellery before going to bed and keeping it in a jewellery box as much as possible.
Did your gold jewellery turn somewhat dull? Make it shine again by cleaning it with a soft brush, a soft cloth and some green soap in some lukewarm water. Of course there are special pieces of cloth available just for polishing gold jewellery. Use these to return the shine to your gold jewellery.
Gold jewellery made of alloys with higher gold contents are softer and hence damage more easily. It is useful to take note of this.
Gold jewellery made from alloy with lower gold contents is harder and more damage resistant. More information about the different gold contents of alloys can be found here.
Platinum jewellery
Platinum is a noble metal that is quite hard in and of itself. Apart from the fact that this hardness makes platinum harder to process, it will also be less susceptible to wear, scratches or dents. Compared to silver or white gold platinum requires minimal care and maintenance.
Generally platinum jewellery will retain its shiny exterior for a longer time. This is why platinum is considered the strongest and most expensive material. This ‘metal without weaknesses’ is often picked as a material for new wedding or engagement rings as a result.
Even platinum jewellery may become more dull over time. You can easily clean and polish the metal with a piece of soft cloth or a brush. You will be able to remove some dirt and grease this way. Bringing back the proper platinum shine will not be easy with a simple piece of cloth though. We recommend having your jeweller clean your platinum jewellery to make it shine as new once more.
If you would like to learn more about this beautiful noble metal, click here to read all about platinum.
Jewellery and precious stones
Exposure to bright sunlight can have a negative influence on the colour of a gemstone. Some precious stones are particularly sensitive to exposure to light, e.g.: amethyst, aquamarine, and smoky quartz. If these stones are exposed to bright sunlight for long periods of time they may change colour or even lose their colour entirely.
So please take this into account when deciding which jewellery to wear on your summer holiday, and which to leave at home.
Additionally the precious stones may be negatively influenced by perfume and various kinds of soap. We advice taking of your jewellery before doing cleaning. As you read before, chemical products may also negatively impact the qualities of noble metals. That is why it is important to take care not to bring your jewellery into contact with chemicals or cleaning agents.
Pearls may lose their sheen when they come into contact with cosmetic products or through friction between the pearl and other materials, surfaces and even clothing.
Diamond jewellery
The best quality of a diamond is its beautiful sparkle, its shimmering facets. Due to oily skin, oils, soap or creams, the sheen of the diamond may turn dull. That is why it is important to properly clean a diamond at least once a month. This will ensure that the diamond retains it beautiful sheen.
With some green soap and lukewarm water you will be able to clean the diamond. Use a soft tooth brush or something similar. The fine hairs of the toothbrush will get in between the stone and the setting so dirt and grime are removed from there as well.
After you are done, rinse the diamond to make sure no soap stays behind on the stone. Then go on to dry the diamond with a piece of clean lint-free cloth.
Of course it is also possible to have your diamond jewellery cleaned by us. We will check the setting of the diamond as well, because, as you might have guessed, this tiny part of noble metal will wear as well and you would not want to lose your diamond as a result. Our advice is to have your jewellery checked every 2 years.
Diamond may be the hardest gemstone, but even a diamond can be damaged. A diamond is made up of multiple facets, surfaces. If you drag the diamond along a stone wall, the diamond itself will not be damaged, the surfaces may be damaged however. So be always careful and make sure to take proper care of your diamonds.
Maintenance under Lifetime Warranty
We believe that a piece of jewellery should last at least a lifetime. Therefore, we particularly advise for jewellery with one or more gemstones, to send them back to us every few years for a check. Think of it as an periodic inspection for your jewellery.
The jewellery will be cleaned and polished, and the goldsmiths will check whether the stones are still securely set, adjusting the prongs if necessary.
Our consultants may also provide you with advice regarding maintenance, and discuss whether white gold jewellery needs to be re-rhodium plated.
Want to know the cost of a maintenance service? Please contact our customer service. Provide your order number for faster processing.
All jewellery made by DiamondsByMe is covered by our lifetime warranty programme. You can read more about the terms and conditions on our Lifetime Warranty page.