Jewellery Care Guide
Everyone has a favourite piece of jewellery. Whether it’s a special gift or a staple piece you love, we know you’ll want to keep it looking beautiful.
Designed to stand the test of time, your Beaverbrooks jewellery can be treasured forever with the help of our Jewellery Care Guide and you.
General Jewellery Care Tips
General Jewellery Care Tips
Follow these tips on how to care for your jewellery and how to clean your jewellery at home, to help keep it looking like new.
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During Wear
How To Care For Your Jewellery
- Always remove your jewellery when applying beauty products like make-up, perfume and hairspray. Or, to make things easy, just put your jewellery on last when getting ready.
- Don’t shower, soak or submerge your jewellery. Chlorine is especially damaging!
- Remove your jewellery when sleeping, cooking or cleaning. Rinse off any chemicals that come into contact with your jewellery.
- All these tips will help reduce corrosion, tarnishing and discolouration and damage to your special pieces.
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Storing
How To Store Your Jewellery
- Store your jewellery pieces in separate boxes or in pieces of tissue paper so they don't scratch against each other.
- Make sure any chains are fastened to prevent tangling.
- Don’t leave your jewellery exposed to sunlight or in a damp environment.
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Cleaning
How To Clean Your Jewellery
We recommend you should get your jewellery professionally cleaned in-store once a year. However, regularly cleaning your jewellery yourself will help it looking as good as new. Natural skin oils and dust in the atmosphere dull the surface of precious metals, so follow the steps below to keep your gold, silver, platinum, palladium, diamond and gemstone jewellery dazzling. Pearls require some special treatment, so head to our section on pearls to find out more.
We also have a wide range of cleaning products to help you clean your jewellery at home. Be aware that pearls and some gemstones need to avoid contact with jewellery cleaners.
- Wash in a mild solution of soap and lukewarm water.
- Use a soft bristled brush to gently brush under settings and around stones.
- Rinse well with lukewarm water.
- Dry using a soft, lint-free cloth that won't leave fuzz or threads behind.
- Make sure your jewellery is completely dry afterwards to prevent staining and corrosion.
Find Out How To Clean
Your Gold Jewellery
Different Metals & Materials
Different Metals & Materials
With so many different metals and materials used to make jewellery, it’s important to know how to care for your specific piece of jewellery. Use these tips on top of our general jewellery care guidelines, so you can be sure you’re looking after your accessories properly.
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Gold
Gold
Pure gold is the only precious metal that won’t tarnish, but it is a relatively soft metal. Generally, the higher the carat weight, the softer the metal, so 14ct gold tends to be more resistant to scratching than 18ct. This becomes important when choosing engagement and wedding rings; we recommend you wear rings of a similar carat weight together so one doesn’t wear away the other.
White gold – White gold is a combination of pure gold and alloys such as silver and palladium. It is then coated in rhodium, a precious metal which is very hard and has a bright white lustre which doesn’t tarnish easily. Over time, the rhodium coating will wear away AND it’s super easy to get it recoated to keep it looking brand new.
Rose gold – The majority of our rose gold plated jewellery is 1 micron minimum, and some have an anti-tarnish protection. As with any plated piece, the plating will wear off over time so to ensure you get the best from your rose gold plated jewellery follow our general jewellery care tips.
EXTRA TIP: Wear for special occasions, and is best worn on its own to avoid the plating wearing too quickly.
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Silver
Silver
Like gold, silver is alloyed in order to make it harder and more suitable for use in jewellery. All of Beaverbrooks jewellery is sterling silver, which is the standard most often used for jewellery. It is 92.5% pure silver.
EXTRA TIP: As with most precious metals, sterling silver tarnishes. Good news though – tarnishing is less likely to happen as quickly if you wear your silver jewellery regularly.
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Platinum
Platinum
Often described as pure, rare and eternal, platinum is naturally silver white and shining with a bright lustre (it doesn’t require rhodium plating like white gold). Platinum is very dense, hardwearing and resistant to corrosion, and its beautiful white lustre wont tarnish, fade or change colour.
EXTRA TIP: Over time, platinum jewellery develops a natural patina which we can easily polish to bring it back to its natural shine.
We think platinum is the perfect setting show off our beautiful Beaverbrooks diamonds at their sparkling and brilliant best.
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Palladium
Palladium
Palladium is part of the platinum family, and has only recently been used by jewellery designers. Modern, contemporary and beautiful, palladium is another option in your wedding ring choices and remember platinum is the most hard wearing and most valuable.
EXTRA TIP: Like platinum, palladium develops a natural patina which we can polish if you’d like your palladium jewellery to return to their original finish.
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Titanium
Titanium
As strong as steel and twice as strong as aluminium, titanium is very resistant to denting which makes it perfect for wedding rings and watches. It’s high-tech and modern appeal has made it particularly popular amongst prestigious watch brands like TAG Heuer, Omega and Breitling.
EXTRA TIP: Because titanium is so strong, it can’t be soldered which means it’s not possible to resize your titanium rings. Bear this in mind when choosing your ring to ensure you get the right fit!
Shop Titanium Wedding Rings
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Diamonds
Diamonds
The hardest naturally occurring substance in the world, diamonds are the world’s most sought-after treasure and have captured our imagination for centuries.
We’ve been hand-selecting diamonds for almost 100 years, using our eyes, hands and heart to find the most brilliant stones so that you can fall in love. Our Diamond Buying Guide tells you more about how we choose our diamonds, and tips on where to start when you’re choosing yours.
We recommend you bring your diamond jewellery back to us to be professionally cleaned at least once a year. We provide a lifetime of cleaning, care and advice for your Beaverbrooks diamond, because we want it to look nothing less than perfect every day.
EXTRA TIP: Leave it in a cup of mild soapy water next to your bed overnight. In the morning, brush it gently with a soft brush before rinsing it well and patting dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.
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Pearls
Pearls
Pearls are the only gemstone to be formed by a living creature, oysters. Created when a foreign body enters the shell, the oyster’s defence mechanism is to produce nacre around the intruder. This will eventually result in the pearl being formed.
How to clean pearl jewellery:
- Chemical solutions should never be used on pearls.
- Wipe your pearls with a soft cloth after wearing.
- Occasionally wipe clean with very mild soapy water.
- Allow to dry before putting them away.
How to care for pearl jewellery:
- Wear your pearls. They react well with the natural oils in your skin, so it’s the best way to maintain their lustre.
- We recommend you have your pearl necklace re-strung every few years.
- Keep pearls stored separately from your other jewellery as they will scratch.
- Always store in the box or silk pouch they came with, not a plastic bag.
- Don’t expose your pearls to excessive heat or dryness.
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Gemstones
Gemstones
Considered to be among the world’s most precious objects, gemstones are natural crystals highly prized for their beauty, durability and rarity. Here are some quick additional tips on caring for your gemstone jewellery.
- All gemstones are susceptible to damage by chemicals, water and prolonged sunlight. Examples of gemstones which sunlight may cause the colour to become paler include amethyst, ametrine, aquamarine, aventurine, beryl, citrine, kunzite, rose quartz and smoky quartz.
- Some gemstones such as opal, pearl and turquoise are fairly porous and shouldn't be submerged in water for too long.
- All organic gems should only be wiped clean with a soft cloth. Pearl, coral and amber are examples of organic gems.
- Don’t use jewellery cleaning solution to clean items with emerald, pearl, opal, coral, tanzanite, peridot and turquoise.
- Ultrasonic cleaners can damage a lot of gemstones, so only use one when you know which gems it can be used on. Emerald, turquoise and pearl are a definite no-go.
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Leather
Leather
Known for its flexibility and durability, we offer a high quality of leather for our wrist wear. Here are some additional tips on caring for your leather wrist wear.
- Avoid washing, tumble drying and dry cleaning.
- Stay away from products containing bleach, oil or alcohol.
- Avoid getting wet, as excessive water will damage the leather.
- Leaving the leather to dry in direct sunlight can cause it to crack, so allow to dry naturally.