With proper care you should get years of pleasure from your jewellery.
Here are some helpful tips:

• Wear jewellery appropriately. Take off your jewellery, especially rings, when carrying out household chores such as cleaning or gardening. They could become damaged by being knocked or coming into contact with harmful substances and abrasive materials.

• Heat and hot water can damage settings where adhesive has been used. Pearl set and costume jewellery often has this type of setting and extra care should be taken.

• Beauty products such as perfume and hairspray can affect jewellery by causing discolouration. Always put your jewellery on last and never spray products directly onto the jewellery. Pearls are especially susceptible to this kind of damage.

• Settings can get clogged up with soap and hand cream. Take rings off before washing hands and using cream.

• Don’t wear too many chains together as they will tangle and rub together, causing damage.

• When not being worn, jewellery should be stored by being wrapped separately in soft material or placed in individual pouches. If a piece is placed next to, or on top of another, the mounts and stones can rub, causing scratches to each other. Diamonds can scratch each other as well as other stones and mounts, so always keep them separate from your other jewellery.

• Never go swimming in your jewellery as the chlorine in swimming pools can cause damage.

• Clean your jewellery regularly to keep it in good condition and have your jewellery professionally inspected on a regular basis so that your jeweller can check for loose settings and damage. Hard gemstones such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies and garnets can be cleaned using recommended manufactured solutions that can be bought from most good jewellers. A soft toothbrush is a good tool to keep your hard gemstone jewellery clean. Soft gemstones such as jade, jet, lapis, emeralds, opals, coral, amber, turquoise and any porous gemstones are of a delicate nature and require special care. Never immerse these in liquids or expose them to direct sunlight or overly humid or dry conditions. Clean simply by wiping with a soft cloth or chamois.
Pearls are soft and easily damaged and should be referred to your jeweller for specialist care.