Jewelry Care Guide

To ensure that your favorite jewelry pieces bring you joy for a long time, it’s important to care for them regularly. Here, you’ll learn how to give your jewelry the care it deserves.

Cleaning Your Jewelry

Do you wear your jewelry during various daily activities, and sometimes even while sleeping? Then it may occasionally become dirty due to sweat, cosmetics, and other factors. To keep your jewelry looking beautiful for as long as possible, it’s best to clean it regularly.

How to clean your gold necklace, earrings, or rings depends on the material. However, one rule always applies: treat your jewelry as gently as possible. Remove it before exercising or sleeping, and avoid contact with household cleaners or cosmetics. This will help your jewelry stay radiant for years to come.

Why Does Jewelry Tarnish or Lose Its Shine?

“Tarnishing” is simply a chemical reaction: oxidation (i.e., reaction with oxygen). This causes silver to develop a dark patina, and gold to lose its shine. By rhodium-plating our silver jewelry—adding an additional protective layer—we delay the tarnishing process. But don’t worry: while oxidation cannot be completely prevented, it can be significantly slowed down with proper care and reversed through thorough cleaning.

Stainless steel jewelry, however, does not tarnish. Its color remains unchanged even with regular water exposure. This also applies to gold-plated stainless steel, which does not lose its plating over time. You can find more information about our jewelry materials here.

General Tips and Tricks

Your favorite jewelry faces all kinds of “dangers” in daily life. Here are a few things to keep in mind when caring for and storing your pieces:

Beware of chemicals: Jewelry should not come into contact with chemicals, as they can damage both the material and the plating. Remove rings, bracelets, etc. when doing household chores. Semi-precious stone jewelry should also be protected from impacts.

Hydrophobic tendencies: Gold-plated jewelry lasts longer when not exposed to excessive water. Can’t resist wearing jewelry while showering or swimming? Then opt for stainless steel pieces or non-plated versions.

Safe and sound: A closed jewelry box keeps your necklaces, earrings, and other pieces protected from moisture and excessive oxygen. You can find more tips in our jewelry storage guide.

How to Care for Each Material

The right cleaning method depends on the material. Jewelry materials are like skin types—each one needs care tailored to its specific needs. Here’s how to give your jewelry the care it deserves:

Stainless Steel:
Since 316L stainless steel does not rust or tarnish, you usually only need to polish it with a soft cloth to restore its shine. If it becomes dirty, clean it with lukewarm water, mild soap or dish detergent, and a soft toothbrush.

925 Sterling Silver:
Tarnished silver can be polished with a silver cleaning cloth or cleaned in a bath of lukewarm water, salt, and a strip of aluminum foil. For heavy oxidation, use a silver bath from a drugstore or jeweler.

18K Gold:
18K solid gold is a highly durable material, ideal for everyday wear. Gold does not oxidize and is water-resistant, making it one of the most popular jewelry materials. Just avoid wearing gold jewelry in chlorinated water, as chlorine can discolor gold. Polish your gold jewelry occasionally with a soft cloth, and use lukewarm water with mild soap for deeper cleaning. Make sure to dry it thoroughly afterward.

Gold Plating:
For gold-plated silver jewelry (yellow or rose gold), avoid aggressive cleaning, as the plating may wear off over time. Mild soap, lukewarm water, and a soft cloth are usually enough. Be especially careful to dry your pieces gently and thoroughly.

Semi-Precious Stones:
Handle semi-precious stones with care. Although they are hard materials, they can still scratch or crack easily. Clean necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. with stones using lukewarm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush. Dry them thoroughly with a soft cloth. The same applies to freshwater pearls, although pearls can also air-dry.

Trust Is Good—Checking Is Better!

Cleaning your jewelry is also a great opportunity to inspect the materials, stones, and pearls. Check semi-precious stones for deep scratches or cracks. For set or glued stones and pearls, make sure they are still firmly in place.

Jewelry without stones should be checked for surface finish. Shiny jewelry may become dull over time, while matte jewelry can become shinier. Restore lost shine by polishing with a soft cloth. To refresh a matte finish, use a matting sponge—simply brush it over the surface in the desired direction to restore the edgy matte look.