Jewellery Cleaning & Care

Jewellery that is designed and created by an artisan has been made with alot of thought, detail and love thrown in for the end wearer to enjoy it at its best for many years to come.

Therefore once you are the proud owner it will be your role to lovingly care for it to ensure longevity and a beautiful finish.

Items created with Sterling silver may tarnish, this is when the silver darkens and loses its finish. This is oxidisation and will happen naturally with exposure to the air.

Lots of different things can actively speed this process up such as cosmetics, perfumes, saltwater & cleaning products are just a few of the environments jewellery can encounter. Even our hormones and oils in our skin can accelerate the tarnish.

“Last thing on, first thing off...” is a quirky rule to follow when wearing your jewellery!

Take care to apply any perfumes, cosmetics, lotions and hair products etc BEFORE wearing your jewellery.

Put jewellery to one side before showering, swimming, using a bath or hot tub, sunbathing, exercising or sleeping.

Chemicals in pools and hot tubs are damaging to jewellery, as are strong UV rays from the sun.

And wearing jewellery while sleeping or exercising can result in functional damage.

 

Tips to slow down tarnishing:

For the very best protection use silica gel sachets or anti- tarnish strips, which are easily available online but these will need frequently replacing.

Use anti tarnish jewellery polishing cloths on non oxidised pieces.

Polishing oxidised jewellery can remove the oxidisation and alter the appearance of the jewellery.

Silver dips are often too harsh for handmade silver items.

After all that if you are ever unsure about how to care for a piece of jewellery, the best person to ask is the artist who made it! I am always happy to guide you through looking after a Pompompilli piece of
jewellery.