Jewellery care

General care

Wearing your jewellery
To avoid damaging your jewellery – or injuring yourself – always remember to remove pieces before sleeping, exercising, bathing, showering, swimming or doing any manual work. Salt water and chlorinated water in particular will damage jewellery. Avoid contact with perfumes, sprays, lotions, cosmetics, chemicals and household cleaning products – jewellery should always be the last thing you put on in the morning, and the first thing you take off at night.

Storing your jewellery
When not being worn, jewellery is best stored in individual, airtight packaging, to reduce tarnishing and prevent scratches from other pieces. Always make sure that jewellery is clean and completely dry before storing. If possible, store with anti-tarnish tabs. 

Cleaning your jewellery
Clean jewellery pieces carefully with lukewarm water and mild soap, only when necessary. A soft, baby toothbrush can be used to clean inside any nooks and crannies. Dry immediately after cleaning using a soft cloth. For polished pieces, a jewellery polishing cloth can be used occasionally to remove light tarnishing and restore shine. Avoid over-polishing, which will soften textures and hallmarks. For satin or matte pieces, use a specialised satin- or matte-finish jewellery cloth to restore surface finish.

Special care

Hydrophane opal
Hydrophane opal, which includes Ethiopian opal, is highly porous and will readily absorb moisture and oils. This can lead to changes in the stones’s colour and transparency. In the case of moisture, these changes aren’t usually permanent and the stone will revert to its original appearance once it dries out. Oils – for example from contact with skin or cosmetics – can permanently alter the appearance of the stone over time, which usually turns dull from excessive oil absorption. For this reason it’s important to avoid contact with any oil-based products, or touching the stone unnecessarily.

Non-hydrophane opal
Non-hydrophane opal, which includes solid white opal, is less porous than hydrophane opal, and does not so readily absorb moisture and oils. It is important, however, not to allow the stone to dry out excessively, as this can lead to the stone cracking. Avoid storing these opals near heat sources, or wearing in places with extremely low humidity.