How to Care for Your Favorite Gold, Silver, and Diamond Jewelry

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Published by
Jimmy at
August 31, 2017

Some of us ladies spend lots of time daydreaming about sparkly things but admittedly less time thinking about how best to take care of that glitter once we've got it—raise your hand if you're guilty of treating your precious stones less than preciously. So, to help us all keep our beloved sparklers sparkling, we rang up the folks at John Hardy, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary with a limited-edition collection of their intricate signature chain bracelets, to get some tips and tricks for keeping 'em clean on a busy girl's schedule.
This bracelet took 35 hours to make. You can spend 45 seconds to clean it properly.

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Each of John Hardy's limited-edition bracelets are hand-woven and hand-set by artisans in Bali, with some of them taking more than nine days to craft. But even if your favorite baubles are slightly less labor intensive, you should still treat 'em nice. Polly Purser, the director of design and heritage at John Hardy, shares some excellent tips for doing just that:

Treating and caring your jewelry with the same respect is important—but you can properly clean your bracelet in a few minutes following these easy steps.

1.At home, use a mild liquid detergent solution. For silver pieces, it is more important that you choose a mild cleaner without bleaching agents, abrasives or ammonia, and that you don't soak for too long, as the silver can oxidize over time. Soak the jewelry in a very warm solution of water and detergent for about a minute and then rinse the jewelry clean. Once dry, brush your jewelry gently with a soft brush to loosen any stubborn dust or dirt. Dry the piece with soft cloth.

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2. Gold. After wearing, wipe your jewelry with a soft cloth. Put your jewelry on last, after cosmetics, perfume, hairspray and other chemical substances that can dull and discolor the stones and metal. Finally, store your jewelry pieces separately, in a jewelry box or pouch to avoid scratching.

3. Diamonds. While pavé-set diamonds (like the Classic Chain Bracelet below) are absolutely wearable and extremely well-made, special care should be taken when handling these precious pieces. Make sure to keep your bracelet away from chlorine or other harsh chemicals, as this will damage the diamonds, and always store it separately from other pieces to avoid scratching.

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4. Colored Stones. Jewelry wearers often forget to wipe their jewelry down after wearing, but this is a very important step, especially for the pieces that feature colored gemstones. After wearing, thoroughly clean the piece with a soft, slightly damp cloth or tissue. This step takes just thirty seconds and will enhance the luster of the stones.