PRODUCT CARE
We believe jewelry is meant to be worn every day. But regardless of your lifestyle and how careful you are with your jewelry or your aesthetic preferences: your jewelry should be cleaned regularly! Whether you wear it every day or only occasionally, it requires care and attention.
With that in mind, here are some helpful tips to keep your jewelry looking its very best!
EVERYDAY MAINTENANCE
Metal is more susceptible to tarnishing in humidity, chlorinated or saltwater, and exposure to sunscreen and sweat.
In general, we recommend:
- avoid direct contact with cosmetics like perfumes, creams and sunscreen lotions
- avoid wearing it on the beach, at the swimming pool
- avoid wearing when doing sport (skin chemistry)
- take off your jewelry before you go to sleep
- store well-cleaned jewelry in an airtight box or bag
Even if you are diligent about making sure your jewelry doesn’t get exposed to product or other harmful chemicals, your body’s natural oils can still cause tarnish.
CLEANING
After each wear, we recommend giving it a quick rinse in lukewarm water and then drying it with a soft cloth.
If you know your piece was exposed to large amounts of sunscreen, sweat or any other harmful chemical or product, it’s best to give it a deep clean (we also recommend giving it a deep clean every dozen wears). Here’s the best way to deep clean your piece:
- Get a bowl of warm water and mix in a touch of gentle soap or mild dish soap
- Soak your piece in the bowl for about a minute
- Scrub the chain with a soft toothbrush (like a baby tooth brush), making sure to really get into the gaps where dirt and product like to build up; avoid scrubbing the pendants as it could scratch.
- Rinse under lukewarm water a few times to ensure soap is absent. A small at-home ultrasonic cleanser is also a great, fairly modest investment, especially if you are very keen on keeping your jewelry at its most sparkly.
- Dry extremely thoroughly with a soft polishing cloth for storage
Taking a minute to give your pieces a wash at the end of the day will help remove anything harmful resting on the surface and help extend the life of your jewelry.
CLEANING SERVICE
If you’ve tried the above and just can’t get back the original brilliance, don't worry, we can do it for you! Judith & Jules offers a professional Jewelry Cleaning Service.
Find all our jewelry maintenance services here.
STORAGE
Knowing how to properly store your piece after each wear is one of the easiest ways to increase its longevity. Reduced exposure to air, slows down oxidation and overall lessens the chance of tarnish.
Below are some handy tips for storing your pieces:
- Store it clean and dry after performing daily maintenance.
- Keep your piece stored in a low-humidity environment to avoid tarnishing.
- If your piece has a chain, make sure the clasp is closed before storing to keep your piece from getting tangled.
The provided boxes from Judith & Jules will protect it from abrasion and offer a degree of tarnish prevention due to the included a anti tarnish pad.
REPAIR SERVICE
Though lots of love and care goes into our jewelry to make sure it’s built to last, we know accidents happen. If you notice any issues with your piece, such as excessive tarnishing or discolouration, a broken chain, clasp or a loss of shape - we’re happy to fix any of our pieces for you.
Judith & Jules offers a professional Jewelry Repair Service.
Find all our jewelry maintenance services here.
STERLING SILVER
Sterling silver does tarnish quite quickly due to a natural chemical reaction that occurs when silver is exposed to air (especially salt air) - even the most expensive sterling silver jewelry in the world tarnishes over time.
However, silver that is regularly used typically needs less care, so we strongly encourage you to use or wear your silver every day. The oils in your skin help prevent tarnish. (This varies depending on your own body chemistry.)
In case your silver chains or pendants get oxidized, we recommend washing them (see CLEANING instructions above).
We also recommend the use of a smooth silver polishing cloth to remove the remaining discolouration (for example the yellow Sunshine Polishing Cloth). Just remember that silver is very soft so use something very soft to avoid scratching.
Once cleaned and polished, silver must be kept dry and properly stored (see STORAGE instructions above). Tip: put in a piece of chalk or a silica gel (the little packets in new shoes) - these will help prevent tarnish while you are not wearing your silver.
GOLD-PLATED STERLING SILVER
Buying jewelry with gold plating is one way to get quality at a price that will work for any budget. You can buy stylish pieces that will eventually need to be re-plated one day but you can afford to buy more at once so you can easily end up with a necklace and bracelet set for a lot less than the individual pieces would cost if they were pure gold.
The downside of gold plating is that the gold layer fades and tarnishes over time but this is not related to its quality. Loss of patina is a normal phenomenon resulting from wear and tear. The reason being that molecules slowly transfer into the thin layer of gold causing it to break down.
The speed at which this disappears depends on the way in which the jewelry is cared for. Rose gold plated is more prone to tarnishing than yellow gold plated items because of the small amount of copper alloyed with the gold that gives it its beautiful pink colour.
Gold plated jewelry can be maintained with our EVERYDAY MAINTENANCE and CLEANING tips above.
Judith & Jules offers a professional Jewelry Re-gold plating Service.
Find all our jewelry maintenance services here.
GOLD
Solid gold normally doesn’t tarnish. Sometimes 14k gold can tarnish on earrings and the inside of rings, depending on your skin chemistry, but it is a very easy fix. But like everything else, it can lose its shiny, polished finish through regular wear and tear.
Judith & Jules offers a professional Jewelry Polishing Service.
If you require further assistance or if you have any questions, please contact our customer care service or email us at contact@judithjules.com.