Jewellery Care

How to keep gold, silver and gemstones beautiful for a lifetime — straight from our gemmologist’s bench.

Fine jewellery is built to outlast us — much of what survives from the ancient world is jewellery. Solid gold, sterling silver and genuine gemstones ask for surprisingly little in return: a few good habits, an occasional gentle clean, and a little respect for each stone’s personality. This guide covers all of it.

◆  The five golden rules

◆  Last on, first off. Jewellery goes on after perfume, sunscreen, moisturiser and hairspray have settled — and comes off before showering, swimming, sleeping, the gym, the garden and the cleaning cupboard.

◆  Warm water, mild soap, soft brush. That combination safely solves 90% of all jewellery cleaning. You rarely need anything stronger.

◆  Store pieces separately. Diamonds scratch sapphires, sapphires scratch quartz, and everything scratches pearls. Soft pouches or a fabric-lined box with dividers keep the peace.

◆  When in doubt, skip the ultrasonic. Ultrasonic cleaners are brilliant for plain gold and diamonds — and genuinely dangerous for emeralds, opals, pearls and many treated stones. The chart below tells you which is which.

◆  Let a jeweller look once a year. A quick professional check of claws, clasps and settings costs little and prevents the heartbreak of a lost stone.

◆  Caring for gold jewellery

Solid gold doesn’t tarnish — it just gets dull from skin oils, soap film and everyday grime. The fix: soak the piece for 10–15 minutes in warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap, work gently around the settings with a soft toothbrush, rinse, and pat dry with a lint-free cloth. Plug the sink first. Keep gold away from chlorine — repeated pool and spa exposure can slowly embrittle gold alloys. White gold is usually finished with rhodium plating; a jeweller can re-plate it every few years to restore that bright mirror white.

◆  Caring for sterling silver

Tarnish is simply silver reacting with sulphur in the air — normal chemistry, not a flaw. The best prevention is the most enjoyable: wear it often, as your skin’s natural oils keep silver bright. Between wears, store silver in an airtight pouch or zip-lock bag, ideally with an anti-tarnish strip, and away from rubber bands and wool — both are sulphur culprits. A silver polishing cloth restores shine in seconds. Silver dip solutions are for plain silver only: never dip gemstone-set, oxidised or pearl jewellery.

◆  Gemstone care chart

Every gemstone has its own constitution. Here’s the bench reference for every stone in our Gem Encyclopedia:

Gemstone	Mohs hardness	Ultrasonic safe?	The one thing to know
Diamond	10	Yes (untreated)	A grease magnet — clean often to keep the fire
Sapphire & ruby	9	Usually	The everyday champions — built for daily rings
Alexandrite	8.5	Usually	Very durable; enjoy the colour change
Spinel	8	Usually	Rarely treated; wonderfully easy care
Topaz (incl. blue)	8	No	Perfect cleavage — avoid sharp knocks and steam
Aquamarine & morganite	7.5–8	With caution	Avoid prolonged high heat
Emerald	7.5–8	Never	Oiled — no steam, no solvents, lukewarm water only
Quartz family (amethyst, citrine, smoky, rose, ametrine)	7	With caution	Colour can fade in prolonged direct sun
Tourmaline	7–7.5	No	Often carries liquid inclusions — wipe, don’t blast
Iolite	7–7.5	No	Protect from sharp knocks
Tiger’s eye, onyx & chrysoprase	6.5–7	With caution	Keep chrysoprase away from heat and long sun
Garnet	6.5–7.5	With caution	Avoid sudden temperature changes
Peridot	6.5–7	No	Avoid acids and rapid temperature swings
Kunzite	6.5–7	Never	Fades in sunlight — a true evening stone
Zircon	6–7.5	No	Facet edges can abrade — store separately
Tanzanite	6–7	Never	Cleavage — occasions and thoughtful settings
Jade	6–7	A-jade only	Certify before you clean anything treated
Moonstone & labradorite	6–6.5	Never	Cleavage — gentle handling, gentle settings
Opal	5–6.5	Never	No heat or dry storage; keep doublets/triplets dry
Turquoise & lapis lazuli	5–6	Never	Porous — no perfume, oils or soaking
Pearl	2.5–4.5	Never	Last on, first off; wipe after every wear
Amber	2–2.5	Never	The softest of all — treat it like silk

“With caution” means occasional ultrasonic cleaning is generally fine for untreated, well-set stones — but hand washing is always the safer default.

◆  Storing your collection

Keep jewellery in a fabric-lined box with compartments, or individual soft pouches — separated so pieces can’t scratch each other. Fasten chains and lay them flat or hang them to prevent knots. Pearls prefer a breathable pouch (never airtight — nacre likes a little humidity), while silver prefers the opposite. Keep the whole collection away from direct sunlight, bathrooms and big humidity swings.

◆  What to avoid entirely

◆  Toothpaste and bicarb soda. The internet’s favourite tip is abrasive enough to scratch gold, silver and softer gems. Please don’t.

◆  Boiling water and steam. Thermal shock cracks stones and ruins treatments.

◆  Bleach and chlorine. Hostile to gold alloys and most gems.

◆  Pools, gyms, gardens and housework. The four places most jewellery damage happens.

◆  When to call in a professional

Book a jeweller for: an annual claw-and-clasp check on rings you wear daily; restringing pearls every few years (or when the silk stretches or darkens); rhodium re-plating on white gold; professional re-oiling for emeralds; and re-polishing when a well-loved piece has collected a decade of tiny scratches. All are routine, inexpensive services that add decades of life.

Questions about a specific piece? Email admin@caratdirect.com.au — care advice is always free.