How to Care for Gold and Sterling Silver Jewellery
Fine jewellery is not fragile — but it does keep a record of how you live. Lotion film, chlorine, a chain snagged on a sweater cuff: damage is almost always cumulative and almost always preventable. Here is the care routine we actually recommend for the materials we work with.
The two habits that prevent most damage
Last on, first off. Jewellery goes on after perfume, lotion, sunscreen and hairspray — those are the films that dull stones and leave silver looking cloudy. And it comes off first, before sleep, workouts and swimming. A hoop earring twisted in your sleep is the single most common repair job.
Keep it dry — and dry it fully. Water itself is survivable; what follows is the problem. Trapped moisture speeds tarnish on sterling silver and creeps under stones. After washing hands or a shower, pat pieces dry, and let chains air fully before boxing them.
Cleaning gold
For 10K gold, the routine is boring on purpose: wipe with a soft cloth after wear, and every couple of weeks use lukewarm water, a drop of mild dish soap and a baby toothbrush around the settings. Rinse, dry completely. Skip the “clever” internet remedies — toothpaste and baking soda are abrasives; they scratch metal and frost the surface of stones.
Cleaning sterling silver
Silver tarnish is a chemical reaction with sulfur in the air — it is normal, not a defect, and a silver polishing cloth removes it in seconds. Store silver with an anti-tarnish strip if your climate is humid, and keep pieces separate so polishing cloths and chains do not fight. If a piece has rhodium or plating details, polish gently around them.
Stones: moissanite and diamond
Both sit at the top of the hardness scale, so the stones themselves are nearly indestructible — settings are the weak point. The moment a stone feels loose or rattles, stop wearing the piece; a prong tightened early saves the stone. Pavé and micro-stud fronts collect the most grime of any design — the soapy-brush routine restores their fire faster than anything else you can do.
Storage that actually works
- Chains clasped and hung, or laid flat — tangled links are where thin chains eventually break.
- Each piece in its own pouch or compartment; moissanite and diamond will scratch gold and silver if tossed together.
- Out of the bathroom — humidity and temperature swings accelerate tarnish.
That is the whole system: two habits, one cloth, soapy water, separate storage. Our full jewellery care guide condenses this into the checklist version, and if something in your Fragments piece ever feels wrong, just ask — a quick answer beats a lost earring.