Stainless steel is the durable part of a piece. On gold-tone pieces the colour is a layer only a few microns thick on the steel's surface, and almost every care rule exists to protect that layer.
Below: what a piece is made of, where it wears first, how to clean each finish, what never to use, and how to read the signs when something changes.
Roughly to scale. Anything gritty, a brush or a long soak wears through a layer this thin; a soft cloth and a short wash don't.
What a piece is made of
The steel
Stainless steel contains chromium, which forms an invisible film on the surface that repairs itself when scratched. That film is why the steel resists rust in daily wear.
Everyday wear won't make it rust. What can leave marks is salt or chlorine left to dry on the surface, from the sea, a pool or heavy sweat, so a quick rinse and dry is worth it. Pieces listed as 316 contain 2–3% molybdenum, which makes them more resistant to salt and chlorine than the more common 304.
The gold-tone layer
Gold-plated pieces are coated in a liquid bath; PVD pieces are coated in a vacuum chamber. A PVD coating usually holds up better to daily wear, but both are surface layers only microns thick.
The layer wears where it rubs. When it wears through, the steel underneath shows as a silver-coloured patch.
Stones and details
Cubic zirconia is hard and scratch-resistant; the risk is the setting, not the stone. Prongs bend when knocked, and glued stones can loosen in water or heat.
Pearl-effect beads have a coating that perfume and solvents can lift. Enamel can chip if knocked, and strong sunlight can fade some colours.
Where the colour wears first
RingsThe inside and underside of the band, which rub on everything your hands touch.
BraceletsLinks and the clasp, which rub on desks, sleeves and watches.
NecklacesThe clasp and the spot where a pendant slides on the chain.
EarringsPosts and backs. Earrings rub the least and keep their colour longest.
Skin differs too: some people see changes sooner than others, even with the same care.
How to wear it
Put it on last
Perfume, hair spray, lotion, sunscreen, make-up and hand sanitiser all leave a film that dulls the colour and works into hinges and clasps. Put jewellery on once they have dried, and take it off first at the end of the day.
Take it off before
Pool, hot tub, sea
Chlorine and salt attack the colour and spot the steel.
Sauna and steam room
Heat and moisture together, and glued stones can loosen.
Shower and bath
Shampoo and soap leave a film behind.
Gym and sport
Sweat, knocks and grip wear on rings and bracelets.
Cleaning and gardening
Detergents, bleach and grit.
Cooking with lemon or vinegar
Acids eat into the colour layer.
Sleep
Chains kink and knot, and earring posts bend.
How to clean it, by finish
For most days, thirty seconds with a soft, dry cloth after wearing is enough. Wash a piece only when it looks dull.
Gold-plated and PVD
Lukewarm water, not hot.
One drop of mild washing-up liquid.
Leave the piece in for one or two minutes, no longer.
Wipe it with your fingertips or a microfibre cloth. No brush.
Rinse briefly in clean water.
Pat dry, then let it air-dry fully before putting it away.
Soaking, brushing and rubbing all spend a layer only microns thick. If a film hasn't shifted after two gentle washes, stop: more pressure won't help.
Plain stainless steel
Warm water with a few drops of mild washing-up liquid.
Polished pieces need a few minutes; brushed or matte pieces can soak for up to half an hour.
Use a soft toothbrush around links, clasps and engraving.
Rinse under clean running water.
Dry with a soft cloth, getting into links and hinges.
With no colour layer to protect, plain steel can take a longer soak and a soft brush. A hard cloth will still scratch a polished surface.
Stones, pearl-effect beads and enamel
Prong-set stones
Clean around the setting with a small, soft brush, then check that no prong has lifted.
Glued stones
Never soak them. Water, soap and heat weaken the glue; wipe with a barely damp cloth.
Pearl-effect beads
A dry, soft cloth only. Keep perfume, alcohol and washing-up liquid away from the coating.
Enamel
Wipe it with a soft cloth and keep it away from knocks and anything abrasive.
Never use
Don't use
Why
Toothpaste or baking soda
Both clean by abrasion. On solid metal that polishes; on a layer a few microns thick it removes the colour.
Silver or gold polishing cloths
They carry fine abrasives made for solid metal, not for a coating.
Silver dips, or the foil-and-salt trick
Both reverse silver tarnish. A gold-tone layer has no tarnish for them to reverse, and the chemicals can attack it.
Vinegar or lemon juice
Acids eat into the colour layer.
Bleach, chlorine or ammonia cleaners
They attack coatings and can leave spots on the steel.
Ultrasonic cleaners
Tiny collapsing bubbles hit the surface hard enough to lift a coating at its edges and can shake stones loose.
Hot water or steam
Heat softens the glue that holds set stones.
If something changes
Look before you clean. A piece changes in a few distinct ways, and cleaning fixes only some of them.
What you see
What has happened
What helps
The piece looks dull or hazy all over
A film of skin oil, lotion, soap or perfume on the surface.
Cleaning helps. Wash it as above for its finish. Usually one wash is enough.
Silver-coloured patches at edges, clasps or inside a ring
The gold-tone layer has worn through where it rubs; you are seeing the steel underneath.
Cleaning doesn't help. It can't bring the colour back, and scrubbing makes the patch bigger.
Small brownish spots, often after the sea or a pool
Salt or chlorine left drying on the steel.
Usually helps if caught early. Rinse in clean water, wash gently and dry it fully.
Stones look cloudy
Lotion and soap built up behind the stone.
Cleaning helps. Brush gently around the setting, rinse and dry. Don't soak glued stones.
A stone moves or is missing
A prong was bent by a knock, or glue gave way.
Cleaning doesn't help. Stop wearing the piece so the stone isn't lost.
A chain is knotted
It was stored loose or worn to bed.
You can fix it. Lay it flat and ease the knot open with two pins. Never pull the ends.
How to store it
At home
Keep each piece in its own pouch, box compartment or small zip bag, so pieces can't rub or scratch each other.
Somewhere dry, not the bathroom.
Fasten chains before putting them away, and lay them flat or hang them.
Out of direct sun and away from heat, which can fade coloured enamel and pearl-effect coatings.
In your shop
Keep each style in its own bag, with finishes apart. Gold, rose-gold, black and silver-tone pieces rubbing together mark each other.
Put a silica gel sachet in each stock box, and keep stock away from perfume testers and cleaning products.
Wipe try-on pieces after customers handle them; hand cream and sanitiser build up on rings.
Check clasps, posts and stone settings before a piece goes out, and don't stack heavy boxes on bagged stock.
A care card for your customers
If you sell our pieces, copy this onto your product pages or print it to go in your orders. It carries no brand name, so it works as your own.
Every product page names its finish and stones, so you can pick the right card.
Caring for your gold-tone jewellery
Put it on after perfume, lotion and hair spray have dried.
Take it off to swim, shower, exercise, clean or sleep.
Wipe it with a soft, dry cloth after wearing.
To wash it: lukewarm water, a drop of mild soap, one or two minutes, then pat dry.
Store it on its own in a pouch or box, somewhere dry.
Never use polishing cloths, toothpaste, baking soda or jewellery dips.
Caring for your stainless steel jewellery
Wipe it with a soft, dry cloth after wearing.
Take it off for the pool, the sea and the sauna. If it gets wet, rinse and dry it.
Wash it in warm soapy water, with a soft toothbrush around links and clasps.
Dry it fully, especially in chain links and hinges.
Store it on its own so harder pieces can't scratch it.
Never use bleach, chlorine cleaners or steel wool.
Check the stones now and then. If one moves, stop wearing the piece.
Don't soak pieces with glued stones, pearl-effect beads or enamel.
Never use an ultrasonic cleaner.
If a piece arrives faulty
We pay for the return and refund it in full, or send a replacement free.
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