Caring for Gold Plated Jewelry
Plating is a process where a layer of gold is placed on to coat the surface of another metal. As the jewelry is not 100% solid gold, extra care should be taken to maximize its lifespan. Anything plated will eventually tarnish with time and wear.
To decrease the chances of fading out, here are easy ways on keeping the luster of your gold plated jewelry.
-Do not spray on perfume or other sprays while wearing your gold-plated jewelry.
-Wait until your lotion or cream is dry or has been absorbed by your skin before you wear your gold plated ring, bracelet or necklace.
-Substances like oil, nail polish, nail polish remover, chlorine, and perfume may react with metal/plated jewelry and cause it to tarnish. This is also true for sweat, so make sure you remove your gold plated jewelry when you exercise or doing anything requiring heavy work and when swimming.
-After every use, clean your plated jewelry with a cotton ball or a very soft cloth to remove any dust and dirt. Gently rubbing the surface of your gold plated jewelry using a soft jewelry cloth, helps restore shine. Do *not* use a polishing cloth as this will strip away the plating.
-If your jewelry needs more cleaning you may clean it with warm, soapy water. Soak it for a few minutes and you may clean it with a soft cloth. Stay away from jewelry cleaners and antibacterial soaps which may have certain components that will make your gold plated jewelry tarnish more quickly.
-To avoid scratches, wrap your jewelry in a soft cloth after cleaning or keep it in a jewelry box separate from other types of jewelry you have. Small zip-locks work great.
-Store like items together. Do not store gold plating and silver plating together. The different metals will cause each other to tarnish, fade and/or turn colors. Have different storage places for different colors of metals like gold and rose gold. Store in a dry area.
Caring for Sterling Silver Jewelry
Over time, any sterling silver jewelry piece exposed to air will tarnish. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals. It’s the other metals, primarily copper, that cause sterling silver to tarnish.
The copper reacts to moisture and sulfur in the air, causing the tarnishing reaction. Silver tarnishes faster in areas with high humidity and air pollution.
-After taking off your silver jewelry, clean it with a dry soft cloth, or polishing cloth, before putting it back into an airtight container.
-If the polishing cloth doesn’t remove all the tarnish, wash silver jewelry (without gemstones or pearls) in warm water with a few drops of mild dish washing liquid. Immerse the sterling silver in the water and gently hand wash. Use a cotton swab for tight corners, or soft brush can be used for more abrasive cleaning if needed.
-If the jewelry contains gemstones or pearls, do not submerge the entire piece into water. Instead, use a cotton swab with mild dish washing liquid to wash only the silver.
-Thoroughly rinse your pieces after washing, and completely dry the sterling silver before storing, as moisture is one of the factors that contribute to tarnishing.
-We do not recommend using toothpaste or baking soda for cleaning as it may scratch the surface of the silver. Do not use harsh chemicals such as bleach, acetone, etc, to clean your silver because they can make silver more dull and ruin the surface.
