How to Care for Your Jewellery: The Easy, Everyday Guide

Looking after your jewellery doesn't have to mean a big monthly polishing session. In fact, the pieces that look best for longest usually aren't the ones that get an occasional deep clean. They're the ones that benefit from a few small, simple habits. Even waterproof jewellery like ours, which needs very little looking after, stays at its shiniest with a bit of everyday care. Here's our friendly guide to keeping every piece in your collection looking lovely, whatever it's made from.

The golden rules (for every piece)

A handful of habits work for almost all jewellery. Once they become second nature, the rest is easy.

On last, off first. Put your jewellery on after perfume, lotion, hairspray and make-up, so those products don't settle onto the metal and stones. Taking delicate pieces off before showering, swimming, the gym or bed also helps, unless they're made for all-day, every-day wear (like HYFN pieces).

Give every piece its own space. Jewellery thrown together in one dish tangles, knots and scratches. Pouches, a lined box with compartments, or a hanging organiser for necklaces keeps everything safe.

Clean little and often. Skin oils, sweat and product build up slowly. A quick, regular clean is much easier than tackling months of grime in one go.

Know what you're wearing. Is it solid gold, plated, PVD-coated or stainless steel? Are the stones natural or lab-made? The answer decides which care tips below apply.

Care by material

Gold: solid, filled and plated

Solid gold (14ct and above) is very stable and copes well with everyday wear. Wash it in warm water with a little mild washing-up liquid, use a soft toothbrush on any settings or grooves, then rinse and dry well.

Gold-filled jewellery has a thicker layer of gold bonded to it than plating does, so it holds up nicely to regular wear. Over years, though, it can wear through in spots that rub a lot, like the underside of a ring or the edge of a clasp. Clean it the same way as solid gold, but go gently on those areas.

Traditional gold-plated jewellery has the thinnest layer of all, so it needs the softest touch. Use a soft cloth instead of a brush, lukewarm rather than hot water, and take it off before showers and swims, as water is one of the quickest ways to wear plating down.

Sterling silver

Silver tarnishes just from being exposed to air, so how you store it matters as much as how you clean it. Keep it in an airtight bag or box with an anti-tarnish strip when you're not wearing it.

For light build-up, mild soap and warm water does the trick. For darker tarnish, try this kitchen-cupboard method: line a bowl with aluminium foil, add hot water, a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt, then pop your silver in for a few minutes. A gentle chemical reaction lifts the tarnish away. Just remember, this is for solid sterling silver only, not silver-plated pieces.

Stainless steel and PVD gold

This is where things get easy. Stainless steel naturally resists tarnish and rust, so it needs far less attention than silver or plated gold. Warm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft toothbrush will handle any everyday build-up, and it's happy to be cleaned as often as you like.

PVD gold, the finish we use on all HYFN pieces, is bonded tightly to the steel, so it holds its colour through water, sweat and daily wear without the flaking and fading you'd expect from traditional plating. Want to know more? Have a read of our guides to PVD gold and whether stainless steel tarnishes.

Gemstones

Hard stones like diamonds, sapphires, rubies and cubic zirconia are happy with mild soap, warm water and a soft toothbrush around the setting.

Softer or porous stones like opal, turquoise and coral should never be soaked. Simply wipe them with a soft cloth that's barely damp.

Whatever the stone, keep perfume, lotion and other products off it. They can dull the surface, and porous stones can even absorb them.

Pearls

Pearls are the most delicate of the lot. Never soak them in water or any cleaner. Instead, give them a gentle wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth after each wear to remove oils before they settle in. Always put pearls on after your skincare and perfume, and store them away from harder pieces that could scratch their surface.

Care by type of piece

Rings work the hardest of all your jewellery, through hand-washing, cooking and everything in between. When you clean them, give the inside of the band as much attention as the front.

Necklaces and bracelets collect build-up in the clasp and between chain links, where a quick wipe won't reach. A soft toothbrush gets right into those little gaps.

Earrings pick up the most build-up on the post, as it sits right against your skin. It's easy to forget, so give the posts a proper clean too.

Smart storage

Where your jewellery lives between wears makes a big difference to how it looks:

• Keep pieces apart in pouches, a compartment box or a necklace organiser, so nothing tangles or scratches.
• Avoid direct sunlight and big temperature changes, which can affect some stones and finishes over time.
• Seal up your silver in an airtight bag with an anti-tarnish strip.
• Skip the bathroom. Steam from the shower speeds up tarnish on silver and encourages build-up on other pieces too.

Every HYFN piece arrives in a reusable pouch and box, so storing them properly is easy.

A simple care routine you'll actually stick to

Choose materials that do the hard work for you

The easiest way to cut down on jewellery care is to start with the right materials. Sterling silver needs the most regular attention because it tarnishes in the air. Traditional gold plating needs the most careful handling because its gold layer is so thin. Stainless steel with a PVD gold finish sits at the other end of the scale: it resists tarnish, rust and water so well that caring for it is just a quick clean now and then.

That's exactly why we make every HYFN piece this way. It's waterproof, sweat-proof, tarnish-resistant and hypoallergenic, and it's backed by our lifetime guarantee, so your jewellery can keep up with your life rather than the other way round.

The bottom line

Great jewellery care isn't about a big, complicated routine. It's about a few small habits: put your jewellery on last and take it off first, give each piece its own space, clean it little and often in the right way for its material, and choose materials that make life easier from the start. A few minutes a week is all it takes to keep your favourite pieces looking beautiful for years.

Ready for jewellery that practically looks after itself? Shop our best sellers or browse all jewellery.