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General care
Frequently asked questions concerning jewelry care
White gold is coated with a layer of rhodium. If a piece of jewelry is worn a lot, external influences will cause this layer to wear off. Think of knocks and wearing the ring while showering or washing your hands. Careful handling of the jewelry can prolong the time it takes for the rhodium layer to wear off. More on maintaining your jewelry can be found by scrolling down this page.
DiamondsByMe believes that jewelry should last a lifetime. But of course, a product that is worn will wear down. There is no expiry date on a piece of jewelry. Nevertheless, jewelry looks different on everyone after a certain period of time because it is an item you wear which brings it into contact with other materials such as; doorknobs, handlebars or other jewelry/factors that can adversely affect its quality. Taking the jewelry off when exercising or cleaning is only a good thing and prolongs its life. Want more information on maintaining your jewelry please check our Knowledge Base at jewelry general care. We also offer a lifetime warranty on our jewelry. Read here what that means.
Absolutely. For a gold alloy, additional metals are always used to strengthen the alloy. This is because gold is itself a soft metal. One of the accessory metals that can be used is copper, and when a gold ring comes into contact with the skin, the acid content in the skin can cause a reaction with the copper. In most cases, this oxidation can simply be removed with a good polishing cloth. Want to know more about our metals? Then take a look at our Knowledge Base. You can also read more about maintaining your jewelry here.
General Care of Jewelry
When you wear a beautiful piece of jewelry, around your finger, arm or neck, of course you want it to stay in pristine condition as long as possible.
With proper care and maintenance you will enjoy your jewelry for much longer. That is why we recommend cleaning and gently polishing your jewelry.
Noble metals used to craft jewelry are often, if not always, softer than the materials they come into contact with during wear. This may cause scratches, dents or other damage to your jewelry. The precious stones may also lose some of their sheen for various external reasons.
Silver jewelry
Silver jewelry may turn black over time, this happens as a result of the Ph-levels of your skin while wearing the jewelry, or because the jewelry is not worn at all. The substance that causes this blackening of silver is hydrogen-sulfide, a substance that occurs naturally in the air and in other materials. As a result of a chemical reaction it causes a thin black layer to form on silver jewelry.
The skin produces natural oils, which can react with silver jewelry. Each person's skin is different; this doesn't necessarily mean that everyone will have problems. Factors like medication use, diet, alcohol consumption, or sweat can more quickly lead to a reaction between the skin and jewelry. There's no single clear solution to prevent silver jewelry from tarnishing, but there are several things you can be mindful of if this is an issue for you:
- Take off silver jewelry during exercise, swimming or cleaning. Consider heave perspiration, chlorine and other detergents.
- Take off your jewelry in the evening and only start to wear it after applying make-up, perfume, hairspray, body lotion or various other cosmetic products.
- When you do not wear your silver jewelry, store it in a box that closes. This enables you to minimize exposure of your jewelry to airborne sulfides.
- Take off your silver jewelry during long-term exposure to bright sunlight, this too may cause the jewelry to turn black.
Silver jewelry which turned black is easily polished with a piece of cloth and some silver polish. Sometimes this may not have the desired result. In that case make sure to contact us, we will certainly be able to help you return the glittery sheen to your silver.
Sometimes we are asked whether jewelry which turns black is actually made from silver. The answer is simple: if anything the blackening of jewelry shows that you are dealing with real silver. This is because other noble metals oxidize in different ways, or even not at all. Silver turning black happens at all levels of purity, and to our .925 alloy as well. Find out everything about our silver alloy here.
Gold Jewelry
Gold jewelry deteriorates over time as well. As explained above, this may be because the jewelry comes into contact with other objects. Consider, for example, tapping a gold ring against the gear stick of a car to the rhythm of a song. Or wearing the jewelry during heavy lifting.
Ring in particular will sustain more damage, because they are worn on your hand and come into contact with hard materials on a daily basis.
Of course a piece of golden jewelry can be restored so it shines as new once more. However there are things you can do to make sure the jewelry stays pristine as well.
Just like with silver jewelry we recommend against wearing jewelry during heavy manual labor, swimming, cleaning or sleep. Many people do not take off their jewelry when they go to bed, however there is the chance that you move in your sleep and hit the jewelry against a hard surface or even get it stuck. We always advise removing jewelry before going to bed and storing it in a jewelry box as much as possible.
Did your gold jewelry turn somewhat dull? Make it shine again by cleaning it with a soft brush, a soft cloth and some green soap in some lukewarm water. Of course there are special pieces of cloth available just for polishing gold jewelry. Use these to return the shine to your gold jewelry.
Gold jewelry made of alloys with higher gold contents are softer and hence damage more easily. It is useful to take note of this.
Gold jewelry made from alloy with lower gold contents is harder and more damage resistant. More information about the different gold contents of alloys can be found here.
Platinum jewelry
Platinum is a noble metal that is quite hard in and of itself. Apart from the fact that this hardness makes platinum harder to process, it will also be less susceptible to wear, scratches or dents. Compared to silver or white gold platinum requires minimal care and maintenance.
Generally platinum jewelry will retain its shiny exterior for a longer time. This is why platinum is considered the strongest and most expensive material. This ‘metal without weaknesses’ is often picked as a material for new wedding or engagement rings as a result.
Even platinum jewelry may become more dull over time. You can easily clean and polish the metal with a piece of soft cloth or a brush. You will be able to remove some dirt and grease this way. Bringing back the proper platinum shine will not be easy with a simple piece of cloth though. We recommend having your jeweler clean your platinum jewelry to make it shine as new once more.
If you would like to learn more about this beautiful noble metal, click here to read all about platinum.
Jewelry and precious stones
Exposure to bright sunlight can have a negative influence on the color of a gemstone. Some precious stones are particularly sensitive to exposure to light, e.g.: amethyst, aquamarine, and smoky quartz. If these stones are exposed to bright sunlight for long periods of time they may change color or even lose their color entirely.
So please take this into account when deciding which jewelry to wear on your summer holiday, and which to leave at home.
Additionally the precious stones may be negatively influenced by perfume and various kinds of soap. We advice taking of your jewelry before doing cleaning. As you read before, chemical products may also negatively impact the qualities of noble metals. That is why it is important to take care not to bring your jewelry into contact with chemicals or cleaning agents.
Pearls may lose their sheen when they come into contact with cosmetic products or through friction between the pearl and other materials, surfaces and even clothing.
Diamond jewelry
The best quality of a diamond is its beautiful sparkle, its shimmering facets. Due to oily skin, oils, soap or creams, the sheen of the diamond may turn dull. That is why it is important to properly clean a diamond at least once a month. This will ensure that the diamond retains it beautiful sheen.
With some green soap and lukewarm water you will be able to clean the diamond. Use a soft tooth brush or something similar. The fine hairs of the toothbrush will get in between the stone and the setting so dirt and grime are removed from there as well.
After you are done, rinse the diamond to make sure no soap stays behind on the stone. Then go on to dry the diamond with a piece of clean lint-free cloth.
Of course it is also possible to have your diamond jewelry cleaned by us. We will check the setting of the diamond as well, because, as you might have guessed, this tiny part of noble metal will wear as well and you would not want to lose your diamond as a result. Our recommendation is to have your jewelry checked every 2 years.
Diamond may be the hardest gemstone, but even a diamond can be damaged. A diamond is made up of multiple facets, surfaces. If you drag the diamond along a stone wall, the diamond itself will not be damaged, the surfaces may be damaged however. So always be careful and make sure to take proper care of your diamonds.
Maintenance under lifetime warranty
We are of the mindset that a piece of jewelry should last at least a lifetime. Therefore, especially for jewelry with one or more gemstones, we recommend sending them back to us every few years for a check-up. Consider it like a regular inspection for your jewelry.
The jewelry will be cleaned and polished, and the goldsmiths will inspect to ensure the stones are still properly secured, adjusting the settings if needed.
Our consultants might also offer you advice regarding maintenance, and for white gold jewelry, discuss whether it needs to be re-rhodium plated.
Interested in the cost of a maintenance service? Please get in touch with our customer service. For quicker processing, include your order number.
All jewelry crafted by DiamondsByMe is included in our lifetime warranty program. More details about the terms and conditions can be found on our Lifetime Warranty page.