All Lucy Symons Jewellery is carefully and thoughtfully designed and handmade. With the proper care, it’ll be by your side, for many years to come!
The metals that I work with will tarnish over time. This is a completely natural process, tarnish occurs when they react with air. The rate of tarnish will vary with each individual metal, along with its exposure to different elements. There are, however, some simple tips to follow to keep your jewellery looking it’s best!
Care
Different chemicals can accelerate tarnishing. It’s good to apply perfumes and body lotions before you put your jewellery on. It’s also always best to remove your jewellery before doing any household cleaning. If your jewellery does come in to contact with any chemicals, good advice is to rinse it immediately.
As a general rule, jewellery doesn’t like water, so remove before washing, showering and especially swimming – chlorine isn’t its friend! Moisture in the air can also accelerate tarnishing, don’t wear (or leave) your jewellery in the bath room, sauna or anywhere with high levels of moisture.
Give your jewellery a break and don’t sleep in it – the natural oils in our skin can actually accelerate the tarnishing process.
Be kind to your jewellery and remove it if you’re doing anything that could knock or scratch it such as exercise, gardening etc.
Storage
When your jewellery is not being worn, keep it out of direct sunlight, away from moisture and away from costume jewellery which could scratch it.
To avoid it getting tangled or scratched, store your jewellery in the box it came, a soft pouch bag or an air tight container such as a jewellery box.
Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can cause some gemstones to fade in colour, so it’s especially important to keep these out of sunlight in a box to ensure they stay as beautiful as the day you bought them!
Cleaning
To maintain your jewellery, a quick polish with a polishing cloth will remove any light tarnish. Jewellery polishing cloths are an integral part of my own jewellery care routine and those that I use for both Sterling Silver and Gold jewellery can be purchased here. (Only suitable for use on solid Sterling Silver or Gold, do not use them on jewellery that has oxidation detail)
Silver and Gold jewellery can also be brightened up and cleaned using warm soapy water and a soft brush. Always dry it thoroughly though - a soft lint free cloth. 100% cotton cloth or micro-fibre cloth would be perfect for the job!
Be cautious when cleaning gemstones. Avoid hot water, chemicals and ultrasonic cleaners. Some stones such as turquoise are more porous than others, so if you're unsure, use an untreated, dry, soft cloth only.
