How To Care For Your Jewelry

How can I clean my jewelry at home?

  • Polish your jewelry with a lint-free, 100% cotton cloth.
  • Gentle cleaning with lukewarm water, soap, and a soft toothbrush is also recommended.
  • Always check the tightness of stones before and after cleaning, especially when using a steam cleaner.
  • Never use an ultrasonic cleaner on micro pavé stones, opals, emeralds, or turquoise.
  • Fine jewelry should be stored securely in fabric-lined or leather-lined boxes.
  • Pieces can also be wrapped in soft fabric.
  • We recommend keeping an up-to-date inventory of your collection, including photographs, insurance evaluations and any appraisals, in the event that an insurance claim or police report needs to be filed.

When do I need to remove my jewelry?

  • Exercising | Any strenuous activity including cardio, yoga, lifting weights, swimming, etc. These activities, particularly ones using your hands, put pressure on your pieces, causing them to bend, warp, or for stones to become loose in their settings.
  • Showering or bathing | Hard water, shampoos, and conditioners can become stuck behind settings, causing damage to your pieces. Soap scum can be hard to remove and causes jewelry to look discolored and grimy.
  • Sleeping | The extended heat and pressure that occurs during sleep can wreak havoc on delicate and fine jewelry. Keep a jewelry-appropriate container next to your bed so that you can remove your pieces every night.
  • Applying perfumes, lotions, oils, makeup or hair products | Products can build up on the jewelry, damaging certain stones, dulling their appearance, and requiring more frequent cleaning.
  • Cooking, baking or doing the dishes | These activities can cause debris to become lodged in settings and diminish the appearance of your pieces.
  • Cleaning, especially with bleach or other harsh chemicals | Harsh chemicals such as bleach can pit metals and weaken settings, causing stone loss.
  • Gardening | The pressure from holding gardening tools can cause damage to settings even when wearing gloves. Removing your pieces before gardening also ensures that they remain free from dirt and debris.
  • Painting, throwing pottery, or play | These activities are best done with your jewelry safely out of the way.
  • Depending on your lifestyle and occupation, consider removing your jewelry during working hours. Contact with potentially damaging materials can be a daily reality. Professionals in the food, art, or medical industries, for example, may use their hands much more actively than those with office jobs. Please refer to our care instructions when deciding what works best for you.

What if my earring backs are too loose from wear?

  • We are happy to tighten loose backs free of charge.
  • We also offer screw-back posts if you’d prefer a little extra security.
  • Please inquire with our store staff for screw-back pricing.

How do I know if my gemstones are loose?

  • To check for loose gemstones on any pieces of jewelry with stones, especially rings, it is recommended to have the tightness of the stones checked regularly by a professional.
  • Depending on the amount of wear the piece receives, stones should be checked every 4 to 6 months.
  • Stones should also be checked more frequently at home.
  • We are happy to provide a virtual demonstration for these techniques upon request.
  • You can use a simple pinhead to gently tap the surface and sides of the stone and see if they move.
  • We also recommend listening for loose stones by holding your piece between your thumb and middle finger next to your ear.

Tips for Caring for Precious Stones

Opal Care

We use fine Opals in our jewelry. Opals are brittle stones, approximately as hard as glass. They should be worn with special attention, as they are extremely susceptible to damage if worn all the time. Opals should not get wet or be exposed to excessive heat or changes in temperature, and should be stored in cool, dry areas in tissue. Take these pieces off when washing hands, showering, using soaps or lotions, and during exercise. For cleaning, we recommend using a soft linen cloth to polish the stones. 


Pearl Care

Pearls are extremely fragile, and because of this, are both set and glued into their settings. They should be worn with special attention, as they are susceptible to damage if worn all the time. Pearl jewelry should not be worn under hot water, be exposed to excessive heat, and should be stored in cool, dry areas in tissue. Take these pieces off when washing hands, showering, using soaps or lotions, and during exercise. If hit with any force, the pearls can break in their setting or become loose. It is not unusual to have to replace chipped, cracked, or missing pearls throughout the lifetime of the jewelry. For cleaning, we recommend using a soft linen cloth to polish the stones. 

Turquoise Care

Turquoise is a soft porous stone, and can be susceptible to damage, depending on the lifestyle of the wearer. The natural turquoise we use may change color over time -- the amount of color change depends on the wearer and things like, amount of sunlight, heat exposure, if you are washing your hands with the rings and the type of soap you are using, and even the body chemistry of the wearer. Improper care can cause the color change of turquoise to happen more quickly. Because of the soft porosity of the stone, they are both set and glued into their settings. Turquoise jewelry should be worn with special attention, as it is susceptible to damage if worn improperly. It should not be worn under hot water, worn when cleaning or using soaps (even some hand soap), be exposed to excessive heat, and should be stored in cool, dry areas in tissue. Take these pieces off when washing hands, showering, using soaps or lotions, and during exercise. It is not unusual to have to replace chipped, cracked, or missing turquoise throughout the lifetime of the jewelry. For cleaning, we recommend using a soft linen cloth to polish the stones. 

Emerald Care

Emeralds are more fragile than sapphires or diamonds due to naturally-occurring inclusions. While these inclusions contribute to the beauty of the stone, they also make it so emeralds require a little extra love. 
Heat and chemicals can intensify these inclusions. As with all fine jewelry, you should avoid impact, hard pressure, and extreme temperatures when wearing your emerald jewelry. Emerald pieces should be worn with attention to our care instructions. The safest way to clean an emerald is gently, with lukewarm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush. Do not use ultrasonic cleaners, steam cleaners, harsh soaps, detergents, or acetone, even if the packaging says "jewelry cleaner."

Diamond Care

We recommend cleaning your diamond jewelry with warm water, a soft toothbrush, and dish soap. Gently scrub the top and underside of the diamonds with the brush, and rinse with water to remove grease over time. If you are planning on steam cleaning or using an ultrasonic cleaner, we highly recommend checking for loose stones prior to use. Like any fine piece of jewelry, we recommend taking off for strenuous exercise, or any activities in which you may be excessively using your hands. 

Gemstone Care

We recommend cleaning your gemstone jewelry with warm water, a soft toothbrush, and dish soap. Gently scrub the top and underside of the stones with the brush, and rinse with water to remove grease over time. If you are planning on steam cleaning or using an ultrasonic cleaner, we highly recommend checking for loose stones prior to use. For emeralds, do not put these stones in ultrasonic cleaners or under harsh heat or pressure conditions, as these stones are considerably more fragile than other secondary stones.