CARING FOR YOUR JEWELLERY

 

THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING A PIECE OF KIRSTEN GOSS JEWELLERY. IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ITS BEAUTY, WE SUGGEST YOU LOOK AFTER IT WITH THESE VERY SIMPLE GUIDELINES:

Just like clothing, bodies, hair etc, jewellery does need regular washing to maintain its sparkle and lustre. With all the skin oils, moisturisers and make up, dirt builds up really easily and can affect the metal with time, creating dullness or tarnishing. However, to alleviate this, simply take off your pieces and give them a rinse with some liquid hand-soap and warm water to de-grease them. Pat them dry and put them in a protective box. Do not store them in the bottom of your handbag! If you have an intricate piece with gemstones, using an old toothbrush, you can coax the dirt out by gently circling with the bristles. This is very good for earrings and rings where there are claws. So long as you use non-abrasive hand-soap that you would consider gentle enough for your hands, this method should not harm any stones or metal. 

Every now and then, you can dip your (de-greased) piece of jewellery into a good liquid jewellery cleaner (we stock them). If you clean your jewellery well before hand, you won’t contaminate the liquid thus keeping it effective for longer, and your jewels will sparkle brightly. If there is deeper cleaning to be done or you’ve left your piece to tarnish longer – we are happy to help if you bring it into one of our stores.

 

RE-PLATING SERVICE

All sterling silver and gold vermeil items can be re-plated. We think of this as a ‘dry-cleaning’ for jewellery to keep your jewels looking their best. Luckily we offer the first re-plating service free. Thereafter there is a nominal fee per piece based on the size of the item. For South African customers, you are welcome to return the item to a Kirsten Goss store near you for this service.

Wearing on vermeil jewellery varies according to wear and type of piece. Rings and bracelets take the most knocking and wear, so will require the most replating. Or take advantage of our upgrade offer to 9k/18k gold if possible. Avoid wearing when swimming or bathing, and remove rings before applying hand cream/sanitisers as the acids can affect the longevity of the plating. The dulled look that plated jewellery develops in time is caused by the core layer of sterling silver tarnishing. It can easily be removed by degreasing with soap an water and then dipping in a silver jewellery solution which we stock.

 

18K GOLD JEWELLERY

18k gold jewellery should be cleaned regularly in order to maintain its beauty and patina. A soft, lint free cloth is an effective way to keep gold jewellery looking shiny and lustrous. Remove your 18k gold jewellery when using potentially damaging equipment as it is soft and impressionable. Textured finishes on rings are superficial and will wear, gradually appearing smoother with wear. We can re-texture rings for a nominal fee at our studio.

 

GEMSTONES

Regular cleaning will help stones to retain their sparkle and shine. You can gently clean your jewellery in warm soapy water and using a soft toothbrush to gently clean the surface and in and behind any stone settings. Be more careful with pearls, emeralds, turquoise, lapis lazuli and opals (as these are porous). Avoid harder bristled brushes or new toothbrushes as these can leave scratches on the surface of the metal and gemstones. Rinse the piece under running water and use a soft cloth to dry the piece. Don’t forget to remove your rings when washing up or showering, as soap particles may become lodged in stone settings and crevices. Soaps can also leave a film over stones, creating a dull appearance. Avoid exposure to hot water and/or harsh chemicals and acids (such as household chemicals, perfumes, or hairsprays) as these may erode the finish or cause discolouration.

Gemstones are graded on a hardness scale of 1-10 and particular care should be taken with them, especially if they fall onto a harder grade, to ensure that they are not knocked or banged when worn. To avoid damage, keep your gemstone jewellery in separate pouches, and fasten all chains and catches before storing flat. We do not offer a service to repair stones, and can only replace them depending on availability.

 

WE ARE HAPPY WHEN YOUR JEWELS LOOK HAPPY, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO LOOK AFTER YOUR KIRSTEN GOSS JEWELLERY, DON’T HESITATE TO CONTACT US DIRECTLY AND WE WILL BE DELIGHTED TO ADVISE YOU.