Keep it shining.

Why it happens

Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, mostly copper. That copper is what makes the alloy hard enough to wear; it is also what reacts with sulphur in the air to leave a warm grey or yellow film on the surface.

It sits on the surface and wipes right off. Tarnish is normal, and it says nothing bad about the piece — pure silver would tarnish less, but it would also bend out of shape the first week you wore it.

Skin, humidity and sea air all speed it up. Fun fact: a piece worn every day often stays brighter than one left in a drawer, because wearing it polishes it.

Cleaning, in four steps

1. Rub, don’t scrub. Use a soft jeweller’s polishing cloth. Work in straight lines along the piece rather than in circles — circular strokes leave a swirl pattern on a bright finish that catches the light.
2. Warm water and a drop of plain soap. For dirt rather than tarnish. A soft toothbrush gets into a setting. Rinse in clean water and dry completely — water left sitting in a setting is what dulls a stone.
3. Dry it properly. Pat with a soft cloth, then leave it in the open air for an hour before putting it away. Sealing a damp piece into a pouch will tarnish it faster than wearing it would.
4. Store it airtight and dark. A small zip bag with the air pressed out, inside the box it came in. Tarnish is a reaction with the air; take the air away and it more or less stops. Keep pieces apart so they cannot scratch each other.

What to keep it away from

• Perfume, hairspray and lotion. Put jewellery on last, after everything else has dried. This matters more for a gold polish than for anything else on this list.
• Chlorine and salt water. Take pieces off before a pool or the sea. Chlorine attacks the alloy itself, not just the finish.
• Household cleaners and bleach. Take rings off to clean, wash up or garden.
• Silver dips. They work by stripping the surface. On a plated or oxidised piece they will take the finish with the tarnish, and the damage cannot be undone.
• Ultrasonic cleaners. Fine for a plain band, risky for anything set — the vibration can loosen a stone.

Gold and rose gold polishes

A polished finish is a layer on the surface, and on the parts that rub — the underside of a ring band, the back of a clasp — it will eventually wear through. How long that takes depends entirely on how often the piece is worn and against what.

When it does, write to us before taking it to a commercial plating service. The workshop we work with re-plates to match the original finish; a general re-plate tends to flood the recesses and flatten the detail that made the piece worth buying.

Stones

Warm water, a drop of plain soap and a soft brush is right for almost everything. Rinse and dry thoroughly, because water sitting behind a stone is what makes it look dull long before the setting has anything wrong with it.

Softer and porous stones — pearl, amethyst, emerald, turquoise — want a wipe with a damp cloth and nothing more. No soaking, no brushing, no ultrasonic.

When to send it back

A stone that moves or rattles, a clasp that no longer springs shut, a bent band, or a polish that has worn through. Any of these are worth an email before they become a lost stone.

Every piece carries six months against manufacturing defects. Beyond that, repairs go through the partner workshop we work with — send the reference number from the piece’s page and a photograph, and we will tell you what is possible and what it will cost before anything starts.