Jewelry Care
Solid gold and diamonds are durable, not indestructible. A few habits will keep a piece looking the way it did the day it arrived.
Cleaning at home
Warm water, a drop of unscented dish soap, and a soft toothbrush. Soak for ten minutes, brush gently behind the stones where oils collect, rinse, and dry with a lint-free cloth. Do this every few weeks for something worn daily.
The dullness people mistake for a diamond losing its sparkle is almost always a film of hand cream and skin oil on the underside of the stone. Cleaning behind the setting is what brings it back.
What to avoid
- Chlorine and bleach. Chlorine attacks the alloys in gold over time and can weaken a setting. Take pieces off before a pool or hot tub.
- Ultrasonic cleaners, unless you know the setting is sound. The vibration can shake a stone loose in a setting that was already slightly worn.
- Lotion, perfume, and hairspray. Put jewelry on last, after these have dried.
- Sleeping in a tennis bracelet or necklace. The clasp takes the strain and the chain kinks.
- Gym and manual work. A knock hard enough to bend a prong is what precedes a lost stone.
Storage
Store each piece separately. Diamond is the hardest natural material there is, which means a loose diamond in a jewelry box will scratch every gold surface it touches, including other diamonds' settings. A soft pouch each, or a box with separate compartments.
White gold and rhodium
White gold is a yellow-gold alloy plated with rhodium to give it its bright white finish. Rhodium wears, on a ring worn every day, typically over one to three years, and faster on the underside where it rubs. As it wears, the piece takes on a slightly warmer tone. Re-plating is routine and inexpensive; any jeweler can do it, and so can we.
Yellow gold keeps its color for good, because the color comes from the alloy itself.
Check the settings
Twice a year, hold the piece to your ear and tap it gently. A stone that rattles is loose. Look at the prongs under a bright light for anything bent or flattened. Catching a loose stone costs a few minutes; replacing one costs considerably more.
When to bring it to us
Email info@rosettejewelry.com if a stone moves, a clasp does not close firmly, a prong looks bent, or a band has thinned noticeably. Within the first year this is covered by the warranty; after that we will quote before doing any work.