Care guide
One rule covers most of this: a stone is damaged by things harder than it, and a treatment is damaged by things that dissolve, heat or vibrate it. Everything below follows from those two facts. Every product page also derives its own cleaning limits from the declared treatments, so the specific advice for a piece is always on the piece.
Last updated 12 August 2026
Never, on anything in this catalogue
- Ultrasonic cleaning on a fracture-filled, stabilised, porous or organic material. That covers every emerald, the turquoise, all opal, all pearl and the moonstone. Vibration drives filler out of fractures, lifts stabilising resin and gets behind nacre.
- Steam on anything holding water in its structure, anything filled, or anything porous. Opal in particular can craze.
- Bleach, chlorine, acetone or any household cleaner, on any piece. Chlorine attacks the alloys in sterling silver and 9 carat gold — solder joints go first — quite apart from what it does to stones.
- Toothpaste, bicarbonate of soda or any abrasive paste. These are marketed as jewellery remedies and they are abrasives. They will dull anything below Mohs 7 and scratch the metal.
- Storing pieces loose together. A sapphire at Mohs 9 will scratch every other stone in this catalogue, and a diamond will scratch the sapphire.
By hardness
Mohs 8 and above — sapphire, ruby, diamond, topaz
Warm water, a drop of plain washing-up liquid, a soft brush at the back of the setting where skin oil collects, rinse and dry fully. Corundum and diamond tolerate this indefinitely. Topaz is Mohs 8 but has a perfect basal cleavage: clean it gently and do not drop it.
Mohs 6.5 to 7.5 — garnet, quartz, tourmaline, peridot, aquamarine, emerald, zircon, agate
Same method, but no soaking and no temperature change. Peridot is sensitive to acids and to thermal shock — never run it under a hot tap. Emerald is the exception in this band and belongs with the delicate group below, because of the filling rather than the hardness.
Mohs below 6.5 — pearl, turquoise, opal, moonstone
A soft dry cloth, or a barely damp one, and nothing else. No soaking, no ultrasonic, no steam, no solvent. Put these on last, after perfume, hairspray, cosmetics and hand sanitiser, and take them off first. Opal dislikes prolonged dry heat and direct sun — a windowsill or a car dashboard is the worst place to leave one. Store pearls somewhere with a little humidity; a sealed plastic bag will dry them out over years.
By treatment
| Treatment | Never | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Untreated | Nothing specific beyond the hardness rules | There is nothing added to the stone to disturb |
| Heated | Nothing specific; avoid extreme thermal shock | The change is permanent and stable in ordinary wear |
| Fracture-filled | Ultrasonic, steam, solvents, sustained heat, jeweller’s torch | The filler can be driven out or clouded, and it does not go back |
| Irradiated | Sustained heat, strong light for long periods, ultrasonic | The colour centre can fade or shift |
| Dyed | Solvents, alcohol, abrasives, soaking | The colouring agent can be drawn out or rubbed off |
| Coated | Abrasives, polishing cloths with compound, solvents | The layer sits on the surface and will wear through |
| Diffusion | Recutting or heavy repolishing | The colour is only in the surface layer |
| Stabilised | Ultrasonic, steam, solvents, soaking | The resin holding the stone together can lift |
Looking after the metal
Sterling silver tarnishes. That is a chemical reaction between the copper in the alloy and sulphur in the air, and it is normal — it is not a defect and it is not a sign of poor quality. A soft cloth removes it. Store silver in a closed box or a tarnish-inhibiting pouch and it will happen far more slowly. We do not describe any piece here as resistant to tarnish, because sterling silver is not.
9 carat gold tarnishes very slowly for the same reason — it is 37.5 % gold and the rest is alloy. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth is all it needs. Do not use a silver dip on gold, and do not use a silver dip on any piece with a stone in it.
Take rings off before the gym, gardening, washing up and DIY. Most damage to a setting comes from a knock that bends a claw, not from anything chemical, and a bent claw is how a stone is lost.
Storage
- Separate compartments, or individual soft pouches. Not one drawer with everything in it.
- Chains fastened before storing — an unfastened chain finds a knot.
- Away from direct sun and away from radiators. Amethyst fades in strong light over years; opal dislikes dry heat.
- Pearls flat rather than hanging, so the thread does not stretch. Restring worn pearls every couple of years if they are worn often.
Yearly check
Once a year, hold each piece close to your ear and shake it gently. A faint rattle means a stone has moved in its setting. Look at the claws under a bright light for anything bent, thin or lifted. Bring it to us or to any jeweller before wearing it again — a claw re-tightened costs very little, and a stone lost from a loose setting cannot be recovered.
We re-tighten a loose claw or re-glue a cup-and-peg pearl free within 12 months of purchase where the piece has been worn in line with its wear grade. See terms, clause 10 for what is and is not covered.