Jewellery Care
Caring for your jewellery
Gold plating is real gold bonded to sterling silver. Treated well it lasts years. Treated badly it wears through in months. The difference is mostly about what touches it.
The one rule that matters
Last on, first off. Put your jewellery on after perfume, moisturiser, hairspray and make-up. Take it off before you take anything else off.
Nearly all plating damage comes from cosmetics and cleaning products, not from wear.
Take it off for
- Showering, swimming and hot tubs — chlorine and salt water are the fastest way to strip plating
- Sleeping — friction against bedding wears plating and bends fine settings
- The gym — sweat is mildly acidic
- Cleaning, washing up, gardening
- Applying perfume, fake tan, sunscreen or hand sanitiser
Cleaning
Wipe gently with a soft dry cloth after wearing. That's genuinely most of it.
For anything more, use a barely damp cloth with a drop of mild soap, then dry thoroughly.
Never use silver dip, polishing cloths designed for solid silver, ultrasonic cleaners, toothpaste, bicarbonate of soda or any abrasive. They are made to remove a surface layer — on plated jewellery, that layer is the gold.
Storing
Keep pieces separate so they can't scratch each other — the pouch your jewellery arrived in is there for exactly this. Store somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight. Bathrooms are the worst place in the house for jewellery.
Adjustable rings
Our rings are open bands designed to be gently eased to fit. Adjust with steady, light pressure using your fingers, and adjust as little as you can. Repeated bending will eventually weaken any metal.
If something goes wrong
Plating and stone settings are covered for 6 months from delivery against manufacturing faults. Email shoda@shodajewels.com with a photo and your order number.
Normal wear over time, scratches from daily use, and damage from chemicals or water aren't manufacturing faults — but tell us anyway, and we'll see what we can do.