WHAT IS GOLD VERMEIL?
Gold vermeil is a layer of gold over sterling silver, and requires a little care and attention. Always remove your gold vermeil jewellery when applying scent, lotions and potions, or even better, always put your jewellery on last when getting dressed.
HOW DO I CARE FOR MY PLATED JEWELLERY?
Never wear your gold vermeil jewellery in the shower or when swimming. Chlorine, especially at high temperatures, can permanently damage or discolour your gold vermeil jewellery.
Gently clean your gold vermeil jewellery with a soft polishing cloth. Alernatively you can clean vermeil by using a lukewarm soapy mixture and a soft cloth. The soap you use should be a non oily, mild dishwashing liquid. Do not use the ones with oxides in them or is an anti-bacterial . After washing with the soft cloth and soapy water, you should rinse the piece and use another soft cloth to dry and polish it. Do not use a polishing agent, abrasive compounds or have gold vermeil jewellery machine polished as these processes will wear away at the layer of gold.
As with all fine things in life, you should take care to protect your jewellery and always store in a jewellery box, taking care not to drop, or scratch.
HOW DO I CARE FOR MY SILVER JEWELLERY?
Sterling silver is a precious metal and as a result of its composition your silver jewellery may tarnish gradually over time. Tarnishing is a natural process that is caused when sterling silver is exposed to humidity and chemicals such as hydrogen sulphide in the air. To minimise the speed of this process we advise you to do the following:
- Remove jewellery when bathing, showering or swimming as water and chemicals (especially chlorine) can affect the longevity of the gold plating or encourage silver to tarnish.
- Chemicals in make-up, hair spray, scent and moisturisers can also affect the beauty and shine of your jewellery, so apply these before wearing your jewellery.
- Remove jewellery when doing household tasks such as cleaning, playing sport or other strenuous activities since jewellery may become scratched or harmed by sharp blows.
- Do not wear your jewellery whilst on the beach or sunbathing since extreme temperatures and strong UV rays can cause gemstones to fade in colour and lose their original beauty, whilst sand can damage their surface.
CLEANING SILVER JEWELLERY.
At Cara Tonkin we use an oxidised finish on many of or silver pieces. If you piece is partially oxidised we advise cleaning the bright silver areas by rubbing with a silver polishing cloth. Jewellery that is comprised of just silver without an oxidised finish can also be dipped in silver dip. This is an effective and easy method of getting a bright finish back on your jewellery.
CLEANING JEWELLERY WITH GEMSTONES.
Clean jewellery using warm water, mild soap and a soft bristle toothbrush. Use a non-abrasive silver cloth or soft lint free cloth to polish jewellery. Soft porous stones such as pearls and opals must not be dipped in silver dip as it will penetrate the stone and could lead to discolouring.