Jewellery Care

CARING FOR DIAMOND JEWELLERY

With just a little care and attention, and some common sense, you can keep your diamond jewellery as bright and sparkling as the day you purchased it. Simply follow these guidelines;

1) When undertaking manual work such as gardening or DIY, remove your diamond jewellery. This is not only because of potentially knocking the diamond out of the mount, but also because these types of activities expose the diamond jewellery to potentially harmful chemicals.

2) When doing household chores such as the washing up, for example, remove your diamond jewellery. Again, this is common sense, as immersing your precious item of diamond jewellery in hot soapy water is not the most sensible course of action.

3) When storing your diamond jewellery, make sure you store each item separately, ideally in a protective pouch or something similar. Remember, the only thing that can scratch a diamond is another diamond. Therefore, the last thing you want to do is to be mixing up all your items of precious diamond jewellery.

It is also advisable to carry out simple DIY check-ups on your diamond jewellery such as examining the claws of the mount, for example, to ensure that none of them have been dislodged or snapped. Also, you should ensure that the diamonds do not freely revolve in their settings.

Items of diamond jewellery, due to the fact that they are commonly worn on a daily basis, naturally attract grease and grime. Therefore, it is often a good idea to clean them to return them to their natural brilliance and sparkle. The easiest way to do this is to get a bowl of lukewarm water containing a few drops of mild household washing up liquid. Get a toothbrush and scrub lightly, especially underneath the diamond setting to remove any dirt. After you have done this, simply rinse the item in cold water and pat lightly with a soft, dry cloth. Easy and effective.

Our insurance partners, TH March recommend the following for security and overall well-being of your diamond jewellery;

- DO ask your hotel to place your diamond jewellery in a safe deposit box when you are not wearing it. rather than leaving exposed in your room.

- DO carry your diamond jewellery with you at all times on your person when travelling. For example on an aeroplane, always carry the diamond jewellery in your hand luggage rather than placing in the hold in your suitcase.

- DO ask for a receipt when leaving your diamond jewellery with a jeweller for a re-size, repair or polish.

- DO have your diamond jewellery examined by an experienced jeweller on a regular basis.

- DON'T leave your diamond jewellery loose in a drawer or jewellery box. After all, the only thing that can scratch a diamond is a diamond, so don't store two pieces of diamond jewellery alongside each other without protection.

- DON'T leave diamond jewellery lying about your house, not only when leaving the house un-attended, but even when you are in the house, it is not uncommon for thieves to break into a house upstairs when the residents are downstairs.

- DON'T leave your diamond jewellery in an un-attended vehicle, regardless of whether it is on display or not.

- DON'T forget that if you are wearing gloves on a cold day, your diamond engagement ring may be looser than normal on your finger, and could potentially slide off with your glove, so beware!

CARING FOR PEARL JEWELLERY

Pearls are a gift of nature from the sea. Whilst most of the guidelines regarding diamond jewellery also apply to pearls, there are some small differences which are worth reading about. To ensure lasting pleasure and to prevent accidental damage, it is advisable to follow these simple guidelines;

1) Do not drop pearls into handbags or drawers without first placing them in a protective pouch or box.

2) Try not to knock your pearls against sharp or hard surfaces.

3) After each wear, wipe your pearls with a soft, damp cloth to remove any build up of body oils or perspiration.

4) Occasionally rinse your pearls in warm water using a mild pure soap - NOT DETERGENT. Rinse and pat dry thoroughly with a soft clean cloth before storing.

5) Pearls should never have contact with detergents, bleach, cleaning solutions or sonic cleaners.

6) AVOID direct contact with perfume, make-up, shampoo and hairspray which can all eat away the lustre of your pearls.

7) Re-string your pearls every 1-2 years. Ensure they are knotted separately to avoid scratching.

8) Avoid storing in a very dry place.


CARING FOR YOUR LUXURY WATCH

Your luxury watch, like all precision micro-mechanical devices should be serviced by an authorised dealer once a year. This is most certainly the case for the luxury brands that we sell such as Rolex, Breitling, TAG Heuer, Cartier, Omega, Longines, Zenith, Patek Philippe, Ebel, IWC, Jacob & Co, Jaeger LeCoultre, Chopard, Audemars Piguet, Breguet and Panerai.

Today, a competently designed and well built mechanical watch movement can run smoothly and well for decades on end, assuming of course that it is treated with care and provided with regular maintenance. It should be remembered that on the wrist, the movement will be regularly exposed to such things as the negative effects of gravity and of magnetic fields, the repeated expansion and contraction of metal parts caused by sharp variations in temperature, much jarring and occasional hard knocks, the presence of moisture or fine particles inside the case, and of course the slow but steady deterioration of the movement's special lubricants, potentially causing friction and jamming.

You should also take note of the following guidelines, for water-resistant watches;

DO use a soft tissue to clean the case and crystal of your watch.

DO use a soft tissue dipped in soapy water if the case and crystal look very dirty.

DO NOT clean a leather strap with water. Also, never place a leather strap near a source of heat such as an open fire, nor leave it exposed to strong direct sunlight.

DO NOT use chemical prodcuts like benzin or petrol to clean your watch.