Over time and extended use, jewels need a cleanup. For your jewels to look as new, follow the next indications:

• Silver rusts when in contact with air. Also, it is affected by our skin’s Ph, sweat, chemical products, saltwater, etc. For that reason, it is important not to wear silver jewellery when applying perfume, exercising or swimming. Besides, it is recommended that they are kept in a case after use. For cleaning them we need:

  –   Warm water

  –   A soft-bristle brush

  –   Neutral soap

  –   A cotton cloth to dry them up.         

• Advice high temperatures and/or chemical products (perfumes, chlorine, disinfectant, etc.) can damage enamelled jewels.

• Gold and diamonds gradually lose their natural lustre due to dirt. For cleaning them we need:

  –   Warm water

  –   A soft-bristle brush

  –   Neutral soap

  –   A cotton cloth to dry them up.         

• Pearls are organic. Since their natural environment is water, they need it for a proper cleaning. With adequate maintenance, pearls preserve their unique lustre, called ‘orient’. For such purpose, we need:

  –   Water

  –   A soft sponge

  –   Vegetable soap (a very small amount and not every time we clean them)

  –   A cotton cloth to dry them up.

Pearls do NOT like:

  –   Perfumes, lacquers, body lotions…

  –   Heat/cold sources

  –   To be kept in plastic; they need to ‘breathe’

  –   Anything that could scratch them.

• And what happens when we are not sure about we are going to clean? Sometimes, our gold/silver jewels are combined with elements that are unknown for us: enamels, gems, synthetic materials…If in doubt, always err on the side of caution. In these cases, to clean our jewels we need:

                 –   Warm water

                 –   Neutral soap

                 –   A cotton cloth to dry them up.

The durability of jewels depends on the above. Should you need our advice on how to take care of your jewels, send us an email with your details and a picture of the article to boxes@lapetra.co. We will answer you as soon as possible.