Jewellery Care 101: Necklaces and Pendants
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Your Ultimate Guide to Caring for your Necklaces and Pendants
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Necklaces and pendants have served as a powerful reminder of what we treasure the most as individuals. Whether wearing a talisman symbolises good luck, represents family tradition or aimed to express faith, love or another of your beliefs and values, your necklace or pendant will most definitely be one of your most precious valuables.
Yet, while it may appear priceless to you, over time your chain can lose its brightness and shine. Several factors such as sweat, skin, pollution, or hygiene products while you are wearing the piece may lead to its discolouration. However, even dust particles while you are not wearing them alters their shine and colour. So join us today as we explore simple cleaning and storage techniques to keep your necklaces and pendants looking, smelling and feeling good.
If you would like to see a professional jeweller, such as in accordance with Tip 5, book an appointment here and browse some pieces of our collection at our office while you wait.
Also check out
Jewellery Care 101: Rings
Jewellery Care 101: Earrings
Jewellery Care 101: Bracelets and Bangles
1: The At-Home Deep Cleaning Routine
For a thorough deep clean at home, soak your chain and pendant in a bowl of warm (not too hot) water and a very small amount of detergent (literally 1 or 2 small drops). Putting more than the recommended amount can damage the stones so be very conservative with the soap or detergent.
Whatever you do, don't wash your pieces under heavy running water over a sink. We have seen many customers lose bits of jewellery into a drain only for them to not be seen again.
After a brief soak, use a soft toothbrush and brush the chain and pendant softly, ensuring that your remove any grime or oil on it. Don't be too hard if your jewellery is gold or silver plated, as this may damage the plating. Don't forget to brush both the top and the underside of the pendant.
Once you're done with this, rinse the jewellery with another clean bowl of cold water and use a hairdryer to dry each piece ensuring that your remove all the condensation. Make sure to use cold air, especially where there are stones or pearls glued to the piece, to prevent glue from melting.
If you have bought a piece from us, and one of the stones has fallen off, feel free to contact us and we can see how to repair it together.
2: Polishing and Removing Knots
One way to enhance the shine of your necklace, whether containing a gemstone or not, is to use a microfibre cloth. These can be found when you purchase a pair of glasses or sunglasses, or would usually come with the ring that you have decided to purchase.
We recommend polishing your necklace little and often, especially if it is made of sterling silver as it discolours and oxidises very easily. Giving it a consistent polish would enhance its shine, appearance and maximise the colour and vibrance of the precious metals and stone.
If you have long hair, you may also struggle with finding knots stuck in the chain. We suggest that you consider doing one of these options:
Use a pair of cuticle scissors, cut the strands of hair and slowly remove the strands of hair from the necklace.
Apply oil onto the tangled portion of the necklace and patiently use a toothpick to untangle the hair
Use Nair or any hair removal cream and apply it to the tangled portion. Make sure to soak the chain in warm water afterwards to prevent the cream from reacting with the metals.
Make sure that you don't:
Burn off the hair with a lighter: While it is possible to do so, you run the risk of burning the jewellery and causing a reaction with the air. Hair also burns unevenly when tangled so it is very difficult to get off.
Submerge the tangled hair and necklace in warm water: It will make the hair more tangled and would result in more difficulty.
3: Correct Storage
To store your necklace properly after daily wear, there are a few must-do habits to keep in mind. In particular, you should:
Invest in a jewellery box or a necklace holder: Ensure that whatever you decide to use is lined with a soft or velvet fabric such as suede, silk or microfibre. Find a jewellery box with dividers if storing multiple pieces in the same box.
Ensure that the necklace is straight: To prevent the necklace from being all tangled up, use gravity to your advantage. Hold the necklace from one end and watch gravity make your necklace straight.
Use a plastic ziplock bag for 2 or more: Where storing 2 or more necklaces in the same box, put the necklaces in separate plastic ziplock bags to prevent entanglements with each other. We don't want to be solving a complicated puzzle first thing in the morning...
Make sure that you use these storage methods to prevent reactions between the piece and any dust in the environment; as well as prevent further damage or scratching between the piece and other pieces of jewellery.
4: When to take off your necklace
You should take off your necklace when:
Showering
Playing sport or going to the gym
Swimming
Sleeping
Cleaning
By taking your necklaces off in these situations, you would be reducing the amount of chemicals, body oils or other fluids that would react with the metal alloys in the ring as indicated in tip 1. You'd also be reducing the possibility of the necklace being damaged by your own hair or body, or even damage to yourself if you are sleeping.
5: When to call a Professional
When all else fails, consider calling a professional. In particular, necklaces made of sterling silver and lower karat golds are more likely to discolour, cause 'green neck' and ultimately lose the shine. Therefore, we recommend that you visit us if:
You are looking for Rhodium or Platinum Plating: By plating one side of a necklace or the pendant, we can make an outstanding unique look to add another layer to your ring's appearance while protecting you from 'green neck'.
Your necklace is in need of repair: Discolouration, at-home deep cleaning processes and corrosive reactions may lead to any gemstones on your necklace falling off. Contact us if you are looking for any repair services and browse our collection while you wait if you wish.
You would like a professional clean: You should seek a professional clean if the discolouration, oxidisation or other reaction to your necklace cannot be removed through our recommended at-home deep cleaning process. At our office we have an ultrasonic bathing machine that is deliberately made to clean jewellery. If you would like to use this, do feel free to contact us.
We hope you have enjoyed this article. Please do browse our collection or book an appointment with us if you are interested in our portfolio or a bespoke service.
