Sterling silver jewellery
There are a few steps to take in order to care for your sterling silver jewellery. Sterling silver naturally oxidises in the air over time and can become tarnished if not properly cared for. ‘Tarnish’ is a thin layer of corrosion which will form over silver. With a small amount of regular maintenance, tarnish can be easily suppressed. However if silver is left and becomes too oxidised, the piece may need to be professionally cleaned.
In order to extend the life of your piece, it’s important to take the following steps:
- Your piece should be regularly cleaned with a non-abrasive polishing cloth (Von Treskow cloths available).
- Avoid contact with aerosols, perfume, detergents, chlorinated water, saltwater or any other chemicals which may speed up the tarnishing process.
- Contact with spray-tan or other self-tanning products should especially be avoided.
When getting ready, we recommend putting your jewellery on last. This helps to avoid contact with hairspray, perfume, etc.
Gold filled jewellery
Gold filled jewellery is different from gold plated jewellery. Gold filled jewellery is solid gold bonded to a base metal. It looks and feels like solid gold and lasts much longer than gold plated jewellery. The best way to care for your gold filled jewellery is to clean with a small amount of warm water and a soft cloth. As with all jewellery and as described above, contact with chemicals should always be avoided.
Gold plated jewellery
Gold plating involves covering a base metal with a thin layer of pure gold by electroplating. Von Treskow hard gold plates its pieces on top of sterling silver.
In order to extend the life of your gold plated items, it’s important to take the following steps:
- Avoid contact with aerosols, perfume, detergents, chlorinated water, saltwater or any other chemicals which may wear down the layer of gold plating.
- Avoid rubbing the piece or banging the piece against other objects. Too much friction will wear down the plating.
- Clean your gold plated jewellery with warm water and a soft polishing cloth. Be gentle and do not rub too hard as this can wear down the plating.
These general tips should help you extend the life of your gold plated items. Don’t despair if your plating eventually wears down in spots as items can be re-plated and brought back to life. Gold plating wearing down is not a manufacturing fault, rather a part of the normal wear and tear process.
Von Treskow’s silver and gold polishing cloth is made from 100% cotton, impregnated with cleaning agent and anti-tarnish.