Caring for your Fine Jewellery

A diamond is the hardest natural substance on earth. The gold setting it sits in is not. Fine jewellery is durable, but it is not indestructible — and the way a piece is cared for in the first five years of its life will determine how it looks after fifty.

The Daily Routine

The most important single habit is removal. Remove all jewellery before washing hands, showering, swimming, cleaning, cooking, or sleeping. Soap, chlorine, bleach, and even salt water degrade metal alloys and loosen prongs over time. Perfume and hairspray settle on stones and dull their surface. A ring taken off before bed and placed in a dedicated dish will outlast, in appearance, a ring worn continuously.

Cleaning at Home

• ◆Gold and platinum: Soak in a small bowl of warm water with two drops of mild dish soap for 20 minutes. Brush gently with a soft toothbrush — paying attention to the underside of the setting where grease accumulates. Rinse under warm running water. Pat dry with a lint-free cloth. Never use paper towels, which scratch.
• ◆Diamonds and sapphires: The above method is entirely safe. Diamonds are grease-loving — they attract oils from the skin — and benefit from weekly cleaning.
• ◆Emeralds: Do not soak. Emeralds are routinely oiled during cutting to fill surface fractures, and prolonged water exposure can dissolve the oil. Clean with a barely damp cloth only, and have the oiling refreshed professionally every three to five years.
• ◆Pearls: Wipe with a soft damp cloth after each wear. Never soak, never use ultrasonic cleaners, never use steam. Pearls are organic, composed of aragonite and conchiolin, and they are genuinely fragile.
• ◆Opals: Like pearls, opals contain water within their structure. Dry them naturally; never use steam or ultrasonic. Store separately to avoid surface abrasion.

“The ultrasonic cleaner that every jeweller uses in their workshop is entirely safe for diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and garnets. It is not safe for emeralds, opals, pearls, turquoise, or tanzanite. If in doubt, ask us.”

Storage

Jewellery should be stored in individual soft pouches or a compartmented jewellery box, not together in a drawer. Diamond scratches gold. Gold scratches gold. Even stones of similar hardness will abrade each other's surfaces if left in contact. The velvet-lined box we include with every commission is not decorative. It is the correct storage vessel.

• ◆Keep pieces separate — a tangled chain is harder to untangle than a broken chain is to repair
• ◆Store silver in anti-tarnish cloth pouches; silver oxidises in air and humidity
• ◆Keep pearl necklaces flat, not hanging — the silk thread stretches under the weight of the beads over time
• ◆Travel with pieces in their individual pouches inside a travel roll, not loose in a bag

Professional Maintenance

We recommend bringing any frequently worn piece to us — or to your local jeweller — once a year. A professional service includes ultrasonic cleaning, steam cleaning, a check of all prong tips, re-tipping as needed, and a repolish if the surface shows wear. A prong that has worn flat is one thin layer of metal away from losing its stone. This service typically costs between ₹1,500 and ₹4,500 and is among the best investments you can make in a piece you intend to keep.

For pieces purchased from The Karat Store, we offer a complimentary annual service for the first three years from date of purchase. Book via the link below, or visit our atelier directly.

Insurance

Every piece above ₹50,000 should be insured separately, not assumed to be covered under home contents insurance. Standard home policies cover jewellery only to a combined limit — often ₹25,000 or less — and typically exclude loss unless there is evidence of forced entry. A specialist jewellery policy, available from several Indian insurers, covers accidental loss, theft away from home, and mysterious disappearance at a premium of approximately 0.5–1.0% of the insured value per year.

The GIA certificate and signed appraisal letter that accompany every purchase from The Karat Store are the two documents your insurer will request. Keep them separately from the jewellery — ideally in a digital scan as well as physical form.