Caring for your jewellery depends on what metal, gemstone and finish your piece has. Whether you have purchased one of our simple gold bands, a sterling silver necklace, or a gemstone ring, there are specific ways of taking care of your piece that will help maintain it looking fresh and give it the best chance of a long and happy life.

Polished Silver and Gold Jewellery

When you first receive your polished sterling silver or gold jewellery from us, it will have a thin layer of protective wax that keeps it from getting fingerprints, water marks, and overall dirt stuck on its surface. This layer will wear off over time and the metal will become more exposed.

The best way to keep your jewellery looking fresh and clean is to wear it often. Silver tends to tarnish if left unused, especially when it comes into contact with certain materials. To safely store away your jewellery it is best to give it its own protective cotton pouch or ring box, rather than storing it together with other pieces. You can also place your jewellery inside an anti tarnish bag which will keep it fresh for longer.

In order to freshen up a Sterling silver or gold piece that has become a bit dull follow these steps for safe cleaning. The process will vary depending on whether your piece has become a bit dull due to wear or tarnished from lack of wear.

Washing your Jewellery Safely

Water, Soap and Toothbrush

You will need a soft toothbrush and a gentle, non-abrasive, neutral soap like washing up liquid. If you are not sure about the soap you have at hand, use only water.

If your ring, pendant or earrings have gemstones make sure to read about the specifics of cleaning gemstones at the bottom before proceeding. Quality gemstones with high levels of hardness such as Rubies and Sapphires are unlikely to suffer any damage from cleaning. However, if your piece features an Opal, Pearl, Agate or other porous stones you should be careful with the type of soap you use or stick to water only.

Dampen the jewellery with warm water to loosen any dirt and gently brush the whole surface with a bit of soap. Rinse and have a look to see if you need to repeat the process. Try to avoid submerging your piece for long, and using water that is too hot.

Make sure to thoroughly rinse the piece before you move on to drying. Take some kitchen paper and dry the piece as well as you can, blowing any trapped water out to get it as dry as possible. It is very likely that this will bring the shine back to your piece.

Polishing Cloth

If, after washing with a toothbrush, your piece still looks a little dull you can do a further step to give your piece a more mirror-like polish. All items purchased from Maru Jewellery come with a polishing cloth for silver or gold depending on your purchase. Take the polishing cloth and lightly rub it against the surface of your piece. This should only take a minute. The cloth will not only provide shine to your jewellery, but it will also add a layer of protection against future tarnishing, which should keep your polished jewellery sparkling.

You might find that a piece that you have not been wearing has tarnished from sitting in contact with air and moisture. This is especially common for silver and lower carat gold jewellery. The polishing cloth will fix this issue as well.

Cleaning Liquid

If your jewellery did not get its shine back after following the steps above, you might want to try a silver or gold cleaning liquid. These usually come either as a thick liquid used on a cloth which is then rubbed onto the jewellery or as a thin liquid where you submerge your jewellery for a couple of minutes. For pieces with gemstones we would advice using a liquid that is rubbed onto the jewellery so you can avoid submerging the gemstone.

Make sure to purchase Sterling silver cleaning liquid for silver and the gold specific liquid for gold, and follow the instructions carefully, making sure to follow the soaking time indicated and to rinse your piece thoroughly afterwards. There is also Diamond specific cleaning liquid available.

Matte jewellery

If you have purchased one of our matte rings, pendants or earrings, your jewellery came protected with a thin layer of wax to prevent fingerprints, water and dirt from marking the metal. However, if you have been wearing your jewellery for some time you might see that many little scratches have turned the previously-matte surface shinier and more polished. This is normal a natural process as over time any matte jewellery will gradually become polished. Depending on your personal preference you might like the natural look and patina that your piece has acquired over time. Alternatively, if you prefer the uniformly matte finish, you can try the steps below.

Firstly, freshen up your piece by giving it a wash. Like with polished jewellery, using a soft toothbrush and a little gentle soap clean the surface of your piece, making sure you rinse and dry properly afterwards and taking special care of any gemstones. This might have done the trick, but you might still not have the matte finish back.

If you want to give the silver or gold ring a more matte finish at home, you can try lightly rubbing some superfine steel wool on your piece, which will scratch the surface removing any polished bits that might have occurred. If you decide to follow this step, make sure not to scratch the gemstone as some delicate stones could be damaged. You could add a small piece of tape over the stone to protect it or hold a finger over it to avoid accidentally buffing the stone. Alternatively you can always contact us to get your matte jewellery freshened up safely by us.

Oxidised jewellery

If you purchased jewellery with a dark patina, you need to be careful with the cleaning method followed, as the oxidation could come off with certain cleaning products or brushes. In order to maintain the dark areas and bring back the shine to the polished bits keep reading.

Steps

Start by freshening up your piece by giving it a light wash. With a soft toothbrush and a little gentle soap, get rid of any dirt that might be stuck on the surface. Do not rub hard as any scratching or abrasion can rub off the patina and expose the silver. After rinsing properly, dry the piece as well as possible, blowing into any tiny areas where water could get stuck. Make sure to thoroughly dry your jewellery.

If you feel your jewellery has become too polished or has lost a lot of its oxidation there are ways of recovering the effect. The black patina given through oxidation is a result of applying sulphur to the surface of the jewellery. Normally jewellers will use a strong solution that darkens silver quickly. At Maru Jewellery we use a gentle liquid traditionally used as a bathing solution in Japan, that mimics natural sulphurised hot springs. If you are interested in buying a small bottle of this solution to oxidise your own silver we offer an oxidising kit to use at home with instructions here.

There are however methods to oxidise jewellery on your own without special products. If you chose to try any of these, please keep any gemstones protected and do not expose them to these darkening techniques. This could irreversibly damage certain gemstones.

Oxidising Silver at Home with Egg

You can oxidise a silver piece at home using an egg. Begin by hard boiling an egg for about 10 minutes and letting it cool. Peel the egg and mash it up and place it in a ziplock bag together with your silver piece. Close the bag and let the piece sit in the bag with the crushed egg for around 20 minutes. Keep checking on it and remove it when you have achieved the colour you desire. Wash the ring thoroughly and throw out the used egg.

If your piece has any texture (such as a hammered pattern or reticulation) you might want to achieve a contrast between darker spots and a polished surface. For this you will have to place the polishing cloth flat on a table and, holding the piece of jewellery with your fingers, rub it against the cloth. This way, the dark will remain in the deeper parts, while higher points will become shinier. The more you rub the piece, the lighter and shinier the silver will become, so do it slowly until you achieve the desired result.

If you are looking for a vegan alternative, keep reading.

Oxidising Silver with Sulphur Ointment

A traditional treatment for acne or sensitive skin is sulphur ointment or sulphur soap which in some cases can be used to create oxidation on silver jewellery. After carefully washing your piece (see above), take a small amount of ointment and rub it onto the jewellery where you want oxidation, making sure to wash it off as soon as the desired darkness is achieved.

Note that in all circumstances you must follow the instructions and precautions of the products used at no point should you do anything that the product advises against. Be extra careful with any gemstones in your jewellery.

After you Oxidise your Piece

After following any of the three methods above, oxidation will now have occurred to all exposed parts of the jewellery. In order to re-accentuate the polished parts of your ring, pendant or earrings take the polishing cloth you received with your purchase and place it flat on a table. Holding the cloth taut rub the newly oxidised jewellery flat against the polishing cloth so that only the raised areas come into contact with the cloth. As the cloth is impregnated with polishing compounds, try to avoid rubbing it against areas you want to keep dark. This way you will add shine to the raised bits, and will retain the patina in non-exposed areas. An example of rings that have been oxidised and then cloth-polished is shown below:

Gemstones

Note that some gemstones require specific cleaning. For example, opal is a porous stone and should be kept away from soaps and cleaning products as it might dull and destroy the colour-play in the stone.

As you may have noticed, the best way to keep your jewellery looking its best is to wear it often. This prevents tarnishing and makes pieces acquire more character as they age.