How Do I Care For My Precious Metal Ring?Updated 2 years ago
Your new precious metal ring has arrived, and you’re excited to wear it. It looks wonderful on your hand, and you’re delighted to have a beautiful ring that was made just for you in Ireland. How do you keep it looking its best? Read on, and we’ll give you all the details!
Sterling silver:
Pieces made from Sterling silver will last for many years if treated with care, and several of us here in MIJ have silver jewelry which we still frequently wear that's over thirty years old and still looking great!
There are a couple of things to be aware of when dealing with silver:
It’s soft: It can get scratched easily, so be gentle with it.
It’s pliable: It can break if subjected to force or repeated impact - take your silver ring off if you’re playing sports or at the gym, and when doing any kind of manual labor or yard work.
Silver is happiest when worn, and it will tarnish if left unworn. However, that is a natural reaction in silver and copper, and you can read more about it in this blog post.
Always store your ring in an airtight container when the piece is not being worn. Little Ziploc bags work great for this.
It can become discolored by chlorine and bleach, so removing any silver pieces before swimming in a pool or jumping in a hot tub is a must.
We recommend you clean your silver jewelry with a silver polishing cloth. Rings with an oxidised finish will be damaged by silver cleaning fluid, but a polishing cloth will only polish the raised parts of the design that you want to keep shiny. These cloths can be bought from your local jeweler, supermarket or Amazon. If your ring has a build-up of soap or lotion on it, soak it in warm soapy water for ten minutes, rinse with cool, clear water, and dry thoroughly. Polish with a soft cloth to finish.
Yellow and Rose Gold:
The precious metal in most people’s eyes, gold is the traditional metal for engagement and wedding rings. Gold should last a lifetime and beyond if treated with care.
There are a couple of things to be aware of when dealing with gold:
It’s soft: Even when alloyed to make it stronger, gold can still scratch easily. Be gentle with it.
It’s pliable: It can break if subjected to force or repeated impact - take it off if you’re playing sports or at the gym, and when doing any kind of manual labor or yard work.
Keep gold away from chlorine, bleach, and the sea; each of these can damage gold if it has repeated exposure.
Store separately from other items in your jewelry box. As with silver, those little Ziploc bags are your friends. This prevents the ring from being scratched by other metal pieces or hard gemstones like diamonds, sapphires, or rubies.
Gold rings can be cleaned by a bowl of warm soapy water, ultrasonic cleaners, jewelry polishing cloths, or gold cleaning baths available from your local jewelry store. Intricate details in the gold can be cleaned with a soft baby’s toothbrush.
White Gold:
White gold was originally offered as a cheaper alternative to platinum in the 1920s and ‘30s when Art Deco design promoted crisp, clean lines, and icy diamonds and aquamarines were among the most desirable gems. It’s still exceedingly popular today, despite being slightly more high-maintenance than gold or platinum. White gold is gold that’s been alloyed with other white metals, usually silver, palladium, and/or platinum, which is why it now tends to be slightly more expensive than yellow gold. The end result is a brownish-grey metal which is plated with rhodium to give it that bright white color we love so well. As with any plating, the rhodium will wear, which means that the brownish-yellow tinge can return over time.
There are a couple of things to be aware of when dealing with white gold:
The rhodium plating gives an additional strength to white gold. Re-plating a white gold ring also covers up any minor imperfections, such as scratches or slight knocks.
We recommend that white gold rings should be re-plated at least every other year to keep them looking their best.
White gold jewelry must be removed when bathing, showering, swimming, or using a hot tub. Chlorine and household cleaners will damage the rhodium and dramatically reduce the life of the plating.
White gold rings can be cleaned with ultrasonic cleaners, or in bowl of warm water with a small quantity of hand soap. It’s best not to soak white gold for longer than five minutes. Intricate details in the gold can be cleaned with a soft baby’s toothbrush.
Platinum:
Platinum requires very little maintenance if treated with care. Platinum is a dense metal that is heavier than gold and extremely durable. This makes it ideal for wedding and engagement rings. However, like all precious metals, it’s not indestructible.
Here are some things you should know about platinum:
It’s soft: Although durable, platinum scratches easily. Over the years of wearing, this will develop into a patina that will give depth of color to your ring. It can be brightened again by polishing - this must be done by a professional jeweler.
Due to its density, scratches in platinum tend to displace the metal, rather than wearing it down. This makes it the perfect metal for rings to last a lifetime and beyond.
It’s a naturally white metal: Like silver, platinum does not require a rhodium plating to keep it white.
As with all rings, keep your platinum ring out of swimming pools, the sea, and hot tubs. We also recommend removing it when playing sport, working out - especially with weights - or doing any sort of manual labor or yard work.
You can clean your platinum rings with ultrasonic cleaners or with warm soapy water.
If we’ve missed anything and you have questions for us, please get in touch. We will be delighted to answer any queries or concerns you may have.