Caring for gold and platinum

Five minutes a month, and the two things never to do.

Fine jewelry does not need much, but it does need something. Gold and platinum are soft metals, diamonds attract grease, and a ring worn every day picks up more than you would think. Five minutes a month keeps a piece looking the way it did when it left the box.

At home. Soak the piece in warm water with a drop of dish soap for ten minutes, brush gently with a soft toothbrush, especially under the stone where grease collects, rinse and dry with a lint-free cloth. That is all. Do it once a month for anything worn daily.

The two things never to do. Never wear jewelry in a pool, a hot tub or while cleaning: chlorine and bleach attack gold alloys and can make prongs brittle over time. And never use a toothpaste, baking soda or any abrasive on a polished surface; it dulls gold and scratches platinum.

Platinum is different from gold in one way worth knowing. It does not wear away; it moves. A platinum ring develops a soft satin patina from tiny scratches, and the metal is pushed around rather than lost. It can be polished back to a mirror at any time, or left as it is; many people prefer the patina.

White gold is plated with rhodium for its bright white color, and the plating wears through on the underside of a ring over a year or two, showing the warmer gold beneath. Replating takes a few minutes and we do it while you wait.

Twice a year, bring the piece in. We clean it properly, check every prong under magnification and tighten anything that has moved. It is complimentary whether we made the piece or not, and it is how a stone stays a stone you own.