Fine gold is more resilient than people fear and more particular than they expect. An 18k piece is seventy-five per cent pure gold, alloyed for strength — soft enough to mark over a lifetime, hard enough to outlast you. The aim of care is not to keep a piece pristine but to keep it bright, true, and safe to wear every day.
Everyday habits
- Put jewelry on last — after lotion, perfume, and hairspray, which dull the polish and dry into the fine detail.
- Take rings off for the gym, the garden, and the washing-up. Most damage is mechanical, not chemical.
- Wipe pieces with a soft, lint-free cloth at the end of the day to lift skin oils before they build up.
- Store pieces apart, flat, and dry — chains in a single layer so they cannot knot, stones face-up so they cannot scratch one another.
A simple home clean
For most pieces, warm water, a drop of unscented dish soap, and a soft baby toothbrush are all you need. Soak for a few minutes, brush gently behind the stone where light gets trapped, rinse, and pat dry. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners at home — they can loosen prongs and shatter certain stones. Never use toothpaste; it is an abrasive and will scratch the metal.
Leave these to us
Re-polishing, prong re-tipping, stone tightening, and clasp repair are part of lifetime service and complimentary on every Aurelia piece. Bring a ring in once a year — the way you would service a watch — and a goldsmith will check the setting, re-polish the band, and return it looking as it did on the first day. A piece that is worn and cared for is exactly what an heirloom is.
The patina of a well-worn ring is not damage. It is the record of a life — and entirely reversible if you'd rather start again.
