Jewellery Care Guide
Care of precious metals
A CCINIS piece which is worn even every day will only occasionally need exceptional maintenance, especially if it is carefully cleaned from time to time and stored appropriately.
Normal everyday use and external agents such as atmospheric agents, cosmetic products, moisture and transpiration coming into contact with jewellery may lead to reducing the lustre of gemstones and diamonds, as well as of gold surfaces.
The lustre of jewellery, in particular gold jewellery (without gemstones or diamonds), can be maintained in a simple way using specific, non-abrasive products specifically meant for cleaning precious jewellery.
Most jewellery cleaning products available on the market may be used safely as long as they are properly applied.
It is advisable to avoid exposing gold jewellery to household bleach and aggressive cleaners which will cause gold to discolour and possibly damage the gold alloy by reacting with the copper.
The storage of your jewellery is another important point to consider.
You should remove your jewellery before going to sleep and taking a bath or shower. We recommend that you place it back in its original case or another suitably lined box or pouch when you aren’t wearing it.
Avoid storage of multiple pieces of jewellery in a joined box where diamonds and hard gemstones can scratch and damage your polished gold and platinum surfaces by abrasion and touch.
Gemstone Care
Although gemstones are some of the hardest materials in the world, exposure to impact can make them vulnerable.
In some cases the shape of a gemstone (a baguette cut, for example) can contribute to its vulnerability.
Larger stones in particular should be worn and stored with care and protected from impacts and abrasions.
Wash gemstones in lukewarm water with no soap additives and dry them with a lint-free soft cloth.
Some gemstones (for instance emeralds) are more prone to damage when being exposed to heat. It is therefore recommended to avoid wearing jewellery to the beach or in the sauna, where the sea salt, sun and sand could easily harm the appearance of your gems.
Likewise, gemstones should not be worn in a swimming pool or hot tub where chlorine or other chemicals in the water can attack the substance of the gemstones.
Coloured gemstones have different hardness properties that are measured in Mohs (relative Mohs hardness scale).
While diamonds, rubies and sapphires are relatively hard, there are softer gemstones such as emeralds and alexandrites that require more protection and care to avoid permanent stone damage.
It is generally advisable to remove rings when cleaning, where the jewellery might get in contact with acids, cleaners or other chemical agents that could either damage the gemstone or the gold alloy.
