Jewellery Care

Silver or gold, white or rose,
Your jewellery should always be the star of the show
Keep it shiny, keep it clean,
And you’ll be blinking at the sheen.
Follow our tips and tricks of the trades,
And we’ll make sure your jewellery never fades.

View Silver
View Gold Plated

GENERAL TIPS FOR JEWELLERY CARE

  • Jewellery should always be stored in a dry place and be kept in a separate pouch/case to avoid any scratches. A bedside dish or bathroom bowl would be the perfect resting place for your beloved jewels. P.s. The Lilja Hastie Jewellery packaging received is also a good alternative for a storage option.
  • How to clean your jewellery:
  • What you will need: hot water (never boiling), a drop of sunlight liquid, and a clean and soft toothbrush or paintbrush.
  • Let your jewellery pieces soak in the hot water for 1 to 2 hours to loosen any dirt or debris in the hard-to-reach places. Gently scrub the metal and stones with a soft and clean toothbrush or paintbrush to restore its original shine.
  • Dry your jewellery piece with a hair dryer or gently dab with a soft tissue.
  • Use the complimentary polish cloth supplied in the packaging of each piece purchased to repolish the shine back your piece. This works wonders!
  • Be mindful when applying lotions as this can cause a residue build up, it’s advisable to rather take your rings off and allow your moisturizer to soak in before putting your rings on.
  • Avoid contact with corrosive chemicals such as handy-andy and chlorine whilst wearing your Lilja Hastie Jewellery as this can cause discolouration and permanent damage to the metal and diamonds/ stones.
  • If you partake in any laborious work and/or heavy duty activities, it is advised to remove your jewellery to prevent contact damage such as bumping and/or scratching against objects. Activities that can cause this are, heavy weightlifting, hiking, gardening, DIY home projects and heavy engaging sports.
  • White gold Lilja Hastie Jewellery pieces are rhodium plated to give a whiter lustre but overtime the plating will wear off. Replating is advisable should you notice corrosion.

An annual jewellery clean is advised to maintain the condition of your Lilja Hastie Jewellery piece.

Schedule your clean

NOTES ON SILVER

The metal alloy used to create silver jewellery is called 925 sterling silver. This metal alloy naturally tarnishes over time. This is a chemical reaction called oxidation, and it affects the surface colour of the metal, causing it to go a darker grey or black in some areas. Oxidation can be cleaned or polished off very easily, returning the colour of silver to its original lustre.

However, there are other factors that could cause your silver jewellery to oxidise faster. These include:

Humidity

Living in areas with high humidity.

Pollution

Air pollution, which can increase deterioration of materials.

Abrasion

Contact with materials like cosmetics, perfume, hand sanitiser, chlorine, deodorant, body lotion and bleach.

Chemistry

The pH level of one’s skin, which varies from person to person, can also affect how quickly oxidation takes place.

Because of these factors, fast oxidation is not a manufacturing defect. Should you notice that your silver Lilja Hastie Jewellery piece is starting to tarnish, simply give it a rub with the complimentary polishing cloth, supplied with your purchase, until the oxidation is removed and the surface returns to a high shine.

An annual jewellery clean is advised to maintain the condition of your Lilja Hastie Jewellery piece.

Schedule your clean

NOTES ON GOLD PLATED SILVER

Wanting something a little different? Lilja Hastie Jewellery designs allows the option for yellow gold or rose gold plated jewellery. A plated layer of precious metal, such as 9ct yellow gold or 9ct rose gold, is usually between 0.175 to 0.5 microns thick. To put this in perspective a bank note is 200 microns thick, as you can imagine, the surface treatment does wear off over time.

If you purchase a yellow gold or rose gold plated silver Lilja Hastie jewellery piece, these are important factors to take into consideration to ensure longevity in the plating:

  • Friction between your skin and the precious metal plated jewellery can slowly rub off plating, depending on how often the piece is worn. Remove the plated jewellery when you sleep at night to reduce contact with bare skin.
  • Exposure to water, sweat, soap, sanitizer, chlorine, perfume and other chemicals can cause the plating to fade.
  • If your plated jewellery does get wet, gently dry it with a nonabrasive cloth or tissue. Please be careful when using the complimentary polishing cloth (supplied with your purchase) as it is abrasive and if overused will rub the plating off your jewellery item.
  • The pH level of one’s skin, which varies from person to person, can also affect the life span of the plating.