Sterling Silver Cleaning and Care

Rachel Galley jewellery is known for its statement solid sterling silver jewellery. What is sterling silver? It’s the composition of 92.5% silver blended with other alloys, to make it more durable and add to its natural shine. However, sterling silver has a chip in its armour – it tarnishes. But tarnishing doesn’t mean your jewellery is ruined, it’s just a chemical reaction with oxygen and sulphur.
We here will show you how to prevent your Rachel Galley jewellery from tarnishing. Remember these useful tips for your everyday piece.

Tips for Wearing Sterling Silver Jewellery

1. Wear your jewellery often: Sterling silver jewellery is made to be worn every day! The natural oils in your skin will not only keep tarnishing away but will also keep your jewellery shiny.

2. Remove and store during household chores: When working with household (even low-reactive chemicals) like sulphur, chlorinated water, rubber, et cetera, remove your jewellery before you begin. Even perspiration can cause light corrosion. Simple rule would be to remove your jewellery before cleaning.

3. Keep away from strong and direct sunlight: Extremely long and direct sub exposure may cause tarnishing. So, if you’re planning a whole day on the beach on in the pool, best idea is to remove your jewellery.

4. Final piece of accessorising = jewellery!: When dressing up, make sure jewellery is your last piece of accessorising. Chemicals in your moisturiser, perfume, et cetera can potentially cause damage to your jewellery. So, add on the jewellery after you’re finished.

Cleaning Sterling Silver Jewellery

Feel like it’s time to deep clean your jewellery? There are countless ideas, tricks, and tips on the internet. We’re listing the safest and most advisable ways to clean and wash your sterling silver jewellery:

1. Simple soap and water: The simplest, quickest, and easiest way to clean your jewellery is using warm water and mild liquid soap.

2. Baking soda + Water: If water and soap don’t work, the second safest option is a paste of baking soda and water. We do not recommend using toothpaste to clean your silver jewellery, as there are chemicals and teeth-whitening components in the toothpaste that might cause corrosion. Instead, make a paste with baking soda and water, and gently scrub your jewellery using toothbrush lightly.

3. Vinegar and baking soda: Is your jewellery heavily tarnished and normal methods of cleaning just aren’t working? Well, the other option is to use white vinegar with baking soda to clean your jewellery.

Storing Sterling Silver Jewellery

Now that we know how to take care of Rachel Galley sterling silver jewellery, we also ought to understand how to store it. Planning on travelling with jewellery? Here are some tips!

1. Pack in air-tight containers: The best way to reduce the risk of tarnishing your silver jewellery is by packing it in airtight containers, which reduces chances of oxidation.

2. Keep in dark and cool spots: As we have already noted above, prolonged sunlight exposure increases the risk of tarnishing. It’s best to store your silver jewellery in dark places with a cooler air.

3. Invest in anti-tarnish strips: It’s always a great idea to store your jewellery with anti-tarnish strips. Making sure your jewellery is never tarnished is better and easier than cleaning it later.

Tips for Wearing Gold Jewellery

Remember some tips and tricks while wearing your gold jewellery designs.

1. Gold - A soft metal: Remember that gold is a softer, more malleable metal. This makes it more prone to dents and bends on blunt trauma. So, it would help if you were more careful while wearing your Rachel Galley gold jewellery pieces while engaging in large-impact sports or activities.

2. Say no to chlorine: Chlorine is gold jewellery's worst enemy; it makes the gold weaken and prone to damages. Keep your jewellery away from chlorinated water; take it off before entering the pool.

3. The final piece of accessorising = jewellery!: When dressing up, make sure jewellery is your last piece of accessorising. Chemicals in your moisturiser, perfume, et cetera can potentially cause damage to your jewellery. So, add on the jewellery after you’re finished.

4. No jewellery in the bath: Take off your jewellery before getting in the shower or bath. Liquid soap and other lathering agents may cause the build-up of film on your jewellery.

5. No jewellery while on chores: It's always a good practice to remove jewellery while cleaning; it keeps it away from harsh chemicals.

Cleaning Gold Jewellery

All that sparkles is gold, indeed! So, it's imperative to make sure that your gold jewellery forever sparkles and shine. Here are a few tips and tricks to take care of while cleaning your gold jewellery pieces:

1. Soak and clean: The easiest way to clean gold jewellery is by soaking it in water for 2-3 hours, making sure the grime and dirt loosen up. Then scrub gently and wash under running water.

2. For harsher cleaning: If soaking and washing don't help much, then use mild liquid soap. DO NOT USE BLEACH. Occasional cleaning using sanitiser and alcohol swipes can be considered.

3. Take note of damages: Make sure your set gemstones and details of jewellery aren't loose or at risk of damage. Cleaning unattended jewellery might make damages worse.

Storing Gold Jewellery

To make sure your pretty jewellery stays safe even during long travels, we have some helpful tips to consider while packing and storing gold jewellery, too:

1. Invest in a jewellery box: Get a jewellery box that clean and lined with velvet or any other soft fabric. This will not only prevent scratches but also protect your jewellery from bumps.

2. Soft cloth for packing jewellery: Can't find a compact jewellery box? Get a soft packing cloth instead. Those free phone screen and glasses fabrics might come in very handy. Pack your pieces individually in them and pack away!

3. Store pieces separately: It's always a good practice to store all pieces separate from one another. This reduces the risk of scratches.