How to maintain the shine of your jewellery

Continuing our last blog, style with ikku - weekend beach day, this week we have created a step-by-step guide of how to clean your jewellery properly after a beach day or when you feel like the diamonds are lacking a bit of shine. Normally we would recommend only using the following method once every 1-2 weeks, however, during the pandemic it is crucial to try and keep everything as clean as possible and so it is a personal preference. 

Some of you might question: “Don’t we need professional cleaning like an ultrasonic machine or some stores might even provide high pressure steam to clean our jewellery properly?” Our answer is Yes and No. Using mild soap and a soft tip toothbrush is actually the safest way to clean your jewellery without causing any damage. The ultrasonic machines and high pressure steam are perfect for a deep clean but it is not recommended to use frequently as it can cause the diamond to loosen in its setting, also it is not suitable for softer gemstones such as pearls.

Step 1: Prepare a soft tip toothbrush, toothpaste or any form of mild soap and a lint free cloth. Do not use any harsh chemicals, and it is best to use a fragrance free soap. 

Step 2: Squeeze a small amount of soap/ toothpaste onto the toothbrush and dissolve in a cup of lukewarm water, you can use your hand to adgitate the toothbrush to help it dissolve completely.

Step 3: Check the toothpaste to see if there is any undissolved soap and make sure it is ready for use.

Step 4: Brush the jewellery gently all the way around and make sure you don't miss out any area.

Step 5: Rinse the soap in a glass/ bowl of lukewarm water. (As you don't want your jewellery going down the drain!)

Step 6: Dry the jewellery with a lint free cloth as tiny lint which is not visible with human eyes can decrease a diamond scintillation.

Step 7: Lastly, to make sure there are no water marks left on the facets of the diamond, it is best to use a hair dryer (on low heat) to dry it off completely or you can leave it under the sun until it is dry.

Thank you for reading!

Until next week, be ikku!