How to Care for Your Fine Jewellery

Avoid pulling or tugging on your chain while you wear it; as well as activities that could make it susceptible to being caught or snagged. This is especially important for fine and hollow chains.

We recommend removing your chain before going to bed, showering, swimming in a pool or at the beach, or undertaking strenuous activities or exercise. Exposure to chlorine and other harsh chemicals can damage your jewellery; while soap, makeup, perfumes, hair products and lotions can build up and affect your jewellery over time.

Keep your chain looking its best with our cleaning tips. For gold chains, view our Gold Jewellery Care guide. For silver chains, view our Silver Jewellery Care guide.

Solid chains are the best choice for wearing a pendant. The thickness of your chain should also be considered when adding a pendant; the finer the chain, the lighter pendant should be. A chain with a thicker width will be more suitable for a heavy pendant, such as enhancer or sovereign styles.

Avoid wearing too many or heavy additional pendants on a hollow chain. This can add too much weight at the centre of the chain, adding strain to the links and potentially causing your chain to break.

Chain styles including omega, herringbone, and snake chains are also quite delicate by their nature, so it is not recommended to wear pendants on these types of chains.

We recommend that you take your chain off at the end of the day and store it safely, such as in a fabric-lined jewellery box. Store your chains separately to avoid tangles. Omega, herringbone, and snake chains should be stored lying flat to avoid kinks.

It’s a good idea to rotate the pairs of earrings you wear each day, to avoid potential stress to earring backings and hinges from excess use.

Hoop earrings should be handled with care and stored safely when you aren’t wearing them. This is particularly important for hoops that are hollow in construction, as by their nature they are more delicate than solid pieces. Hollow styles are favoured for providing a beautiful, genuine piece of fine jewellery that is lighter in weight and comfortable to wear.

We recommend removing your earrings, particularly hoop styles, before going to bed, showering, swimming in a pool or at the beach, or undertaking strenuous activities or exercise. Exposure to chlorine and other harsh chemicals can damage your jewellery; while soap, makeup, perfumes, hair products and lotions can build up and affect your jewellery over time.

Keep your hoops looking their best with our cleaning tips. For gold hoops, view our Gold Jewellery Care guide. For silver hoops, view our Silver Jewellery Care guide.

As with all jewellery, we recommend storing your earrings separately, such as in separate compartments of a fabric-lined jewellery box, to avoid tangles or potential scratching.

To keep your gold jewellery shining and avoid potential scratches, we recommend removing it before going to bed, showering, swimming in a pool or at the beach, or undertaking strenuous activities or exercise.

It’s also a good idea to remove gold rings and bracelets, or cover them with gloves, before using household cleaning products. Exposure to chlorine and other harsh chemicals can damage your jewellery; while soap, makeup, perfumes, hair products and lotions can build up and affect your jewellery over time.

Over time, body oils, dust and so on will build up on your jewellery from regular wear. We recommend regularly polishing your gold pieces with a jewellery cloth; and cleaning with warm, soapy water and a soft toothbrush as required.

Ensure your jewellery is completely dry before storing it away. While gold will not tarnish, moisture can cause the gold to patina over time. A patina is a darker, somewhat matte colouration on your gold jewellery. A patina does not mean your piece is faulty; in fact, it’s often favoured for the antique look it bestows. Regularly polishing and cleaning will restore your gold piece’s shine.

You can also bring your gold jewellery in-store to Michael Hill for complimentary, professional cleaning

Store your gold jewellery in a clean, dry area such as a fabric-lined jewellery box or pouch. Ideally, keep each piece separated to minimise scratching and tangling.

Sterling silver can naturally oxidise over time. If properly cared for, your silver jewellery will improve with age and develop a unique patina. On silver jewellery, a patina appears as a darker, often grey-tinged colouration on your piece. This does not mean that your piece is faulty; and in fact, the vintage effect of a patina is often sought-after.

Wear your silver jewellery often, as the natural oils in your skin and the friction caused by wear can help to prevent tarnishing.  

We recommend removing your silver jewellery before going to bed, showering, swimming in a pool or at the beach, or undertaking strenuous activities or exercise where your piece may be knocked, snagged, or rubbed against abrasive surfaces. Remove silver rings and bracelets, or cover them with gloves, before using household cleaning products. Exposure to chlorine and other harsh chemicals can damage your jewellery; while soap, makeup, perfumes, hair products and lotions can build up and affect your jewellery over time. 

Clean your silver jewellery as required with warm water and a small amount of mild dish soap. You can use a very soft toothbrush to help remove grime, but apply gentle pressure to avoid scratching your jewellery. For stubborn dirt, use a cleaner specifically for silver use. Buffing your silver piece with a jewellery polishing cloth will also help to restore its shine.

Sterling sliver is often plated to help prevent tarnishing, prevent corrosion, and enhance wear resistance. There are several types of plating used; if your silver piece is rhodium plated, re-plating will be required from time to time to maintain its high-shine finish and tarnish resistance.

You can also bring your silver jewellery in-store to Michael Hill for complimentary, professional cleaning.

When you aren’t wearing your silver, store it in a cool dry place. A fabric-lined jewellery box specifically designed for tarnish resistance, or separate tarnish-resistant pouches, are ideal for silver jewellery. Store your sterling silver jewellery where it won’t be exposed to direct light and air, to further protect against tarnish.

While your diamonds are pieces to treasure and to wear time and time again, it’s best to remove your diamond jewellery before going to bed, showering, swimming in a pool or at the beach, or undertaking strenuous activities or exercise where your piece may be knocked, snagged, or rubbed against abrasive surfaces.    

We recommend removing diamond rings and bracelets, or covering them with gloves, before using household cleaning products. Exposure to chlorine and other harsh chemicals can damage your jewellery; while soap, makeup, perfumes, hair products and lotions can build up and affect your jewellery over time. Avoid exposing your diamonds to prolonged heat, humidity, or intense light.  

If you ever notice a loose prong in the setting or any other damage to your diamond jewellery, bring it in-store to Michael Hill for inspection as soon as possible.

Contact with perfumes, lotions, soaps and makeup can build up on your diamond jewellery, so keep your pieces looking their brilliant best with a regular at-home clean.

To clean your diamond jewellery at home, simply use warm water and mild dish soap. Remove build-up by gently rubbing around the setting with a soft cloth, cotton tip or soft toothbrush. Ensure you do not use a coarse toothbrush or apply strong pressure as this has the potential to scratch the gold mount. Dry your jewellery piece thoroughly after cleaning to avoid any water marks on your metal setting.

For a professional clean, you can bring your precious pieces in-store to Michael Hill to have them cleaned free of charge.

When you aren’t wearing your diamonds, store your jewellery in a dry, safe place such as a fabric-lined jewellery box. While diamonds are the hardest gemstone, they can scratch each other and your other jewellery, so it’s best to store your pieces separately.

Remove your gemstone jewellery before going to bed, showering, swimming in a pool or at the beach, or undertaking strenuous activities or exercise where your piece may be knocked, snagged, or rubbed against abrasive surfaces. This is particularly important for the more delicate gems (with a Mohs hardness rating of 7 or below).  

Pearls benefit from regular wear, as the natural oils in your skin can help keep them lustrous. Ensure however that you do not submerge your pearls in water, and that you take your pearl jewellery off and store it safely at the end of each day.  

Remove gemstone rings and bracelets, or cover them with gloves, before using household cleaning products. Exposure to chlorine and other harsh chemicals can damage your jewellery; while soap, makeup, perfumes, hair products and lotions can build up and affect your jewellery over time. Avoid exposing your gemstones and pearls to prolonged heat, humidity, or intense light. 

If you ever notice a loose prong in your setting, or any other damage to your gemstone jewellery piece, bring it in-store to Michael Hill as soon as possible for an inspection. 

Contact with perfumes, lotions, soaps and makeup can build up on your gemstone jewellery, so keep your pieces looking their colourful best with a regular at-home clean.

To clean your gemstone jewellery at home, simply use mild dish soap and warm water. Remove build-up by gently rubbing around the setting with a soft cloth, cotton tip or soft toothbrush using very gentle pressure, then rinse with water and dry.

Note that pearls and opals should not be submerged in water. For these gems, simply wipe gently with a soft cloth to remove any build-up of dust and oils.

We recommend bringing your gemstone jewellery in-store to Michael Hill for complimentary, professional cleaning.

To protect the vibrant colour of your gemstone pieces, remove your jewellery at the end of the day and store it safely, away from direct sunlight. Store your pieces separately in a safe place, such as a fabric lined jewellery box. Diamonds and harder gemstones can scratch more delicate pieces, so storing your pieces where they won’t rub together will help to avoid this. 

Strands of pearls, such as pearl necklaces or bracelets, should be stored lying flat rather than hung up, to prevent the string from stretching.