Jewelry Care and Maintenance: Your Questions Answered

For routine jewelry care and maintenance at home, use a soft toothbrush along with face wash and hot water. Gently work the brush around the setting, under the stone, and along any metal surfaces to remove everyday buildup. This method is gentle enough for gold and most gemstones while still being effective at restoring the piece's natural brilliance. Avoid harsh household chemicals, which can dull metal finishes or damage certain stones over time.

The soft toothbrush, face wash, and hot water method works well for many fine jewelry pieces, including those set with natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, garnets, and yellow sapphires. However, some stones are more porous or sensitive to heat than others. Turquoise, for example, is a softer, more absorbent stone and should be cleaned with extra care using minimal moisture. When in doubt about a specific stone in your piece, check with your jeweler before applying any cleaning method.

For pieces worn regularly, a light cleaning every two to four weeks helps preserve jewelry quality and keeps settings free of skin oils and residue that can dull the appearance of both metal and stone. Pieces worn occasionally can be cleaned before and after wear. Consistent, gentle cleaning is far better for your jewelry than infrequent deep-cleaning attempts, which can put unnecessary stress on delicate settings or filigree work.

Yes. Avoid bleach, chlorine-based cleaners, acetone, and abrasive scrubbing pads. These can strip the finish from 14K and 18K gold, weaken prong settings over time, and permanently damage softer stones like turquoise. Ultrasonic cleaners, while popular, are not appropriate for all pieces, particularly those with intricate filigree work or stones that have natural inclusions. A mild face wash and soft toothbrush remain the safest and most reliable approach for at-home jewelry cleaning.

Proper storage is a key part of any jewelry maintenance guide. Store pieces individually to prevent scratching, particularly when keeping harder stones like diamonds alongside softer metals or gemstones. A fabric-lined jewelry box with separate compartments works well. Keep jewelry away from direct sunlight, humidity, and extreme temperature changes, all of which can affect metal integrity and stone color over time. Remove jewelry before swimming, bathing, or applying lotions and perfumes.

Yes. When a piece undergoes heirloom jewelry redesign, the materials are worked into a new setting or form, and care requirements may shift depending on the metals and stones involved. Holly Hawks Curations uses 14K and 18K yellow and rose gold as well as platinum in select applications. Each of these metals has slightly different care considerations. After a redesign is complete, clients receive guidance specific to their piece so they know exactly how to care for jewelry that holds both sentimental and financial value.

At-home cleaning with a soft toothbrush, face wash, and hot water handles the majority of everyday maintenance needs and is the method recommended by Holly Hawks Curations. That said, a professional inspection can be valuable for catching loose prongs, worn settings, or other structural issues not visible to the untrained eye, particularly for high-value pieces or those worn daily. Think of at-home cleaning as routine upkeep and professional inspection as a periodic check to preserve jewelry quality over the long term.

Pieces that combine gold and platinum, such as designs featuring a platinum halo on a gold band, require care that is gentle enough for both metals. Platinum is highly durable and resistant to tarnish, while gold can show fine scratches more readily over time. The soft toothbrush and face wash method works well for both. Avoid polishing compounds intended for one metal type only, as these can affect the finish of the other. Keeping the piece clean and dry during storage helps both metals maintain their appearance.