Jewellery Care
Producing quality jewellery in an ethical manner has always been at the top of our agenda and we work closely and meticulously with our artisans to ensure the best products, materials and gemstones are used for each specific design. Although NAKED PALM uses high quality materials with synthetic or natural pearls and gemstones to produce our jewellery, once they meet their forever home, they do require some TLC to keep them in tip top condition.
Despite the use of high quality materials, demi-fine jewellery can be susceptible to tarnishing, scratching and damages so we highly encourage following each specific care guide to avoid any harm to your precious jewels.
STERLING SILVER CARE
Sterling Silver jewellery is very durable and has an identity stamp of ‘925’, as it is an alloy consisting of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. The addition of Copper to pure Silver creating the alloy Sterling Silver is much more durable than pure Silver alone and therefore great for making jewellery.
So, across our sterling silver and gold vermeil designs you will see 925 stamped into the jewellery authenticating its properties. The reason why you will also see this stamp on our Gold Vermeil jewellery is because they are initially Sterling Silver designs that are plated with 2.5 microns (very thick and durable) of 14K gold plate (learn more about this in our what is gold vermeil section below).
Overtime, Sterling Silver and Gold Vermeil jewellery will naturally react with surrounding elements such as air and moisture and begin to lose some of its lustre, this is known as tarnishing. Tarnishing is easily rectified by gently rubbing the jewellery with a polishing cloth, we provide a free polishing cloth with every purchase off of our website. Please be aware tarnishing is not a fault of the jewellery.
- Remove your jewellery or wear watertight rubber gloves when washing up or cleaning. Using harsh cleaning products and chemical can tarnish your jewellery.
- Do not leave your jewellery in direct sunlight as extreme temperatures and harmful UV rays can dull the appearance of your jewellery.
- Remove your jewellery when entering chlorine (such as pools and hot tubs), washing your hands or using hand sanitisers as these elements can tarnish your jewellery.
- Remove your jewellery when exercising or performing strenuous manual tasks, as knocks and bumps can significantly damage your jewellery such as distorting the shape.
- Remove your jewellery if performing any messy tasks that can endanger the jewellery becoming substantially dirty, simply because dirt and grime can become lodged in and around the delicacy of the design.
- Avoid spraying perfume and applying moisturiser or sun cream directly onto the jewellery, as overtime this will dull the appearance.
GOLD VERMEIL CARE
Gold Vermeil jewellery is composed of a Sterling Silver base metal, heavily plated in 2.5 microns of gold plate, in our case 14K gold plate. 2.5 microns of gold plate, is an extremely thick and durable coating meaning it is longer lasting. Gold Vermeil is the most durable gold-plating option available for jewellery and if cared for correctly can last for years.
The 14K in gold vermeil refers to the gold content that lies in the plating, as we use 14K this means more than half of our plating is gold content. We have specifically chosen 14K gold vermeil for our jewellery as the colour of the gold hue is exactly what we were after! The higher the Karat in Gold Vermeil the more ‘yellow gold’ the jewellery will appear.
Additionally, increasing the karat of the gold content in the vermeil plating does not strengthen or improve the design, mixing it with other properties just controls the hue of the gold. People tend to believe the purer the gold the stronger it will be, this isn’t the case as pure gold can be quite soft, therefore mixing it with other materials strengthens it to improve it for jewellery purposes.
Despite the durability of Gold Vermeil if it is continuously worn you may experience the gold plate beginning to wear away after 6ish months. Particularly rings as they are exposed to much more wear and tear and natural oils and sweats from our hands.
Gold plate reduction is simply a natural cause of wear and tear and therefore is not a fault with Gold Vermeil jewellery, in this instance you can have your jewellery replated. If you have seen a particular piece of jewellery in our collection that you wish to continuously wear please contact us for a quote to have it made in your preferred carat of Solid Gold. Alternatively, if you love Silver just as much as Gold if/when the thick gold plate has completely worn away and reduced back to the Sterling Silver base you will be left with a silver piece of jewellery. Keeping and wearing your Gold Vermeil ‘for best’ will give you the best longevity for your jewellery and dependent on amount of wear can last for multiple years.
Due to the Sterling Silver components, Gold Vermeil will oxidise overtime from contact with the air and moisture, this is easily rectified by gently using a polishing cloth to restore its sparkle and shine.
- Remove your jewellery or wear watertight rubber gloves when washing up or cleaning. Using harsh cleaning products and chemical can tarnish your jewellery and begin to break down the gold vermeil plate.
- Do not leave your jewellery in direct sunlight as extreme temperatures and harmful UV rays can dull the appearance of your jewellery.
- Remove your jewellery when entering chlorine (such as pools and hot tubs), washing your hands or using hand sanitisers as these elements can tarnish your jewellery and begin to break down the gold vermeil plate.
- Remove your jewellery when exercising or performing strenuous manual tasks, as knocks and bumps can significantly damage your jewellery such as distorting the shape.
- Remove your jewellery if performing any messy tasks that can endanger the jewellery becoming substantially dirty, simply because dirt and grime can become lodged in and around the delicacy of the design.
- Avoid spraying perfume and applying moisturiser or sun cream directly onto the jewellery, as overtime this will dull the appearance.
SOLID YELLOW GOLD CARE
We currently do not stock any Solid Yellow Gold jewellery in our collections. We welcome customers to email us at hello@nakedpalm.co.uk to request a quote of a chosen design from our collection in your preferred carat of Solid Yellow Gold.
Solid gold is perfect for timeless jewellery and continuous daily wear, therefore making it a great choice when selecting your engagement and wedding bands. Despite continuously wearing Solid Gold you will not need to re-plate the jewellery, worst case scenario the jewellery may tarnish but this is easily rectified with a polishing cloth, you will simply see the tarnish transfer on to the cloth.
9K and 14K solid gold can be susceptible to tarnishing as similarly to sterling silver it is an alloy. To authenticate their properties 9K solid gold is stamped ‘375’ and 14K solid gold is stamped ‘583’, this is because 9K solid gold is 37.5% pure gold and 14K solid gold is 58.3% pure gold. The remaining percentage consists of other metals such as silver, copper and zinc. Similarly to sterling silver and gold vermeil the inclusion of these metals can be responsible for tarnishing the jewellery, however, they strengthen the alloy and make it suitable for jewellery making purposes.
- Remove your jewellery or wear watertight rubber gloves when washing up or cleaning. Using harsh cleaning products and chemical can tarnish your jewellery.
- Do not leave your jewellery in direct sunlight as extreme temperatures and harmful UV rays can dull the appearance of your jewellery.
- Remove your jewellery when entering chlorine (such as pools and hot tubs), washing your hands or using hand sanitisers as these elements can tarnish your jewellery.
- Remove your jewellery when exercising or performing strenuous manual tasks, as knocks and bumps can significantly damage your jewellery such as distorting the shape.
- Remove your jewellery if performing any messy tasks that can endanger the jewellery becoming substantially dirty, simply because dirt and grime can become lodged in and around the delicacy of the design.
- Avoid spraying perfume and applying moisturiser or sun cream directly onto the jewellery, as overtime this will dull the appearance.
GEMSTONE AND PEARL CARE
To create our jewellery we only use ethically sourced natural gemstones and pearls. Due to the stones being natural they will differ slightly from one another, and not necessarily be identical to the product imagery making each gemstone or pearl completely unique to you!
Due to the size and nature of certain stones there may be some tiny inclusions throughout the stone, please be assured this is not a quality defect and is simply the natural beauty of the stone. Tiny inclusions do not affect the appearance of the jewellery and instead adds the character we aspire to use in our pieces. With certain gemstones, especially multicoloured ones you may find include more of one colour than another.
Please be aware when purchasing earrings due to the naturalness no two pearls are exactly the same, therefore your pair will consist of two slightly different pearls. We have however paired them to the best of our ability, but the main attraction to pearls are their organic appearance.
- Should the gemstone(s) in your jewellery lose their lustre and don't catch and refract the light as they once did, we recommend using a very soft bristle toothbrush and carefully clean around and underneath the gemstone(s) with water. This will dislodge any dirt or grime caught around the gemstone(s) in their setting that causes the dullness. Removing the build up will allow the light to pass through the gemstone(s) and display its true beauty once more! If this fails to budge the dirt and grime use a repeat once more using a tiny bit of toothpaste.
- To clean your pearls we recommend ONLY using a soft damp cloth.
- Remove your jewellery or wear watertight rubber gloves when washing up or cleaning. Using harsh cleaning products and chemical will dull the appearance of your gemstones lustre.
- Do not leave your jewellery in direct sunlight as extreme temperatures and harmful UV rays can dull the brightness of your gemstones colour.
- Remove your jewellery when entering chlorine (such as pools and hot tubs), washing your hands or using hand sanitisers as these elements can harm your gemstones and pearls.
- Remove your jewellery when exercising or performing strenuous manual tasks, as knocks and bumps can significantly damage your jewellery such as chipping, scratching or loosing the gemstone or pearl. Store individually when not wearing.
- Remove your jewellery if performing any messy tasks that can endanger the jewellery becoming substantially dirty, simply because dirt and grime can become lodged in and around the setting of the stones which will be especially more visible on the lighter colour gemstones, and be quite difficult to remove disturbing how the gemstone should shine!.
OPAL CARE
We use synthetic white opals that are lab created to display an array of colours.
- Opals are porous please make sure you keep your opals clear of water and strong sunlight to ensure they stay mesmerising. Failure to do so can cause your opal to change colour and fade.
- Store opal jewellery individually and in a cool dry location out of direct sunlight to avoid discolouration and damages.
- Remove your jewellery before entering chlorine (such as pools and hot tubs), washing your hands or using hand sanitisers or using personal and cleaning products as these elements will cause the opal to loose it's fire appearance.
- Never clean opals with water, as opals already contain water exposing them to more can encourage the stone to take on more water and change it's appearance.
PVD GOLD CARE
PVD gold is curated from 316L stainless steel, due its composition and low nickel properties it is hypoallergenic, waterproof, anti-tarnish and resilient to many other environmental factors jewellery faces. It is perfect for the everyday essential GOLD wearers.
Despite their level of durability we do recommend following the few care tips to prevent any damages to your PVD gold piece:
Remove when activities can cause scratches and damages to protect the durable coating. Unlike other gold plated items, scratches on PVD gold will not reveal the base metal but will overtime eat into the durability of the protective exterior coating and result in the reduction of gold appearance.
Remove/ protect by wearing rubber gloves or similar against any abrasive cleaning agents and chemicals, again to protect the durable exterior coating and gold appearance.
Handle with care and remove during any strenuous exercises or activities to avoid deforming and damaging the jewellery structure. Some PVD jewellery may include gemstones or be of a finer structure so pay particular care to each individual piece.
Regularly clean your jewellery to avoid build up of dirt. To do so gently wipe your item of jewellery with a microfibre cloth/ jewellery cleaning cloth or similar to remove any dirt and oils that can accumulate over time. Avoid any harsh chemicals or sterling silver cleaners as these can cause damage to the gold and other metals.
If dirt has built up and become lodged in certain areas of your jewellery we recommend using a very soft bristle toothbrush and some warm, mild soapy water to clean the item.
Long term exposure to extreme temperatures and chemicals such as perfumes, hairspray, lotions and haircare products can, over time cause discolouration. We recommend removing in these situations if you want extreme longevity for your jewellery.
If your jewellery includes stones be aware that exposure to chemicals and lifestyle activities can damage them before the gold appearance/ metal itself is affected. More on gemstone care can be read on a separate subsection above on this page.
Although our jewellery is waterproof excessive water exposure overtime could risk your jewellery to discolouration and reduction of gold plating. To avoid this happening try to limit unnecessary wear in water.
That’s what to do when wearing the jewellery, but a big part also lays in how to store your jewellery…
Each item from NAKED PALM will arrive in either a branded plush foam interior jewellery box or a branded microfibre jewellery pouch dependent on the design. This original packaging is more than adequate enough to safely store your jewellery in, and in a fashionable manner! Equally if you have your own jewellery box you wish to store your jewellery in, we recommend it being a fabric interior that provides a soft, cool, dark storage place.
Storing your jewellery singularly or spaced out will prevent any scratches/ damage and tangling occurring to the jewellery.
Keeping your jewellery air tight will also ward off any tarnishing, but for convenience we only recommend keeping jewellery that you aren’t planning on wearing for a long period of time airtight.