Looking after a piece
Care
Solid gold is forgiving. The stones are the part worth thinking about.
Cleaning
Warm water, a drop of unscented soap, a soft toothbrush and a dry cloth. That is genuinely all a solid gold ring needs, and doing it once a month keeps the stones bright.
Never
Ultrasonic cleaners, steam, bleach, chlorine, and jewellery dips. An ultrasonic cleaner will draw the oil out of an emerald and change how it looks permanently.
Emerald
The softest stone we set, at 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, and clarity-enhanced with oil. Take it off before the gym, before swimming, and before anything involving solvents or hand sanitiser in quantity.
Ruby and sapphire
Both are corundum, a nine on the Mohs scale and second only to diamond. They tolerate daily wear better than any other stone we set.
Diamond
The hardest natural material there is. It will scratch every other stone in your box, so store it separately rather than loose alongside the others.
Storage
Separately, in the box it arrived in or a soft pouch. Gold is soft enough that rings stored loose together will mark one another.
If something goes wrong
Write to us. A stone that has loosened is a normal thing that happens to set jewellery and it is usually a small job. We would rather see it early than after it has been lost.