Maintenance
To avoid unnecessary wear, knocks and bumps to your jewellery, we would like to provide a few guidelines for the use, storage and maintenance of jewellery from Hartmann’s.
Your jewellery represents fine craftmanship – treat it with care
The piece can of course be worn daily, but we recommend that you remove it when you:
- play sports
- sleep
- bathe/shower
- do housework or gardening
- perform other activities in daily life that can cause accidental damage to the jewellery.
Give your jewellery regular maintenance
We recommend that you visit us 1-2 times a year and have your jewellery cleaned and inspected as an element of basic maintenance. This is free of charge and naturally done while you wait.
Storing jewellery
Jewellery pieces should be stored separately so they do not scratch each other. They should be stored so that any links are kept flat.
When you sleep with your jewellery on, bracelets and necklaces can be subject to unnecessary wear and tear. Remove your jewellery and extend its life.
Special features of diamond jewellery
Diamonds have a natural affinity for grease, meaning that oils and grease easily adhere to them. For this reason, diamond jewellery must be cleaned frequently so the diamond does not lose its lustre.
If the piece is comprised only of gold and diamonds, you can clean it with a soft toothbrush and a little liquid detergent. To prevent lime deposits, the jewellery can be rinsed in demineralised water or isopropyl alcohol. For quick drying, you can finish the process with a hair dryer.
If the jewellery has moving parts such as ear clips, clasps, brooch pins and the like, we recommend that it be brought in for professional cleaning and lubrication.
Special features of rings
Rings worn everyday are subject to natural wear and tear. The gold can become worn and the prongs that hold the diamond may become weak and brittle. This may mean that the setting must be reinforced every 5 to 10 years. Have a chat with us about the condition of your jewellery when you bring it in for its annual cleaning.
Applause can be very damaging to rings, so it is important to avoid hitting rings against each other when clapping.
Special features of tennis bracelets
Tennis bracelets must be removed when you shower or bathe and sleep, to avoid it being exposed to bending and premature wear. When it is not being worn, it is best stored in a bracelet case where it can lie flat and not bend or kink.
Special features of pearl jewellery
Pearls are a natural product that must be treated with care. The lustre is best preserved when pearls are worn regularly. If pearls are not worn for a longer period, they should not be stored in an environment that is too dry. Store them in an open container in the bathroom. Pearls should be stored separately from your other jewellery, as it reduces the risk of them being scratched.
Pearls should not come in contact with cosmetics, hairspray or perfume. We recommend that you regularly wipe your pearls with a damp cloth. The silk cord should not get wet. We recommend that you have your pearls inspected for possible restringing once a year.
Precious gemstones that are particularly fragile
It is a good idea to take special care with the following gemstones, which scratch or nick more easily than others:
- Opal
- Coral
- Tsavorite
- Emerald
- Turquoise
- Tanzanite
- All gemstones with a hardness score lower than 7
Rhodium plating
White gold is usually not completely white. It therefore receives a galvanic coating of the platinum metal rhodium. This is very hard and protective and has a lovely white colour. This is called rhodium plating. The rhodium plating will eventually become worn and the jewellery may need to be re-plated and polished once again.
Platinum jewellery is usually not rhodium plated. Polishing platinum jewellery is more labour-intensive than polishing white gold jewellery, since platinum is a dense, strong material. This is also the reason for its phenomenal durability and resistance to abrasion.
Polishing jewellery
Like everything, jewellery wears with use. If a piece of jewellery has many marks and scratches, it can be polished. This is automatically done if the piece requires a repair or adjustment.
With rhodium plating and polishing, a small amount of the jewellery’s material is removed, so it should always be done with care.