Dower & Hall designs their jewellery to be worn and treasured. They can last forever if taken good care of. Luckily, there are several things you can do yourself to care for your jewellery. Here are a few simple guidelines to keep your jewellery looking its best.

Perfume, skin and hair products can all react with silver causing it to tarnish, cause vermeil to erode and even damage stones, especially pearls. Avoid spraying perfume or hairspray directly onto your jewellery.

Treat your jewellery with care, remove when doing physical work, playing sports etc. Hot weather and perspiration can also speed up the tarnishing process. Jewellery should always be removed before swimming and bathing as Chlorine can cause surface damage. Gently wipe the jewellery with a clean, soft cloth after each wear to remove dirt and oils from skin. At night store your pieces separately in a clean, anti-tarnish, compartmentalised box to avoid scratches.

Silver
Silver dip solution is the best way to clean both your silver and vermeil jewellery. Dip your jewellery in the solution for a couple of seconds only and then rinse thoroughly in warm soapy water.

Vermeil
Vermeil is a layer of fine 18ct gold, plated on top of silver. As this is a layer of fine gold it can gradually wear, giving the appearance that it has faded. Everyday wear may speed up this process, especially on items like rings and bracelets which have lots of contact knocking against objects. Our jewellery has a 12 month warranty.

Pearls
Soft stones such as pearls and turquoise may react to the silver dip solution so use a specialist pearl cleaner or give them a rub with a soft cloth. Pearls are the most delicate item in your jewellery collection. A pearl has a soft porous surface made up of many layers of nacre. As pearls are alkaline it is easy for them to become affected by acids (perfumes, soaps, chemicals), and frequent wear (sweat is acidic) which will cause discolouring or flaking. Do not use soap or ordinary jewellery cleaner when washing pearls. Only use products designed for pearls. We recommend re-stringing pearls and other threaded jewellery every 1-3 years, depending on how often you wear the item and how it is cared for.

Gemstones
Protect your gemstones by avoiding contact with alcohol-based products, such as perfume or sunscreen, as they can affect the colour of the jewellery. Semi-precious stones can be cleaned with warm soapy water. Dip your stone into the water for a few seconds and use a jewellery cleaning brush to softly remove any build-up around the stone. When doing this, take care not to loosen or disturb the jewellery setting. Rinse thoroughly after cleaning and use a soft non-abrasive cloth to dry the stone.