Every piece of Goraksh jewellery is made to last generations. With a little care, the gold stays luminous, the silver stays bright, and the stones stay brilliant — for you, and for the hands that will inherit them.
This guide is everything we tell our regulars when they bring a piece in for cleaning. Read it once, then keep it handy.
The Five Habits That Protect Every Piece
These five habits prevent the vast majority of damage we see at our bench:
- Jewellery goes on last, comes off first. Put it on after your perfume, lotion, sunscreen, and hairspray have dried. Take it off before you wash your hands, sleep, exercise, or step into a shower.
- Never sleep in your jewellery. Chains tangle, posts bend, prongs catch on bedding and loosen. A ring left on overnight is one yank away from a snapped band.
- Take it off for water. Chlorine, salt water, soap, and even hot tap water dull gold and corrode silver findings over time.
- Take it off for housework, gardening, and the gym. Sweat is acidic. Detergents are alkaline. Both attack metal.
- Store each piece separately. Gold is soft. A diamond ring tossed in a drawer with a chain will scratch that chain. Two chains tossed together become one knot you'll need pliers to undo.
[IMAGE: Person putting on a Goraksh ring after applying perfume. Caption: "Jewellery goes on last."]
Caring for Gold (24K, 22K, 18K, 14K, 9K)
Pure gold (24K) doesn't tarnish — but it scratches easily because it's soft. The lower the karat, the more alloy (copper, silver, zinc), so the piece is more durable but can dull slightly from oxidation over time.
The monthly clean
- Fill a small bowl with lukewarm water and two drops of mild dish soap.
- Soak your gold piece for 10 minutes.
- Brush gently with a soft baby toothbrush — pay attention to the back of settings, where skin oil collects.
- Rinse in clean water, pat dry with a lint-free cloth.
What to avoid with gold
- Toothpaste, baking soda, abrasive cleaners — they scratch.
- Ultrasonic cleaners on antique or kundan-style settings — the vibration can dislodge stones set in lac.
- Chlorine pools, hot tubs, bleach.
Our gold pieces are available in every karat from 9K to 24K, each with its own balance of softness, colour, and durability.
Caring for Sterling Silver (.925)
Silver tarnishes — that's chemistry, not a defect. Sulphur in the air, on your skin, and in everyday materials like wool and rubber reacts with silver to form a dark surface layer. The good news: tarnish lives only on the top, and it lifts off easily.
Slowing down tarnish
- Wear your silver often. Skin oils and movement actually keep it polished naturally — pieces locked away tarnish faster than pieces worn weekly.
- Store in an airtight bag with a piece of chalk or an anti-tarnish strip. Both absorb the sulphur compounds that cause tarnishing.
- Never store silver with rubber bands, wool, or untreated leather pouches. All release sulphur.
Removing tarnish at home
Method 1 — Polishing cloth (for light tarnish):
Rub gently with a silver polishing cloth in straight lines — not circles. The cloth has a micro-abrasive that lifts tarnish without scratching.
Method 2 — Aluminium foil bath (for heavy tarnish, plain silver only):
- Line a bowl with aluminium foil, shiny side up.
- Add boiling water, one tablespoon of baking soda, and one tablespoon of salt.
- Place the silver so it touches the foil. Leave for 5–10 minutes.
- Rinse with cool water and pat dry with a soft cloth.
The tarnish transfers to the foil through a small electrochemical reaction. It's not magic, but it looks like it.
Do not use the foil method on: oxidised silver (the dark patina is intentional), silver with stones, or silver with antique finishes. Use a polishing cloth instead.
[IMAGE: Side-by-side before/after of tarnished vs polished silver chain.]
Diamonds, Stones, and Pearls
Diamonds and hard precious stones
Diamonds are the hardest natural material on earth — but the metal holding them is not. The real risk for stone-set pieces is a loose prong or a chipped girdle from a sharp impact.
Diamonds attract grease, so a monthly clean keeps them brilliant:
- Soak in warm water with one drop of dish soap for 20 minutes.
- Brush gently around and behind the stone with a soft toothbrush.
- Rinse and pat dry.
After cleaning, hold the piece up to the light and tap gently. If you can feel a stone shifting, bring it to us — a loose prong fixed today saves a lost stone tomorrow.
Softer and porous stones
Skip the ultrasonic cleaner and the foil bath for: emerald, opal, pearl, turquoise, kundan, or any glued setting. These stones are porous or fragile. Wipe with a soft damp cloth and let us handle deeper cleaning.
Pearls
Pearls are organic and need to breathe. Wipe with a damp soft cloth after each wear — never soak. Store flat, not hanging (the silk thread stretches over time). Restring every 2–3 years if worn often.
Care by Piece Type
Rings. Take off before washing hands. Soap residue collects under the stone and dulls the brilliance. Get prongs inspected once a year.
Chains and necklaces. Always undo the clasp before removing — never pull a necklace over your head. Store hung straight, not bunched. If a chain tangles, lay it flat, add a tiny drop of baby oil to the knot, and work it apart with two pins.
Bracelets and bangles. Put them on after dressing to avoid snagging fabric. Stack bangle sets vertically on a holder, not flat where they rub.
Earrings. Clean posts and backs weekly with a cotton bud dipped in surgical spirit — this prevents the skin reactions that come from buildup. Replace silicone or rubber backings every few months; they degrade and can break unexpectedly.
Pendants. The bail (the loop the chain passes through) is the weakest point. Inspect it every few months for thinning or opening. A pendant lost from a worn bail can't be recovered.
How to Store Jewellery the Right Way
The ideal storage setup:
- Each piece in its own pouch or compartment. Your Goraksh box is designed exactly for this — keep using it.
- Cool, dry, and away from direct sunlight. A drawer is better than a windowsill. Bathroom humidity accelerates tarnishing on silver and dulls gold over time.
- Add a silica gel sachet to your jewellery box during the monsoon months (June through September). Replace it every few weeks.
- Use travel pouches for trips — never let pieces sit loose in a handbag.
[IMAGE: Open jewellery box with separated compartments, Goraksh pouches visible.]
When to Bring It Back to Us
Some things are best left to a jeweller's bench. Bring your piece into our showroom (or post it back with insurance) when:
- A prong looks bent or lifted, or you can feel a stone moving
- A chain has a kink that won't straighten, or a link has separated
- A ring no longer sits straight on your finger (often a sign the shank has thinned and needs reinforcement)
- A clasp won't close securely
- Heavy tarnish on silver that polishing won't lift
- You want a deep professional clean before a wedding, festival, or special occasion
Bring your piece into our showroom for professional cleaning and inspection. We'll check every prong, polish out the small scratches, and have it looking the way it did on the day you bought it.
A Final Word
Jewellery isn't just metal and stone. It carries weddings, anniversaries, first jobs, gifts to children, and the quiet evenings when you put it on for no reason at all. Cared for well, the piece you bought today becomes the heirloom your granddaughter wears one day.
If you have a question about a specific piece or how to care for it, reach out to us — we're always happy to help.
Goraksh Jewellers — Quality you can trust, jewellery for a lifetime.