Solid gold, gold plated and stainless steel – a guide to caring for different types of jewellery
Solid Gold, Gold Plated and Stainless Steel –
a guide to caring for different types of jewellery
Which is best to buy – solid gold, gold-plated or stainless steel jewellery?
How do you keep jewellery in good condition?
And how long should jewellery last?
These are questions you’re bound to be asking when browsing jewellery, and we’re here to answer them for you.
Our guide will help you shop smart, make the right purchase, and provide you with top tips to ensure your jewellery lasts as long as possible.
When it comes to jewellery shopping, many people still believe there’s only silver and gold to choose from – but there are so many alternative options, including stainless steel, solid gold and gold-plated jewellery.
Every piece is unique, but whatever you choose to purchase, it’s important to know how to keep it bright, bold and long-lasting.
Every piece is unique, but whatever you choose to purchase, it’s important to know how to keep it bright, bold and long-lasting.
Solid Gold Jewellery
Solid Gold pieces create timeless jewellery that will never go out of style.
If you purchase a piece of solid gold jewellery, you’ll want to treasure it forever.
If treated correctly, solid gold should last a lifetime- so here are our top tips for ensuring it lasts as long as possible.
How to Clean
If you purchase a piece of solid gold jewellery, you’ll want to treasure it forever.
If treated correctly, solid gold should last a lifetime- so here are our top tips for ensuring it lasts as long as possible.
How to Clean
Solid Gold Jewellery
If you wear solid gold jewellery regularly, we’d advise cleaning your items often with a solution of around 10-parts warm water and 2-parts dish soap. Soaking is the key here, and you should soak your gold jewellery pieces for 15-20 mins before scrubbing them gently and drying them with a soft cloth.
How to Care for
Remember to avoid wearing gold jewellery around chemicals like chlorine and harsh chemicals like hand sanitiser.
Remove it if you’re going to play sports – gold is a soft metal, and can be susceptible to dents and scratches if knocked around.
How to Care for
Solid Gold Jewellery
Remember to avoid wearing gold jewellery around chemicals like chlorine and harsh chemicals like hand sanitiser. Remove it if you’re going to play sports – gold is a soft metal, and can be susceptible to dents and scratches if knocked around.
Gold-Plated Jewellery
Gold plated jewellery is the term for any piece of jewellery that has a layer of gold bonded to a base metal. It’s created by dipping the metal into a special chemical solution, before cleverly adhering gold ions directly onto the metal shape.
Gold plated pieces are perfect for those who want the beautiful shine of gold, for a fraction of the price of solid gold.
All legitimate gold-plated items should have a gold layer that measures at least 0.5 microns, and the thicker the layer - the longer the piece of jewellery is expected to maintain its finish.
Aaria London jewelry is small-batch made with 2.0 micron plating on a 925 sterling silver base.
That's 4x thicker gold plating than other jewellery brands with similar products.
On average, gold plated jewelry can last about a few years before the gold plating begins to tarnish and wear down. However, the length of time can be much shorter or longer depending on whether or not you decide to properly care for and maintain your gold plated pieces. If it starts to fade, you can restore your beloved pieces by making it like new again through re-plating.
Gold plated pieces are perfect for those who want the beautiful shine of gold, for a fraction of the price of solid gold.
All legitimate gold-plated items should have a gold layer that measures at least 0.5 microns, and the thicker the layer - the longer the piece of jewellery is expected to maintain its finish.
Aaria London jewelry is small-batch made with 2.0 micron plating on a 925 sterling silver base.
That's 4x thicker gold plating than other jewellery brands with similar products.
On average, gold plated jewelry can last about a few years before the gold plating begins to tarnish and wear down. However, the length of time can be much shorter or longer depending on whether or not you decide to properly care for and maintain your gold plated pieces. If it starts to fade, you can restore your beloved pieces by making it like new again through re-plating.
How to Clean
Gold Plated Jewellery
If you own a piece of gold-plated jewellery, it’s advised you wipe down the item with a microfiber cloth after every use to help remove smudges and surface soil.
How to Care for
Gold Plated Jewellery
Try not to expose the jewellery to water, chlorine, perfume, makeup, body lotions, hand sanitiser and harsh chemicals which could cause the base metals to tarnish faster.
Remember to remove gold plated jewellery before bathing, swimming and exercising and sleeping.
Store your pieces in a dark and dry place, ideally in a box or pouch (each Aaria London piece comes with both to keep your new jewellery in)
Stainless Steel Jewellery
Stainless steel jewellery is perfect for everyday use. It offers enhanced durability, and an even longer lifespan than gold plated and sterling silver jewellery.
Equally as beautiful, it still offers a beautiful shine and is perfect when worn as a ring, necklace or earrings.
Equally as beautiful, it still offers a beautiful shine and is perfect when worn as a ring, necklace or earrings.
Its inherent corrosion and scratch resistance makes it fairly easy to care for – but to make it last a lifetime, it’s still useful to take extra steps to ensure it lasts.
How to Clean
Stainless Steel Jewellery
When cleaning stainless steel jewellery, pour warm water in a small bowl, and add some mild dishwashing soap. Dip a soft, lint-free cloth into the water, and gently wipe away any dirt from the item. Once clean, wipe the soap away from the piece of jewellery and dry it with a clean towel.
How to Care for
Stainless Steel Jewellery
Store your stainless steel jewellery individually in a box or pouch to avoid scratching.
Summary
If you're wondering which type of jewellery to purchase, it’s important to remember that everything requires some form of attention and care to ensure it’s long-lasting.
Here at Aaria London, we're committed to ensuring every single piece of jewellery is made in small batches with care, and are transparent about our gold plating practises.
Invest in one of our pieces, provide it enough love and care, and you’re guaranteed a product that is beautiful and long-lasting for years.
Invest in one of our pieces, provide it enough love and care, and you’re guaranteed a product that is beautiful and long-lasting for years.
If you have any queries about our jewellery, pop us a message to our friendly team at info@aarialondon.com
Written by ariana Diamantopoulos
