Care
One rule above all others: jewellery goes on last and comes off first. Scent, hairspray, sunscreen, moisturiser and perspiration are what damage a finish. Wearing the piece is not.
Plated pieces
Keep dry. Remove before showering, swimming or exercise. Wipe with a soft dry cloth afterwards. Never silver dip, proprietary cleaner or toothpaste — each of them strips plating.
Stone-set bangles
Stored flat and apart, so stones do not meet one another. A pouch each is better than a shared box.
Humidity
A Sydney summer is humid, and humidity is what tarnishes. Sealed pouches with a silica sachet. Never a bathroom shelf.
Embroidered bags
Spot clean only. Never soaked or machine washed. Stored lightly filled so the shape holds.
Worked cloth
Dry clean or cold hand wash by fabric. Never wrung. Folded, not hung.
Travelling
Bangles threaded onto a sock. Earrings wrapped singly. Sets kept together, so you do not arrive with half a look.
Cared for this way, a plated earring holds its face for years and an embroidered bag keeps its shape indefinitely. Most of what shortens the life of costume jewellery happens in the ten minutes before it is worn, not during.