Caring for Gold-Plated Jewellery
Gold plating is a surface, not solid metal. Keep it away from water, perfume and friction and it stays bright for years. Here is what actually wears it off.
Plating is a surface
A gold-plated ring is brass with a thin layer of gold bonded to the outside. On our rings that layer is 22K. It is real gold, and it is thin - measured in microns, not millimetres.
That single fact explains every care instruction that follows. You are not protecting the ring from damage. You are protecting a surface from being worn or dissolved away.
The four things that take plating off
Water, especially chlorinated or salt water. Take rings off before swimming, washing up, or showering.
Chemicals - perfume, hairspray, lotion, hand sanitiser and household cleaners. The rule is last on, first off: put jewelry on after perfume and lotion, and take it off before cleaning.
Friction. Plating wears fastest where a ring rubs - the underside of the band, and anywhere two rings touch. Do not stack a plated ring against another ring.
Sweat. Not usually a problem for occasional wear, but take rings off at the gym.
Cleaning it properly
A dry, soft cloth. That is the whole method. Wipe it after wearing and put it away.
Never use a silver polishing cloth, a jewelry dip, an ultrasonic cleaner, toothpaste, or baking soda. All of these work by removing a microscopic layer of metal, which is exactly the layer you are trying to keep.
Store rings apart from each other - the box a ring arrives in is the right place, and keeping it out of humid air helps.
If your finger goes green
It happens to a small number of people. It is a reaction between the copper in the brass beneath the plating and the acidity of your skin, and it is harmless - it washes off with soap.
It usually means the plating has worn through at that point, or your skin is unusually acidic. Either way it is not something you did wrong. If it happens on a ring from us, send it back within 30 days for a full refund.