Care Guide

Caring for your jewellery is similar to looking after your car in that both need to be cleaned and serviced regularly.  

When wearing your jewellery, avoid contact with metal objects. When storing your jewellery ensure it is packed properly so that is not in contact with other jewellery.

Do not wear rings whilst at the gym as the pressure from lifting the bar is transferred straight into the hardest part of your hand. If wearing a ring, this will cause the precious metal to scratch, dent and become misshapen.

Do not wear your jewellery when gardening, washing dishes or whilst doing heavy housework, and never use toothpaste to clean jewellery. Some toothpastes contain hard abrasives which may damage some gemstones and precious metals.

Opals and Coloured Stones

Opals and coloured stones require additional care to ensure that you get many years of enjoyment from their natural beauty. Each stone has a unique set of characteristics and caring methods vary between each stone. We recommend that you have your opals or coloured stone jewellery professionally inspected and cleaned every 6 - 12 months. Most opal or coloured stone jewellery can be cleaned at home gently with warm water and a mild detergent, then using a soft brush to dislodge residue. The jewellery should then be rinsed in clean water and dried with a soft cloth. Emeralds and opals are particularly soft and need to be cleaned carefully.

Pearl Care

Pearls have a thick coating of nacre which is strong and resistant to cracking. Despite their strength, pearls are relatively soft and can be scratched by hard substances like cement or bricks. Pearls are affected by anything acidic, such as perfume, hairspray, cosmetics, alcohol, bleach, chlorine and even acidic perspiration. It is recommended that you apply perfume and cosmetics before putting on your pearls.

After each time you wear your pearls, we suggest that you wipe them with a clean damp cloth to remove perspiration or cosmetics. They should be dried thoroughly before storing them in a jewellery box or a soft pouch where they will not be in contact with other jewellery or metallic objects which may scratch them.

Pearls can wear down when constantly rubbing against the skin, such as when pearl bangles and bracelets are worn.

Pearls should never be stored in damp places, airtight containers or plastic bags.

Pearl Re-threading

Most strands of pearls are strung with knots between each pearl. This is partly to prevent pearls from rubbing against each other, but also so that the pearls will not all become dislodged if the thread breaks. It is advisable to inspect the thread regularly, and if there is a sign of fraying the strand should be rethreaded immediately. We recommend you bring in your strand every 12 months for the knots to be checked and rethreaded if required.

Pearl Bracelets are subject to constant rubbing against the skin and this can cause abrasion after a few years of everyday wear. Pearl bracelets should be treated with care and professionally inspected every 12 months and rethreaded as required.

Diamond Care

A diamond can scratch another diamond, therefore they should never be stored together. Diamonds attract greasy residue from body oils, hand lotion and soaps, and this causes diamonds to lose their sparkle. Diamond jewellery can be cleaned at home by soaking it in warm water with a mild detergent, then using a soft brush to dislodge residue. This jewellery should then be rinsed in clean water and dried with a soft cloth.

The ideal way to way to clean diamond jewellery is to have it professionally cleaned in an ultrasonic and then steam cleaned. Fremantle Opals offers this service free of charge for jewellery bought from one of our stores. The difference is remarkable and your jewellery will look like new after a through professional clean.

 

Metal Care

There are many ways of cleaning the precious metals in your jewellery. We recommend that you use a jewellery cleaning cloth to vigorously rub your jewellery until it shines.

Oxidisation can be removed by placing a few drops of ammonia in a cup of warm water and immersing the metal in this solution for up to fifteen minutes.

Gently scrub with a very soft brush to remove any dark stains and then rinse the piece in clean water and allow to dry. Do not use this process to clean coloured stones or pearls.

The settings on your jewellery will wear over time so you should have your jewellery checked regularly and repaired as required. Diamond rings typically need retipping as after many years of wear the claws become worn down, exposing the diamond which can cause it to fall out of the setting.

Neoprene Care

Neoprene is a synthetic rubber which maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range, making it hard-wearing material. For neoprene jewellery purchased at Fremantle Opals, we do suggest that you have it cleaned and checked annually.

Warranty

General wear and damage is not covered by our manufacturer’s warranty. We encourage you to look after your jewellery. We are passionate about creating high quality jewellery which, when cared for properly, can be handed down through generations of your family.

Caring for your Fremantle Opals jewellery

It is important to have your Fremantle Opals jewellery cleaned and checked regularly. We invite you to take advantage of our complimentary jewellery cleaning service any time you visit Fremantle Opals. Our experienced team will make sure your jewellery is sparkling clean and will check your settings while you browse our extensive collection of opal jewellery.