At Blue Wing Gallery, we strongly recommend Town Talk Polish Company products for all your silver jewellery care needs. Town Talk Silver Cloths are available to buy alongside your purchase and, used regularly, will keep your silver jewellery in top condition. Although wearing your silver jewellery is the best way to avoid tarnish build-up, try to regularly clean it to keep it bright.

All our silver jewellery is sterling silver and is nickel free, making it suitable for people who are sensitive to nickel. Care must be taken not to expose the sterling silver to perfumes, toiletries, household cleaning fluids and perspiration; these may cause the sterling silver to tarnish. Dust, pollution and daily wear all conspire to cloud the brilliance of a gemstone and dull the surface of precious metals. As with all fine things in life, you should take care to protect your jewellery and always store it in a fabric lined jewellery box, taking care not to drop, bash or scratch. To clean your silver use products specially formulated (permeated with a silver cleaner and anti-tarnish agent for greater effect to remove tarnish build-up) silver cloth.

Due to the nature and softness of the metal, sterling silver pieces that have a highly polished finish are prone to fine scratches as a result of normal wear. This can be kept to a minimum with careful wear and regular polishing with a Town Talk Silver Polishing Cloth. But heavy tarnishing may require Town Talk Silver Care Kit as it has the wet tissue - cream cleaner. All traces of cleaning solution must be rinsed from the item and buffed with silver cleaning cloth. It is also possible to remove more stubborn scratches with a professional polish, which can be done by a reputable silversmith.

This must not be cleaned with a silver cream cleaner or dipped. It will lose its darker oxidised finish if it comes into contact with silver dip. Clean your silver jewellery with Town Talk Silver Polishing Cloth or wash with warm soapy water if your jewellery is suitable for this.

Titanium jewellery is easily maintained. For jewellery inlaid with gold, silver or platinum we recommend using a special jewellery cleaning cloth. Titanium jewellery should be removed when in contact with chemicals especially chlorine as it will damage the finish. When cleaning titanium jewellery that has been
anodized to change its colour, you should be especially careful. Rubbing anodized titanium hard or scrubbing it may damage the piece’s coloured layer.

To clean titanium jewellery, please follow these steps: 

Wet a soft towel with warm water and mild soap. Use this to remove dirt off your jewellery but do not scrub the pieces or you may damage their coloured layer.

Dry your jewellery by patting gently with a clean towel while applying very light pressure, as if you were cleaning your glasses. Do not scrub the jewellery hard, as previously mentioned it could damage the coloured layer.

Extreme dryness and humidity are detrimental to pearls. All pearls are sensitive to acids, perspiration, cosmetics and hairsprays. Do not use any dips or cream cleaner, do not polish them with a dirty silver cloth. Cultured pearls are formed inside oysters. As they are of organic origin, they are particularly susceptible to damage. For this reason, you should treat cultured pearls with great care. Cosmetics including perfume and hairspray should be applied before you put on any cultured pearl jewellery, otherwise the nacre, or skin, can become permanently damaged.

After wearing, clean it with a soft dry cloth. Cultured pearls are soft and any rough treatment such as carrying in a handbag or putting them loose in a jewellery box may also damage them. Wrap them in acid free tissue paper for protection. Everyday wear, and the natural constituents of your skin can have a detrimental effect on the silk used to thread your cultured pearls.

Keep stainless steel separate from other jewellery as its hardness can cause damage to other precious metals. Despite its strength, stainless steel is not indestructible so avoid wearing it for manual work or sports. To maintain its wonderful shine, it can be polished with a soft cloth and mild detergent can be used for stubborn dirt.

We recommend using Town Talk anti-tarnish silver polishing cloths for care of silver marcasite jewellery. Town Talk Silver Polishing Cloths are ideal for anyone who wants to keep their jewellery clean and sparkling wherever they are. A gentle rub from time to time will keep your silver looking clean and bright at all times. 

Alternative to cleaning your jewellery is as follows below.

Step 1: Wipe marcasite jewellery gently with a soft, damp cloth. Never use hot water and avoid soaps, cleaners, silver dips or other chemicals. Although soap and other cleaners won't damage the marcasite, they may dissolve the glue that holds the setting in place. 

Step 2: Dry the jewellery carefully with a soft, absorbent cloth or Town Talk Anti-Tarnish Silver Polishing Cloths.

Step 3: Lay the jewellery on an absorbent towel and allow it to air-dry overnight, or until you're sure the piece is completely dry.

Gemstone hardness is based on a standard called the Mohs scale. The higher the Mohs scale number, the harder the stone is. For example, Quartz (the stone that makes up sand) is rated at 7 on the Mohs scale, and that is why any gemstone with a rating of less than 7 is easily scratched because they are soft or porous gemstones (such as coral, lapis lazuli, opal, pearl, and turquoise).

Diamond, sapphire, ruby, topaz, garnet, cubic zirconia and aquamarine are all examples of hard, non-porous gemstones.

Pearl, opal, emerald, turquoise, amber, coral and onyx are all examples of delicate, soft or porous gemstones. As such, silver or gold jewellery items which carry this type of gemstone should be carefully cleaned by using designated care products. Please do not use regular dips or care kits for these stones. Harsh, abrasive cleaners will scratch these precious stones, creating flaws that remove their lustre. Even soaking in warm water can damage these gemstones, as residues left behind once the water has been absorbed build up leaving them dull and lacking their original shine. We advise against ultrasonic cleaning. For the same reason, care should also be taken to avoid contact with make-up, perfume or hairspray. Where such stones are dampened, they should always be allowed to dry completely before being stored away. We advise against wearing it when in contact with extreme temperatures and rugged surfaces. Stones may become loose over time and we recommend periodic examinations to assess the security of settings.

The best way to care for your anodized aluminium jewellery is to gently wipe your piece down with a very soft cloth after wear and place it in a plastic bag to reduce exposure to the elements. If this is done regularly, you should not need to thoroughly clean your piece.

Anodized jewellery requires special care because abrasives can remove the coloured oxide layer. You certainly don't want your piece scraping against hard surfaces. When cleaning, never use polishes or cloths that contain abrasives or silver polishing cloths. Do not place anodized pieces in ultrasonic cleaners. Any harsh chemicals like hairsprays, perfumes, bleach, chlorinated water and even your sweat can deteriorate the oxide layer over time, so try to avoid contact with these substances and rinse your pieces as soon as possible after exposure. 

The safest method of thoroughly cleaning all anodized aluminium pieces is to bathe the piece in warm, soapy water for a few minutes.

Use a mild soap such as Dawn dish soap (not a harsh detergent) to help remove any dirt and oils that have accumulated.

Afterwards, rinse well and pat or air dry. Once completely dry, it is best to store the piece in a plastic bag to reduce exposure to the elements.

Some people like the patina that accumulates on bronze. Once formed, this layer can actually protect bronze from corrosion. If you want to keep the patina on your bronze jewellery, do not clean it with any household cleaners.

To clean bronze jewellery, please follow these steps: 

Wet a soft towel with warm water and mild soap and use this to remove dirt off your jewellery. However, do not scrub the pieces or you may damage their coloured layer.

Dry them by patting gently with a clean towel while applying very light pressure, as if you were cleaning your glasses. Do not scrub the jewellery as hard rubbing may damage its layer, which gives the piece its colour.

Do not leave bronze to air dry if you don’t want your jewellery to look spotted afterwards.