The Chirag Jewellers Guide to Jewellery Care
Every piece that leaves our workshop carries five decades of craftsmanship behind it — and like any heirloom in the making, it deserves care that helps it outlive the moment it was bought for. Diamonds, polki, and gold each age differently, and knowing how to look after them is the simplest way to keep their brilliance intact for the next generation. Here’s everything you need to know.
Diamond Jewellery
Diamonds are the hardest natural substance on earth, but that doesn’t mean the setting around them is invincible. A little routine care keeps both the stone and the metal looking their best.
• Soak and brush every 2–3 months. Mix a few drops of mild soap in lukewarm water and let your piece sit for 15–20 minutes to loosen everyday dust and skin oils. Follow with a gentle scrub using a soft-bristled brush, paying close attention to the underside of the stone and around the prongs, where grime tends to settle unnoticed. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.
• Professional polishing, once a year. Even with regular at-home cleaning, metal loses its sheen over time from handling and micro-scratches. An annual visit to your jeweller for polishing along with a check on prong and clasp security keeps the setting safe and the finish looking new.
Polki Jewellery
Polki is one of the most delicate categories in fine jewellery — the uncut, natural diamonds are set in a way that’s inherently more fragile than faceted stones, and the foiling beneath them can be affected by moisture. Polki calls for a gentler hand than any other piece in your collection.
• Keep it away from water entirely. Never soak or rinse polki jewellery. Instead, wipe the surface gently with a soft, dry cloth after each wear to remove any oils or dust.
• Use moisture-absorbing sachets in storage. A small silica gel packet tucked into the storage box helps control humidity, which is one of the biggest threats to the foiling and setting behind polki stones.
Gold Jewellery
Gold is soft by nature, the higher the karat, the softer and more prone to bending or scratching it is. Caring for gold is largely about preventing everyday wear from adding up.
• Higher karats need extra caution. 22k and 24k gold pieces are noticeably softer than 18k or 14k, so they’re more susceptible to dents and scratches from daily activities. Reserve your finest, high-karat gold for occasions rather than everyday wear.
• Wipe after every wear. A soft cloth run over the surface removes sweat, perfume residue, and skin oils before they have a chance to dull the shine.
• Clean at home periodically. Like diamond jewellery, gold benefits from an occasional soak in mild soapy water followed by a gentle brush — just be mindful that this isn’t necessary as often as for diamonds, since gold doesn’t attract dust in quite the same way.
• Keep it away from humid spaces, like bathroom shelves, which speed up tarnishing over time.
Gemstones: A Few Extra Notes
Gemstones vary widely in hardness and porosity, so a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.
• Durable stones like sapphires and rubies can generally tolerate the same mild soap-and-water cleaning as diamonds.
• Porous, delicate stones like emeralds, pearls, opals, turquoise, and coral among them should never be soaked. A soft, slightly damp cloth is the safest way to clean them, followed by immediate drying.
• Pearls in particular should be wiped after every single wear, since they’re organic and absorb oils quickly. Store them flat, never hanging, to protect the thread they’re strung on.
• Keep gemstones out of direct sunlight and heat, which can fade or crack certain stones over extended exposure.
A Few Everyday Habits Worth Building
• Remove all jewellery before swimming, exercising, sleeping, or doing household chores — impact and chemical exposure are the leading causes of avoidable damage.
• Store necklaces and chains flat or hung, rather than coiled, to prevent tangling and stress on the clasp.
• When travelling, use a padded jewellery roll or case rather than tucking pieces loose into a handbag.
• Address any loose stone, bent prong, or worn clasp immediately — small repairs are simple; delayed ones often aren’t.
Caring for What’s Meant to Last
Fine jewellery isn’t just an accessory it’s a keeper of memories, passed from one hand to the next. The habits above take only a few minutes here and there, but they’re what stand between a piece that fades with time and one that’s ready to be someone’s heirloom fifty years from now. If any piece from Chirag Jewellers ever needs a professional clean, polish, or repair, our team is always here to help.
