Caring for Your Jewellery
To ensure the longevity of your Momoko Hatano Jewellery we recommend the following mantras:
- Jewellery should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off.
- Moisture and being rough = Bad. Moisture, acidity and rough handling is never good for your jewellery. So remove them when exercising, going to the gym, cleaning, swimming or showering.
- Chemicals = Bad. Chemicals can discolour metals and gems. Therefore avoid contact with perfumes, moisturisers and household chemicals.
- Tarnish = polish cloth. Some people quite like when patina occurs on metals. But if you would like to remove the coloring use polish cloth to restore sheen. Do not use commercial “silver / cleaning dip”.
Gold and Silver
Precious metals such as silver and gold are soft in nature. Treat them well and they will last forever. Silver and gold can be sensitive to acidity, moisture and chemicals, so avoid contact with moisturisers, perfumes, chlorine etc. If discolouration occurs due to contact with such liquids use polish cloth to restore sheen. When silver jewellery is sitting still for a period of time it becomes oxidised and discolouration can occur, this is a natural and inherent characteristic of silver. If you only wear your jewellery on special occasions we recommend you keep them in a zip lock bag. Tarnish does not occur as often in gold hence it's high demand and desirability. Clean with warm soapy water with a soft brush or with a polish cloth to rid of dirt or superficial scratches.
Diamonds, Sapphires and other precious gems
Although diamonds and sapphires are hard and durable gems they are not infallible. Care must be taken when worn as they can scratch or chip over time or when handled roughly. The setting of stones can become damaged with rough handling or weaken over time. Please return your gemstone jewellery to the studio for a regular service and clean and to assess if any of the settings require re tightening. As mentioned previously, please take off your gemstone jewellery before you go to the gym, exercise or undertake manual work like gardening or cleaning.
Gold Vermeil
Gold vermeil is sterling silver that has been gold plated. Avoid contact with abrasive surfaces to maintian the gold lustre. Do not use polish cloth to shine gold vermeil items as this will accelerate the wear the plating. Use a soft cotton ball or warm water to gently clean and dry immediately with a soft towel. Please contact us if your piece requires further cleaning or replating.
Pearls
Pearls must be treated with care as they are delicate and fragile natural gems. Do not immerse in water and avoid contact with chemicals, heat and hard or abrasive surfaces as it can damage the setting and the surface of the pearl. Do not store pearls in zip lock bag but in a soft pouch or in the Momoko Hatano gift box when they are not being worn.