How to take care of your most cherished jewellery pieces

After you’ve purchased a piece of jewellery you fell head over heels in love with, you want to make sure you can enjoy it as long as possible. We’ve listed our best tips for you to take care of your favourite pieces so you can wear them for a long time to come.

Polish your jewellery regularly

We advise you to plan a little moment of care for your jewellery at least once a month. The type of care that is needed depends on the material that your pieces are made of. Julia Otilia’s pieces are crafted using silver, strong gold plated silver or solid gold (on special request). Silver is a natural material that breathes. This means it will inevitably oxidate over time, causing the material to turn darker. The trick to get rid of this tarnish is to polish your silver jewellery regularly using a soft cloth or by dipping your pieces in a silver polish jar. Gold plated jewellery needs similar care, as its core is made of silver. Julia Otilia uses extra strong gold plating to make sure the material is as durable as possible. Still, the silver underneath will oxidate and may eventually start to tarnish through the gold plating, resulting in small spots. Therefore, we recommend to polish your silver and gold plated jewellery at least once a month, so your pieces will stay as smooth and shiny as when you first fell in love with them.

Protect your jewellery when traveling

When traveling, make sure you protect your handmade jewellery pieces well so they don’t scratch each other. During your packing ritual, store your jewellery in a secure box, bag or wallet and wrap pieces individually to avoid any damage. Gold tends to scratch a bit more easily, so it’s better to keep your favourite solid gold jewellery pieces in individual, soft cloth bags so they’re safely protected in your suitcase while you’re off on adventures around the world.

Keep your pieces dry and avoid sunlight

In order to prevent your silver and gold plated jewellery from oxidating and tarnishing, it’s very important to keep your pieces dry and out of direct sunlight, as this may accelerate the oxidation process. Therefore, if you’re not wearing your pieces, always keep them in a closed box to make sure contact with moisture or sunlight is avoided. This way your jewellery will keep that beautiful sparkle for as long as possible.

Take your jewellery off when sleeping, showering or working out

As gold jewellery is more delicate, it’s recommended to take off your golden jewellery pieces when you take a shower, go to bed or when you’re doing a work-out. The same advice applies to our more delicate silver pieces.

Alternate the pieces you’re wearing

To make sure your jewellery pieces maintain their beauty, it’s a good idea to alternate the pieces you’re wearing and show some extra love to the pieces that you haven’t worn in a while. That way, you’re favourite pieces get a little rest and you can enjoy them for the longest time possible.

Julia Otilia is a sustainable, ethical and fair jewellery brand from Utrecht. Are you looking for some new jewellery pieces? Don’t forget to check out our collection.