Imitation jewellery has one enemy: chemistry. Plating reacts with sweat, perfume, humidity and the sulphur in ordinary air, and once the reaction starts it does not stop. The good news is that almost all of it is preventable with habits that take seconds. Here is what actually works, in the order it matters.
1. Last on, first off
Put your jewellery on after moisturiser, perfume, hairspray and makeup have dried, and take it off before you wash your face or change. This single habit does more for the life of a piece than anything else, because most tarnish starts with a fine film of product that never gets wiped off.
2. Keep it dry — always
No showers, no swimming, no dishwashing, no rain. Water is not the problem by itself; it is what water carries — soap, chlorine, salts — and how long it sits in the crevices around stones. If a piece does get wet, pat it dry immediately with a soft cloth and leave it out in the open until it is completely dry before storing it.
In India this also means being careful in the monsoon. Humidity alone will dull a gold-tone piece left out on a dresser in July. During the wet months, store everything in a closed box with a silica gel sachet (save the ones that come in shoe boxes and medicine bottles).
3. Wipe after every wear
A ten-second wipe with a dry, soft cotton cloth removes the sweat and oil before it does anything. Do not use tissue paper — it is mildly abrasive and leaves fibres in the stone settings. An old cotton T-shirt or a spectacle cloth is ideal.
4. Store pieces apart
- Each piece in its own pouch or a compartment. Stones scratch plating; chains tangle and kink.
- Necklaces flat or hung, never coiled in a heap. Fasten the clasp before storing so the chain cannot knot.
- Earrings as pairs, backs on, in a small box or a pill organiser.
- Bangles stacked with a square of tissue between each one so the beads and stones do not rub.
- Avoid plastic bags. They trap moisture. Cloth pouches or lined boxes breathe.
5. Cleaning — and what never to use
Do: for dust in kundan or pavé settings, use a dry, soft toothbrush (a baby toothbrush is perfect) with gentle strokes, then wipe. For fingerprints on bright gold or silver finish, a spectacle cloth brings the shine back.
Do not: use toothpaste, baking soda, vinegar, lemon, silver dip, jewellery cleaner meant for real gold, or an ultrasonic cleaner. All of them strip plating or loosen the adhesive under kundan stones. If a piece is genuinely grimy, a barely damp cloth (water only), followed by immediate drying, is as far as you should go.
6. Earrings: the hygiene bit
Wipe earring posts and hooks with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol before the first wear and every few wears after. Let them dry fully. This is also why we do not accept returns on earrings unless they arrive damaged — the same rule every jeweller follows.
7. Travel
Wrap each piece in tissue and pack it in a hard box or a padded pouch inside your cabin bag, never in checked luggage. Keep necklaces fastened. A small pill organiser is the best travel box for earrings and rings that exists.
What to do when something goes wrong
A stone feels loose. Stop wearing the piece and message us with a photo on WhatsApp. Do not glue it yourself — most household adhesives fog the stone and the surrounding plating. If the piece arrived that way, tell us within 48 hours and we will replace it; see our returns page.
The plating has darkened. On antique-gold and oxidised finishes, some darkening in the recesses is the design. On bright gold or silver finish, a dull film usually lifts with a dry spectacle cloth. If it does not, the plating has worn through; it cannot be restored at home, and re-plating costs more than most imitation pieces.
A hook or clasp has bent. Small hooks can be eased back gently with your fingers. Never use pliers on a plated hook — the jaws scrape the finish and the hook will snap at the crease.
Green marks on skin. That is copper from the base metal reacting with sweat. It is harmless and washes off. It happens sooner on pieces that are not nickel-free or anti-tarnish coated, and much later on ones that are, which is why every piece we stock is both.
Realistic expectations
Well-made imitation jewellery, treated like this, keeps its look for years of occasional wear. Worn daily against skin, the plating on any imitation piece eventually thins at the contact points — a ring band, the back of a bracelet, an earring post. Rotating between a few favourites rather than wearing one piece every day is the easiest way to stretch that out.