• Gently rub gold and silver jewellery with a soft, clean cloth to maximise the shine.
• Jewellery set with gems can be brought to life by leaving it to soak in warm soapy water and cleaning with a soft brush such as an old toothbrush.
• Avoid getting threaded pearl or bead jewellery wet and only wet antique jewellery after specialist advice.
• Wipe pearls with a soft damp cloth after wearing to remove perfume, hairspray and anything else likely to damage them.
• Don't use abrasive cleaners on jewellery.
• You can use silver 'dip' type cleaners on most silver jewellery but rinse and dry them thoroughly.
• Don't use silver 'dip' type cleaning solutions on gold jewellery, only special jewellery cleaners.
• Keep jewellery carefully stored and separated – not jumbled together in a draw.
• Keep chains fastened to prevent tangling.
• Certain chemicals can harm jewellery, particularly chlorine, so it's best not swim with your jewellery on. It is always advisable to put on any cosmetics or hairspray before putting on your jewellery.
• Make sure you have a detailed insurance valuation of your jewellery. This allows us to work with your insurance company to replace any pieces that are lost, stolen or damaged.
• If you are in any doubt about the care, repair or valuation of your jewellery please do call in to ask.

As cultured pearls are of organic origin, formed inside oysters, they are not only beautiful but also particularly susceptible to damage. Please treat your 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 all pearls with a soft cloth. Should you need to wash your cultured pearl jewellery, do it with water and maybe a drop or two of detergent. Avoid getting cultured pearl stud earrings wet as it may affect the pearl cement.

Don't use any chemicals, as they are most likely to damage cultured pearls. Cultured pearls are soft and even rough treatment or leaving them loose in a jewellery box may damage them. Wrap them in acid-free tissue for protection.

Everyday wear, and the natural constituents of your skin can affect the silk used to thread pearls. The frequency of rethreading pearls depends on many different factors, but once a year is a good idea.

Silver is a beautiful lustrous metal, used to make a large proportion of contemporary jewellery. Unfortunately it has a downside, that it does tarnish caused by sulphur in the atmosphere. Centuries ago less pollution meant silver kept its polish for longer.

Regular cleaning and polishing restores the original look of silver, but over enthusiastic polishing can damage silver removing surface finish. Modern polishing foam is available containing a tarnish resistant formula that cleans silver without polishing.

Watches are intricate pieces of engineering working non-stop day after day. Servicing a watch every three to four years is a good guide to help it last for decades. Give your watch a quick check on a regular basis to make sure the strap or bracelet is securely attached to the case.

Mechanical watches should be wound in a clockwise direction. It is recommended to do so at approximately the same time each day. Remove the watch from your wrist to wind avoiding undue pressure on the winder.

Unless the degree of water resistance is clearly defined or marked on your watch or in the product manual, don't risk wearing it in the shower or pool. Water resistance is often misunderstood, for example a watch saying 30 metres on the dial sounds like it is perfect to swim in. The 30 metres is actually static pressure that the watch can take. If you really need to know the time when you are in the pool it is best to go for a watch with a 100 metre water resistance or greater.