Fine jewelry isn't fragile — but it is personal. Follow these rituals and your piece will outlive the occasion it was made for, and likely the one who made it.
Jewelry goes on after perfume, lotion, sunscreen, and hairspray — and comes off before sleep, the shower, the pool, and the gym. Every chemical you put on your skin lives on the metal too. Sweat, chlorine, and cosmetics dull finish, corrode alloys, and — over years — weaken the prongs holding your stones in place.
Warm (never hot) water with a few drops of mild dish soap. No detergent, no bleach, no ammonia, no toothpaste — ever. These strip finish and pit gold alloys.
A soft-bristled toothbrush — new, reserved only for jewelry. Work the back of settings and the links of chains, where oil and dirt collect most. Gentle pressure.
Rinse in a bowl of clean, lukewarm water — never directly under the tap. A loose stone or slipping chain disappears down the drain faster than you can reach for it.
Pat with a lint-free microfiber cloth, then let the piece rest on a clean towel for thirty minutes before storing. Residual moisture causes tarnish and oxidation over time.
Pools, hot tubs, household cleaners, bleach. Chlorine pits gold alloys and discolors white gold. One afternoon in the pool shortens your piece's life by years.
Hairspray, fragrance, foundation, sunscreen. Let them dry completely before you put your jewelry on. Pearls and porous stones are especially unforgiving.
The vibrations loosen pavé, crack fracture-filled or treated stones, and chip diamond girdles set close together. Leave this to us, or a jeweler you trust.
You will read that these polish gold. They don't — they scratch it. The micro-abrasions dull your finish permanently. Mild soap only.
Sweat is mildly acidic. Soap and body wash leave film in the settings. Take it off before the workout, before the shower, before the sink full of dishes.
Opals crack. Pearls dry and discolor. Treated stones lose their color. Don't leave pieces on a sunny windowsill, in a car, or in a sauna.
Most damage to fine jewelry doesn't happen while it's being worn — it happens in a dish on a nightstand, tangled at the bottom of a drawer, or pressed against another piece hard enough to scratch it. A good storage habit will preserve your piece longer than any cleaning routine.
Every Vincent Precision piece comes with complimentary lifetime service. Bring it in twice a year and we'll inspect prongs, tighten stones, deep-clean the settings, and re-polish or re-plate where needed — at no cost. Most damage we see is preventable if we catch it early.
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