We know that once you fall in love with Emily’s work, you will never want to take it off. However, it’s important to understand the importance of proper jewelry maintenance to ensure the longevity of your precious jewels for years to come.  To ensure your jewelry stays vibrant and like-new, we’ve put together a jewelry care guide with everything you need to know.

We  believe jewelry is meant to be worn and enjoyed every day. However we do make recommendations to ensure the proper care to ensure the longevity of your precious jewelry.  We suggest you take off your jewelry when swimming, gardening, sports (including gym, yoga, pilates, etc), messy cooking, and moving heavy objects.  Rings in particular incur the most amount of wear and tear.  That said - it depends on your lifestyle, and your aesthetic preferences.

With that in mind, here are some helpful tips to keep your jewelry looking its very best!

Cleaning Your Jewelry

Our recommendation is to clean your jewelry with a mild soap and warm water. Don’t leave the pieces submerged, just do a quick splash. Prolonged exposure to water is a no-no when caring for your Emily Amey pieces.

Use a baby brush with soft bristles and avoid scrubbing too hard. Promptly dry your jewelry afterwards. For precious metals, using a designated jeweler’s cloth is best. You can clean almost all jewelry this way. However, still consider the type of stone and how sensitive it is before starting (such as opal, turquoise, apatite. These are all porous and need extra TLC).

After removing your jewelry, make sure you wipe off any trace of makeup with a soft, lint-free cloth, such as pure cotton. Another tip is to clean your jewelry OVER a bowl of water to avoid losing any gems if they become loose in their setting.

Here at Emily Amey, we're known for our phenonemal gemstones. We want to help you care for and maintain your gemstones so you can enjoy them for decades to come!

We recommend caring for your gemstone jewelry with some simple mindful practices. Softer gemstones such as opals, moonstone, sunstone, apatite and turquoise are soft and require extra care when cleaning.

Please DO NOT wear your gemstone jewelry in extreme temperatures, during physical activities or when swimmin or showering. Water can damage soft stones, and it can also get trapped behind the stone in our closed back pieces causing discoloration. If you want advice on which stones and styles are more suitable for an engagement ring or very active lifestyle, we're happy to help!

It is safe to clean your stones very gently with warm mild soapy water and a gentle tooth brush. However, long exposure to water may be harmful. Heat or solvents and damage the stone surfaces, and therefore suggest not using a steamer or ultrasonic on our soft gems.

Visit our Gem Guide for more in-depth information on different types of gemstones.

We love working with gold and always recommend it due to it's durability. All gold will sustain its color regardless if it is yellow gold, rose gold or natural white gold. 

At Emily Amey Jewelry, we don't typically rhodium plate our white gold, but Some jewelers enhance the brilliance of white gold by applying a thin rhodium plating to a piece. Since the rhodium is an application to the metal, it has a tendency to wear off after time and will need to be reapplied. 

The higher the karat of a metal, the softer it is and more likely it is to scratch. Keep in mind all metal scratches over time and creates a wonderfully soft patina. 

Silver tarnishes quite quickly when it comes into contact with oxygen or sulfur. The best measure to prevent this is wearing your silver jewelry often. The oils in your skin help prevent tarnish. (Keep in mind this also varies depending on your own body chemistry.)

When storing your silver jewelry, use an airtight plastic bag (and if possible include a piece of chalk or a packet of silica gel)- these will help prevent tarnish while you are not wearing your silver.

Please remember silver is very soft and malleable, therefore if it is tarnished, the best way to clean it is with a jewelry polishing cloth  or a very soft baby toothbrush to avoid scratching.

Mix a small amount of mild dish detergent with warm water in a bowl. Put your NON- GEMSTONE jewelry into the bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. Use a soft toothbrush (such a baby tooth brush) to gently scrub the jewelry.  (Make sure your drain is closed!)  Remove the item from soapy water, rinse it and dry thoroughly with a soft polishing cloth. 

You can also use a polishing kit for extra shine and to remove any tarnish. 14k gold may have a tendency to tarnish a bit (particularly on earrings and the inside of a ring) depending heavily on the PH chemistry of your skin.(Very surprisingly, a woman's time of the month can cause gold jewelry to turn one's finger black. Ask us more!)

A small at-home ultrasonic can also be a great option on NON -GEMSTONE jewelry if handled with care.  Overuse of ultrasonic may result in loose stones and wear of rhodium plating rapidly.  It is best to bring your diamond jewelry to a reputable jeweler and ask for their cleaning services if you are very keen on keeping your jewelry maintained and at its most sparkly.

While you may want to keep your jewelry on for all occasions, there are times we recommend you remove them. Proper jewelry care and maintenance includes avoiding wearing your jewelry during the 4 S’s:

NO Sleeping

NO Swimming

NO Sweating

NO Showering

Jewelry care requires you to protect your pieces from anything that can impact them negatively. Heat and light from the sun can easily change your gemstones' color, shine, and durability. Sudden temperature changes can also lead to fractures in the stone.

Most chemicals can damage or discolor precious metals and some gems. Even everyday chemicals in cosmetics, hand sanitizers, swimming pools, hairsprays, perfume, and lotions can impact jewelry. This includes discoloring of softer gemstones and white gold jewelry over time.

To avoid scratches on your jewelry, don’t throw them on top of your dresser or into a drawer. Keep them in the Emily Amey box or pouch you received them in. Also, consider the type of jewelry during storage. Sterling silver should be kept in an anti-tarnish bag or cloth. Avoid storing pearls and opals in a safe deposit box, since they draw moisture from the air.

If you are traveling with your jewelry, keep them wrapped in jewelry tissue and carry each piece separately. Putting your jewelry in a single box or pouch can create scratches when they bump against each other.

By applying these jewelry care tips, you can keep your pieces looking as brilliant as the day you first fell in love with them. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. Thank you again for choosing us!