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How to Care for Your Gold Jewellery Collection
By Emily Huxtable - 7th July 2025
With its timeless allure, gold has historically been a metal widely adored in many societies and cultures. At times seen as a display of class, this dazzling metal's rich hue is perfect for jewellery, as it catches the eye and adds a richness to many skintones. Having been popularised and simplified in recent years, gold jewellery has become much more accessible, thanks to newer, cheaper versions of the metal colour like gold plated brass, sterling silver, and stainless steel. This means that many people have at least some gold jewellery in their collection, regardless of it being solid gold or not. Jewellery care is important for any type of metal, but there are certain nuances to gold or gold plated jewellery that require your clean and care routine to be a bit more specific. This guide is packed with tips and tricks to help you care for your collection, with the ultimate goal of ensuring every piece looks and feels great to wear for many more years to come.
Why is correct gold jewellery care important?
Gold is a very soft metal which means it is susceptible to dents and scratches. While you can't always avoid scuffing your favourite pieces while they're worn, you can help to reduce the overall damage and even reverse the look of any dents or scratches with regular cleaning and safe storage. Getting into a good routine of cleaning and storing your prized pieces means you can also prevent signs of wear from getting any worse.
What should I always do when caring for my gold jewellery?
When getting ready for the day, always put your jewellery on last
While you're getting yourself ready for the day or for an occasion, you tend to expose your face and body to an expanse of chemicals, be it body cream, makeup, or perfume. Although they might be safe for skin, certain chemicals aren't always safe for jewellery, and can tarnish and sometimes damage both solid gold and gold plated pieces. Try to put your perfume on right at the end of your getting-ready time, and then putting your jewellery on after this. Allowing a few minutes after you've applied any products gives time for the chemicals to have settled on your skin, making them less likely to affect your jewellery.
If you apply your jewellery after you've got yourself dressed, you also reduce risk of catching any of your pieces on clothing and therefore damaging them, or damaging fibers on your clothes in the process.
Ensure you rotate your jewellery pieces regularly
Once you have built a gold jewellery collection you're proud of, it becomes much easier to switch between different pieces. As rings are worn on your hands, they tend to be the piece that tarnishes the quickest. Swapping out each ring every so often will alow you to keep them looking fresher for longer, and also gives you a great excuse to accessorise differently for different outfits or occasions.
Inspect your jewellery pieces as often as possible
Checking your gold jewellery for signs of wear means you can easily keep on top of dents, scratches, and any signs of tarnishing. Gemstones can easily become loose in jewellery pieces such as rings, and catching this earlier can prevent you from losing any more. For any signs of damage you can't fix at home, you could consider taking your pieces to a professional jeweller to fix. They can help you better preserve your pieces and make sure any further loose stones stay in place.
What shouldn't I do when caring for my gold jewellery?
Don't get your gold jewellery wet
Soap can build up on the surface of your gold jewellery and create a nasty film that dulls the metal and removes the shine. Taking your jewellery off before you shower can help eliminate this form of tarnishing, and keep your pieces looking polished and pretty for much longer. Moisture in any form can often have a negative effect on gold jewellery, particularly if it isn't a waterproof metal like stainless steel.
Try to avoid any chemicals when wearing your jewellery
It can be easy to forget to remove jewellery when doing mundane household tasks like cooking or cleaning, but the detrimental affect some cleaning products can have on your jewellery means it's so important to remember to remove each piece when doing a deep clean. Certain chemicals in cleaning products can seriously affect the shine, finish, and overall preservation of our jewellery, therefore removing your jewellery or wearing protective gloves is essential for keeping your pieces looking fresh for longer.
Don't wear your jewellery while exercising
As excess moisture can contribute towards jewellery tarnishing, ensuring you remove any prized pieces before you know you're going to get very hot and sweaty is key to preserving the look of your gold jewellery. Removing your jewellery before an intense workout or exercise session can also help towards avoiding any dents or scuffs, as gold is well-known for being a soft, easily dented metal.
What is the best way to clean my gold jewellery?
To keep your gold jewellery looking its best, there is no practice more important than cleaning. Buffing, polishing, and cleaning your favourite gold jewellery pieces as regularly as you can will ensure you'll get the best out of them every time you wear them. It's important to know what your jewellery is made out of when cleaning, as some tips for cleaning solid gold pieces don't always apply to gold plated.
Cleaning solid gold jewellery
Using a few drops of mild soap or a soft detergent like baby shampoo in a small bowl of warm water can be enough to gently clean any surface stains or marks from solid gold jewellery. Simply drop them into the water and leave them to soak for a few minutes. After removing them, gently scrub each piece with a soft-bristled brush or toothbrush to remove any dirt. Give each piece a thorough rinse with clean water and pat them dry with a soft cloth.
Polishing solid gold jewellery
After your jewellery is clean and you have removed any excess dirt or debris, grab a lint-free, anti-tarnish polishing cloth and buff your pieces. This will help to restore your jewellery's original shine and get it back to its beautiful polished state.
Cleaning gold plated jewellery
As mentioned above, getting gold plated jewellery wet is something best to avoid. If you feel there is some waxy residue build-up on the surface of your pieces, however, you can wash your jewellery in a solution similar to that used for solid gold pieces - a few drops of mild soap or baby shampoo in warm water. We would recommend to only do this for a short amount of time, however, to risk rubbing away at any of the surface plating. Either use cotton pads, cotton buds, or a gentle cloth to get into the nooks of your jewellery to get it sparkling again. Gold plated stainless steel jewellery tends to be much more waterproof, however, so it may be that you can wash any plated stainless steel pieces more regularly.
Polishing gold plated jewellery
Like most other metal types, gold plated jewellery can easily lose its shine over time, meaning a simple polish and buff is necessary to help restore each piece. Simply use a lint-free cloth to wipe the surface of each piece to remove any dirt and restore shine. The more you polish and buff your gold plated jewellery between wears, the less often you will need to give your jewellery deep cleans, too!
What is the best way to store my gold jewellery?
Proper jewellery storage is key to ensuring you preserve the wonderfully shiny look of your jewellery for as long as possible. Keeping your prized pieces in a safe space not only protects them from moisture or light damage - thus reducing the chance of tarnishing - it also prevents scuffs, scratches, or dents, and keeps them all together to help you to decide which pieces you want to wear on any given day.
Travel jewellery cases
Ideal for those who are always on the move, a handy travel case like this Natural Linen Case is perfect for sitting on top of a dresser or unit, or slipping into a bag or suitcase when on-the-go. Most of our travel jewellery cases feature ring rolls, necklace pouches, and secret compartments to ensure every piece from your collection can snuggle in its own soft-lined home no matter where you are in the world.
Jewellery stands
Best for those who have a large jewellery collection, a jewellery stand like this Floral Jewellery Stand with Terrazzo Base is ideal for displaying every prized piece as a feature in your home. It is worth noting that a jewellery stand does still expose jewellery to light and other pollutions, however, and is merely an accessory for displaying jewellery rather than keeping it hidden away. They still look great as part of a dressing table display, though, and it makes selecting your pieces much easier as they're always right in front of you.
Jewellery boxes
Perfect for homebirds with large collections that prefer to keep their pieces hidden away, a jewellery box like this Grey Jewellery Box with Pull Drawers comes packed with pockets for secure-keeping of your pieces, from ring rolls to spacious compartments. If you want to protect each piece even further, you can place more precious pieces like diamond rings in drawstring pouches inside the box, too.
Jewellery rolls
Another great choice for avid travellers, a jewellery roll like this Dusky Pink Velvet Jewellery Roll is slim, compact, and perfect for slipping into a drawer, bag, or suitcase without taking up too much room. With stud holes and pouches aplenty, a jewellery roll can easily have each piece tucked away with a simple fold of the fabric case, ensuring your pieces don't wriggle about while you're on-the-go.
Ring holders
A much more simple choice for those who collect rings, specifically, a sweet ring holder like this Ceramic Fox Ring Holder makes a great addition to a dressing table and is perfect for displaying your beloved rings. Keep in mind, however, that like a jewellery stand, your rings will still be exposed to light and air, so may require a little extra cleaning in between wears.
Trinket dishes
Ideal for those with smaller collections, a trinket dish or set of trinket dishes gives you a designated area to store your pieces, and provides a great way to show them off, too. If you tend to wear the same pieces every day but are strict in taking them off before you get into bed, a trinket dish is ideal for providing a place for your jewellery to collect when not in use.
Proper jewellery care is super important for ensuring your favourite pieces can be worn and adored for many years to come. We hope this guide has provided you with many tips to help keep each gold jewellery piece in your collection looking as shiny as the day it was bought. For more inspo on storage or further building your gold jewellery collection, explore our jewellery storage edit here, or our great range of gold jewellery below.
