Spring Has Sprung: Spring Cleaning Your Jewellery
Spring is here, and as the new season rolls around, many of us will take to our detergents to spring clean our homes, doing away with all those winter cobwebs. But how can we give the same attention to our jewellery collection? Read on for some advice, and learn how to accessorise for this new season.
Assess and Organise Your Jewellery Collection
Jewellery collections evolve with time, growing and developing with the years as fashions come and go, and our tastes change. With the arrival of spring however, you may find the yearning to sort through your jewellery pieces. Begin by gathering all of your jewellery pieces and inspecting them. We recommend sorting them into categories, so you can better assess your ever-growing collection. You can separate them by category, putting necklaces together, then earrings, bracelets and rings. Or you can organise them by those to keep, those to give away, and those to repair.
Cleaning Techniques
There are a number of ways to keep sterling silver jewellery in tip top condition. For precious metals, you can use a gentle jewellery cleaner or even a solution of mild soap and warm water. For more intricate pieces, a soft-bristled toothbrush can be used, which will get into all the hard-to-reach spots. Some delicate pieces with gemstones may also require special care to avoid damage or marking the stone.
Storage Solutions
Proper storage is essential for all jewellery pieces. Investing in jewellery storage solutions will help keep your pieces organised and protected for years to come. As part of your spring cleaning this season, we suggest obtaining soft fabric pouches or jewellery boxes – such as those we supply with every item of jewellery – which will hold your sterling silver jewellery pieces and prevent any tarnishing.
Soft fabric can also stop your favourite necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings from getting scratched. If you want to go one step further, you can also use anti-tarnish storage strips or silica gel packets, both of which absorb moisture and prevent oxidation.
Professional Sterling Silver Jewellery Maintenance
During your spring clean, you may notice some of your favourite jewellery pieces in need of maintenance. Whether it’s to fix something that has broken or simply a more enhanced professional clean, you can send it to a trusted jeweller, who will mend and clean it. Taking your jewellery to a professional can increase the longevity of your prized pieces.
Revitalise Your Style With Spring Jewellery Pieces
New season, new jewellery – that's the saying right? Spring welcomes a new season of growth and warm weather. As we pack away our winter wardrobe, spring is a great time to experiment with new jewellery trends. You can mix and match pieces to create new fresh and fun combinations that reflect the excitement spring brings and your own personal style.
Sterling silver bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings are all classics and are made to last. But you can also consider incorporating colourful gemstones or nature-inspired motifs to celebrate the season change. Here are some of our favourite spring-ready pieces:
1. Hand Painted Sea Glass Pendant - Forget Me Nots - £55
Typically blooming around April and May, the Forget Me Not flowers are the ultimate spring flower. To truly bring in spring, we love the hand-painted pendants from Meg Muir paired with a sterling silver chain. Unique and one-of-a-kind, this pendant is bursting with beautiful depictions of flowers.
2. Oval Jade Pendant - £60
Any green gemstone is ideal for spring, but we are particularly big fans of Jade. Set in sterling silver, this necklace is known in Chinese culture for attracting good luck. As well as adding a stylish touch to any outfit, a Jade pendant is the perfect way to ring in the new weather.
3. Fossilised Wood Cufflinks - £85
As well as the flowers starting to bloom, we must also celebrate the new growth of trees, as they burst into life with leaves and new growth. Our Fossilised Wood Cufflinks make for a snazzy gift or as a way to accessorise your outfit for spring.
These cufflinks have been created with petrified or fossilised wood, which refers to a unique type of fossilised remains from terrestrial vegetation. This form of fossilisation occurs when a tree or tree-like plants undergo complete transformation into stone through a process called permineralisation.
During permineralisation, all organic matter is replaced with minerals, thus maintaining the original structure of the stem tissue. Unlike many other types of fossils, which are often impressions or compressions, petrified wood presents a three-dimensional depiction of the original organic material, one of the many wonders of nature!