Jewellery Care

Jewellery goes on last and comes off first. Let perfume, hairspray, lotion and makeup dry completely before you put a piece on, and take it off before you undress, shower, swim or sleep.

Wipe each piece gently with a dry, soft cotton or microfibre cloth to remove skin oils and perspiration before storing it. This single habit does more for the life of the plating than anything else.

Silver tarnishes on exposure to air, so how you store matters:

• Store each piece separately in its own pouch or the box it came in — pieces rubbing together scratch the plating.
• Use an anti-tarnish strip inside the box where possible.
• Keep jewellery away from bathrooms and other humid places.
• Lay necklaces flat rather than hanging them, so the stringing does not stretch.

Do not use liquid silver dips, toothpaste, baking soda or ultrasonic cleaners on polki, kundan or meenakari pieces. The foil backing behind uncut stones and the enamel work are both water-sensitive, and these methods will permanently dull or lift them.

Carry pieces in a padded jewellery roll in your hand baggage, never in checked luggage. Thread chains through a drinking straw or cling film to stop them tangling, and keep earrings paired in a pill box.

Every Garima Zaaveri piece is entitled to free re-polishing and re-plating for life. When a piece starts to look tired, send it back to us rather than attempting a home repair — write to care@garimazaaveri.com to arrange it.