Gold buyers are attracted to white gold because of its cool, bright shine. While gold is beautiful, it needs a little bit of upkeep to ensure its beauty and perfection. Daily usage and even the heat and humidity can affect its quality and perfection. If you are planning to buy white gold in the UAE, here are some habits that can save you a lot of hassle down the line.
Why White Gold Jewellery Needs Proper Care
White gold does need proper care because the gold jewellery isn’t actually white on its own. Jewellers mix gold with other metals like nickel, palladium, silver, and then coat the piece with a thin layer of rhodium. It is this coating that gives gold its bright silvery look. So when we say that white gold jewellery needs proper care, we are talking about the wearing of rhodium. You will see the gold alloy exposed once that happens.
Understanding Why the Finish of White Gold Can Change Over Time
It is quite natural for the coating to wear off. Jewellery gets rubbed off against everything when you wear them — your hands, other rings, doorknobs, whatever you touch. It is not because the jewellery is flawed or because the jeweller is cheating you. The wearing off will happen even when they are placed in their case, but much slower. This is because with time and use, rhodium does wear off.
Everyday Habits That Can Affect the Appearance of White Gold
So what are the everyday habits that can wear off white gold?
- Sweat
- Skin oil
- General contact with your hands
- Heat and humidity
If you have the habit of using a hand sanitiser often, that will also cause the wearing off.
How to Safely Clean White Gold Jewellery at Home
Taking care of white gold jewellery is a simple thing – just some warm water, a small squeeze of mild dish soap and a soft brush or cloth. That will help remove the everyday grime without touching the finish. Just apply the soap gently, rinse it properly and then dry it off with something soft. We don’t recommend using a paper towel as that could cause tiny scratches.
We do not also recommend the ultrasonic cleaner if there are precious stones embedded in the piece as the vibrations could cause the stones to loosen.
Why You Should Remove White Gold Jewellery During Certain Activities
It is advisable to remove your white gold jewellery while indulging in certain activities: swimming, gym, household cleaning. Chlorine is not good and the chemicals products used in cleaning are harsher than people realise.
How to Protect White Gold From Perfumes, Cosmetics, and Household Chemicals
If you are planning to go out on a special occasion and you are applying those heavier oud-based scents, it would be best if you could apply the jewellery after applying the scents. Same goes with lotions, hairspray, cosmetics, etc.
The Right Way to Store White Gold Jewellery
Here’s how you store your white golds:
- Keep pieces separate, never bundle them together
- Use a soft-lined box, or individual pouches, rather than tossing everything into one drawer together.
- Make sure the heat and humidity don’t get to them; so perhaps somewhere cooler would be nice.
When Should White Gold Jewellery Be Professionally Cleaned or Checked?
Home cleaning is enough, but you can take it to a professional cleaners once in a while. Especially when you have rings with stones. A jeweller will do a proper deep clean, and miss something the soft cloth at home missed.
Understanding Rhodium Plating and When Replating May Be Needed
While cleaning white golds can keep it fresh and new for a while, you might need to give it for plating roughly every one to three years. Once again, this depends on the jewellery piece – a wedding band or engagement ring you wear everyday might need plating done more frequently than a necklace or a pair of earrings you wear only occasionally. You’ll know the plating is wearing off when a yellowish or grey tint starts showing up on the piece.
Common White Gold Care Mistakes to Avoid
Here are the common mistakes that people are likely to make with white gold:
- Not understanding that the rhodium is wearing off and assuming a colour change means the jewellery’s cheap or poorly made.
- Using bleach or ammonia-based cleaners because these can destroy the plating
- Not removing it while swimming
- Not removing it while using cleaning agents
- Piling pieces together in one box while storing them
How Layali Gold & Diamonds Can Help You Maintain Your White Gold Jewellery
We are not only the seller of white gold, but we will also give you tips on how to keep your jewellery pieces fresh and as good as new. We are experts in jewellery and can advise you on how to choose the right jewellery and other accessories for your wardrobe.
Conclusion
If you have an idea for custom jewellery we will make sure that it transitions into something that actually means something to you, specifically.
Book a free design consultation with Layali Gold & Diamonds to know more. Bring a photo, a sketch, or just the idea in your head and we will take off from there.