Jewellery Care & Repairs

Whilst our Beryl Dingemans pieces are made to be beautiful AND functional, care must be taken when wearing, storing & cleaning the pieces. If an item breaks within 3 months of purchase due to a manufacturing fault, we’re happy to repair or exchange it for free. After 3 months, the cost for repair will depend on the nature of the repair needed.

  • store your jewellery carefully, in separate pouches or boxes
  • avoid bumping against hard surfaces to prevent scratches and stones from cracking
  • avoid contact with perfumes to prevent permanent discolouration, especially with gold plated items
  • sunlight and the sea can be damaging to jewellery and chlorine can permanently discolour gold, silver and plated jewellery so you should avoid wearing it in pools and        hot tubs
  • it is advisable to remove jewellery when exercising, cleaning, gardening or any other rough or physical work and try not to wear it overnight

Moisture, salts and general exposure to pollution encourage the appearance of tarnish on sterling silver and especially gold plated items. Over time, if unworn or stored against other items of jewellery, tarnish can also also develop. Jewellery can be cleaned with a non-abrasive silver polishing cloth or a good quality liquid jewellery dip, available from most supermarkets. We’d recommend that silver dip is only used occasionally, followed by a gentle wash in soapy water to remove any residue.

Gemstones

Gemstones can be appear dull after some time. The best way to make them sparkle once more is to buff them with a small, soft clean brush, such as an old toothbrush, using water and dishwashing liquid. Regular cleaning will help stones to retain their glamour and shine, with the exception of pearls, emeralds and opals (as these are porous). Avoid harder bristled brushes or new toothbrushes as these can leave scratches on the surface of the metal.

Gemstones are graded on a hardness scale of 1-10 and particular care should be taken with them, especially if they fall into a softer grade, to ensure that they are not knocked or banged when worn, and care should also be taken to ensure they don’t knock against one another when stored. To avoid damage, keep your gemstone jewellery in separate pouches.

Occasionally, set stones have been known to fall out. Sometimes a gemstone can crack due to hard wear, and in this case we will have to quote you on replacing the stone but will not charge for the resetting of it, if it is within 3 months of purchase and if you still have the stone which has fallen out, we will reset it free of charge, excluding shipping costs.

Pearls

Pearls are particularly susceptible to damage from chemicals such as make-up and hair spray. Wipe your pearls with a soft, lint-free cloth as soon as you take them off. The cloth can be dampened with water, or it can be dry. If damp, allow the pearls to air dry before putting them away. Pearls must never be put in an ultrasonic cleaning machine, or be cleaned with ammonia or harsh detergents. Don’t store your pearls with other jewellery because they can easily be scratched when metal or gemstones rub against them. Rather store them in the cloth pouch that they originally came in and find a special section in your jewellery box for them.

Chains

Unfortunately Beryl Dingemans Jewellery will not take responsibility for fine broken chains. Chains, by nature, are extremely delicate and need to be handled with great care by the wearer. Our thicker, handmade chains can be repaired and we will do this free of charge up to 3 months from date of purchase.

Replating

Gold Vermeil or plating is a term that describes Sterling Silver with a plated layer of 18ct gold on top. It may slightly fade over time depending on wear and tear. Care should be taken to keep gold vermeil jewellery separate from other jewellery as the plating is a surface finish so it can be susceptible to scratching. We offer a re-plating service for all Beryl Dingemans vermeil and gold plated pieces. The cost is based on a combination of the weight and surface area of the item needing re-plating.

For more information contact: info@beryldingemans.com.