How to keep 925 silver and gold vermeil looking new

Jewellery is worn, not stored. A few habits keep a piece looking the way it did on the day it arrived.

Every Evara piece is made in 925 sterling silver, most of it finished in 18k gold vermeil. Both are durable enough for daily wear, and both respond to how they are treated. None of what follows is complicated — it is mostly about what a piece touches, and in what order.

Last on, first off

Put jewellery on after perfume, hairspray, lotion and sunscreen, and take it off before anything else. Most dulling comes from cosmetics sitting on the surface rather than from the metal itself. Removing a piece before you sleep, swim or shower spares it the two things it likes least: friction and moisture.

Storing

One piece to a pouch. Vermeil is a layer of gold over silver, and two vermeil pieces rubbing together in a box will wear each other thin at the contact points. The suede pouches that arrive with your order are there for exactly this — keep them, and keep them somewhere dry and out of direct light.

Cleaning

The polishing cloth in your box is all most pieces ever need. Wipe gently along the surface rather than scrubbing in circles. Avoid silver dips and commercial cleaners on anything vermeil — they are designed to strip a layer away, which is precisely the layer you want to keep.

Stones

Set stones dislike sudden heat and hard knocks more than they dislike dirt. Clean around them with a soft dry cloth, and if something needs more than that, write to us before reaching for anything stronger.

When it needs more

Wear leaves marks eventually — that is what wear is. Our care terms cover re-polishing, and the fastest route is a message on WhatsApp with a photograph. We would rather look at a piece than have you guess.