Peter Shakes - Jeweller - Te Aro

Regular Jewellery Checks

Get your jewellery checked at least every two years. Ideally yearly. Most jewellers will clean for free. We provide a free jewellery cleaning service for our clients.

Pick a manufacturing jeweller to do this; that is, a jeweller who has jewellers actually making jewellery on site. Don't trust Chain stores with your precious jewellery, as their staff are generally too inexperienced and are only interested in selling you more to cover their high rents in the malls and shops.

Important things to check for on these jewellery inspections include:

• Loose stones
• worn or weak claws holding the stones
• thin worn bands that will eventually snap
• missing or chipped stones

Your Jewellery Insurance Policy

It is advisable to have your expensive jewellery itemised on your contents policies. Most insurance companies will only pay out a fraction of the items' worth (around $1000), unless itemised. Most engagement rings are worth much more than that regardless of their age.

Cleaning Your Jewellery

You can easily and safely clean your jewellery yourself. Just use a tooth brush and hot water and a detergant (like Handy Andy, containing ammonia). Avoid cleaning emeralds, however, as they are mostly oiled to improve the lustre. Take those to your jeweller to do.

However, the best result is a complete polish by the manufacturing jeweller on their polishing mops. But in saying that, don't get your jewellery professionally polished too often (maybe once every 3-4 years) as the fast spinning cloth mops and cutting compounds remove a microscopic layer of metal each time, speeding up the wearing process.

Cleaning in a sonic cleaner or with the brush, though, will never wear the jewellery out and is sufficient to get your engagement rings, wedding rings and heirloom jewellery pieces looking pristine again

Remember, platinum is prone to denting. It's a very malleable metal that tends to get dented. In the case of platinum jewellery, the metal is just "shifting" rather than wearing away. That's why your Grandma's platinum rings are still around.

Storing Jewellery

The best way to store jewellery is to have a purpose built jewellery box so items aren't rubbing against each other.

Store gold chains away from their pendants and other jewellery (like earrings), as the chains get caught up and things get broken when "extracting" the chain.

How to Keep Your Jewellery in Good Condition

• Don't wear your rings when working in the garden. They will loose their shine quickily.
• Avoid wearing your engagement rings, wedding rings or other rings while lifting steel weights in the fitness gym.
• Clapping hands, ring against ring, will quickly degrade your jewellery.
• The worst thing for your jewellery is lifting rough objects (bricks, stones, etc) in the garden.
• Avoid knocking your rings against steel taps in the house