Gold-plated jewellery lasts far longer than most people expect, and almost every case of early fading comes from the same handful of causes. The principle is simple: the gold is on the surface, so protect the surface.
Put jewellery on after you have finished dressing, applying perfume, deodorant, sunscreen and hair products, and take it off before you undress. Perfume and alcohol-based sprays are the single most common cause of patchy fading, because they sit on the plating and dry there.
Remove pieces before bathing, swimming, washing up and exercising. Chlorine and salt water are harsher than tap water, and sweat is mildly acidic — pieces worn through a workout dull faster than pieces worn to a wedding. If a piece does get wet, dry it immediately with a soft cloth rather than leaving it to air-dry.
Wipe with a dry or barely damp soft cotton cloth after wearing, to lift skin oils before they sit. Do not use toothpaste, baking soda, metal polish, ultrasonic cleaners or commercial gold dips — all of them abrade or strip plating. For stone-set pieces, a soft dry brush clears dust from the settings without wetting the glue.
Store each piece separately in a soft pouch or a lined compartment so pieces cannot rub against each other; plating wears fastest where metal meets metal. Keep them dry and out of direct sunlight, and avoid sealed plastic bags in humid weather, which trap moisture against the surface.
Plating wears first at contact points — the inside of a bangle, a clasp, the back of a pendant, a ring shank. Once the base metal shows through and the colour has gone flat, the piece can be re-plated rather than replaced. Saandhavi Jewels offers re-plating for older pieces.
Yes. Daily wear is what it is made for. Removing pieces before water, sweat and perfume is what determines how long the finish holds, more than how often you wear them.
Wipe it with a dry or barely damp soft cotton cloth. Avoid toothpaste, baking soda, polish, gold dips and ultrasonic cleaners — these strip plating rather than clean it.
Localised dulling is contact wear or a chemical mark: the inside of a bangle, a clasp edge, or the spot where perfume was sprayed. It is surface damage to the plating, and re-plating restores it.