Pearls can stay looking their best for generations, but if they’re not looked after properly then unfortunately they can be damaged beyond repair. They can be scratched by sharp metal or stones, will break down if they’re exposed to relatively common chemicals and even dry out which turns them brown and dull. This sounds depressing but the good news is that it’s very easy to look after them properly. You just have to adhere to these simple guidelines and they’ll stay as beautiful as the day you bought them.

Pearls will scratch if they’re squashed up against hard surfaces like chains or stones in a jewellery box, it’s therefore a good idea to keep them in a soft, cloth pouch (like the one we’ll give you) and make sure there’s no pressure on them. When travelling, it’s sensible to keep the pouch in a box because too much weight on a pearl will crack or grind it into powder.

It’s also very important to wear your pearls every now and again, if they’re not worn for too long they can dry out which makes them turn a yellowy brown colour and lose their magnificent lustre. Pearls may not look it but they’re actually quite absorbent, this allows them to become infused by the natural oils in our skin which keeps them moisturised and lustrous. Wearing them once every four months or so will keep them looking their best.

Wearing your pearls will enrich them with your skin’s natural oils but you do need to make sure that they‘re kept away from certain solvents that can damage, discolour or even dissolve them. We’re sad to say that we’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands of once beautiful pearls that have been irreversibly ruined by chemical damage. The important chemicals to keep away from your pearls are perfume, hairspray, bleach, silver polish, vinegar and household cleaning products.

It’s safe to say that there will come a time when you’ll want to wear your pearls, perfume and make up at the same time. In which case we recommend you wait five minutes between making yourself look beautiful, and putting your pearls on. We also recommend that you give the pearls a quick wipe with a damp cloth when you take them off to remove any residual make up or perfume.

A slightly controversial issue this one, there are some who say that it’s vital to only use approved pearl cleaning kits. These can be found at most good jewellers or online. However, we’ve found that a quick soak and wipe down with a low concentration of mild washing up liquid in water works well. We’ve never damaged our pearls with this tried and tested method and it’s also what a lot of our farmers tend to do to clean them after they’re removed from their shell. The other benefit is that this brightens the silk that can get dirty over time.

We’ll leave the decision up to you, it also depends on the pearls in question, if they’re a string of £50,000 South Sea’s you’ll probably want to err on the side of caution, but is it worth spending £50 on specialist cleaning cloths for a pair of £40 studs?

We string pearls on silk for a number of reasons. The main one being that silk knots have the unique quality of relaxing a little when they warm up against our skin, the relaxed knots will give the pearls the perfect spacing to achieve a lovely smooth look. When after the pearls have been worn the knots will contract and stay tight for longer than polyester thread. However silk will eventually stretch which gives unsightly gaps between some of the pearls, and can also go a bit brown over time. It will therefore need replacing after you’ve worn your pearls for a few years.

If the knots look stretched then it’s time for new silk. Big, heavy pearls that you’ve worn every day will need restringing sooner than small ones you wear once a month. If you’re unsure if they need re-stringing then it’s probably worth taking them to your local jeweller who will be able to let you know.

We offer to re-string our pearl pieces for free after 2 years so if your Jersey Pearl piece looks a little stretched and you’ve had it for two years then give us a call and we’ll arrange to re-string it for you. We can also re-string any other pearls you might have at a charge of £1.50 per inch. It normally takes between 7-10 working days, by which time they will look as good as new.