How to care for your jewelry: a material-by-material guide
- 9 min reading time
Not all jewelry is cared for the same way because not all jewelry is made the same way. The habits that keep sterling silver bright will do nothing for gold plated brass. What's safe for stainless steel might damage a delicate stone setting. Most women are caring for their pieces with a one size fits all approach that's shortening the life of everything in their jewelry dish.
This guide breaks it down by material, so you know exactly what you're working with, what your pieces actually need, and why some jewelry lasts for years while other pieces fade within months. Our Jewelry Materials Guide explains the differences between the most common jewelry materials before you begin caring for them.
Gold-plated brass
Gold plated brass is one of the most common materials in affordable and mid-range jewelry. It's a brass or copper base metal coated with a thin layer of gold through electroplating. The gold layer is real, but it's thin, typically between 0.5 and 2.5 microns, and it sits on top of the base metal rather than bonding with it.
This matters because that thin layer wears off. Heat, sweat, moisture, friction, and skin acidity all accelerate the process. For some women, plating lasts six months. For others with more acidic skin chemistry, it starts fading within weeks. When the plating wears through, the brass underneath oxidizes and can leave green marks on your skin — not a reaction to gold, but to the copper in the brass base.
How to care for it:
Take it off before showering, swimming, working out, or sleeping. Apply lotion, perfume, and hairspray before putting it on, never after. Clean only with a soft dry cloth — no water, no soap, no chemicals. Store in an airtight bag or container to slow oxidation. Even with perfect care, replating will eventually be necessary to restore the finish.
The honest reality: Gold-plated brass looks beautiful when it's new, but it's a high-maintenance material that has a limited lifespan regardless of how well you care for it.
Gold-filled
Gold-filled is a step up from gold-plated and is often confused with it, but the construction is meaningfully different. Gold-filled jewelry has a solid layer of gold mechanically bonded to a base metal (usually brass), and by US standards must contain at least 5% gold by weight. That's significantly more gold than electroplated pieces, which means the finish is thicker and more durable.
Gold-filled pieces can last many years with proper care and typically won't tarnish or turn skin green the way thin-plated pieces do. They are not solid gold, but they behave much more like it in everyday wear.
How to care for it:
Remove before swimming in chlorinated water or saltwater. Avoid prolonged exposure to harsh chemicals, perfumes, and lotions directly on the piece. Clean with warm water, a drop of mild soap, and a soft cloth. Pat dry and store away from humidity and direct sunlight.
The honest reality: Gold-filled is a genuinely good middle-ground material — more durable than plated brass, more accessible than solid gold. Worth caring for properly because it's worth keeping.
Sterling silver
Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver mixed with other metals (usually copper) for durability — the 925 stamp you see on pieces indicates this ratio. It's a real precious metal with real value, and it behaves differently from plated or base metals in one significant way: it tarnishes.
Tarnish is a natural chemical reaction between silver and sulfur compounds in the air and on skin. It appears as a darkening or yellowing of the metal and is not damage. It's simply chemistry. The good news is that tarnish is reversible and doesn't mean your silver is ruined.
How to care for it:
Store in an airtight bag or anti tarnish pouch when you're not wearing it, since air exposure is the primary cause of tarnish. Keep it away from rubber, which significantly accelerates tarnishing. Remove it before swimming, especially in chlorinated water. Clean tarnished pieces with a silver polishing cloth or a paste of baking soda and water applied gently with a soft cloth, then rinse and dry thoroughly. For everyday cleaning, warm water and mild dish soap work well. Polish regularly to maintain its shine.
The honest reality: Sterling silver is a beautiful, real precious metal that requires consistent maintenance. If you love it and will care for it, it's worth it. If you want something you can forget about, it's not the most practical daily wear material.
Solid gold (10k, 14k, 18k)
Solid gold doesn't tarnish, doesn't fade, and doesn't have a plating layer to wear through. The higher the karat, the higher the percentage of pure gold. Ten karat is 41.7% gold, 14 karat is 58.3%, and 18 karat is 75%. Lower karat gold is more durable because the alloyed metals add hardness, while higher karat gold is purer but softer and more prone to scratching.
Solid gold is genuinely lifetime jewelry with proper care. It can be polished, resized, and refinished by a jeweler as needed.
How to care for it:
Clean with warm water, a drop of mild dish soap, and a soft brush. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Store separately from other jewelry to help prevent scratches, as gold is a soft metal that can be scratched by harder pieces. Remove it before activities that involve harsh chemicals, such as household cleaners or chlorine. Have your pieces professionally polished from time to time if they become scratched or dull.
The honest reality: Solid gold is an investment that pays for itself in longevity. It's the lowest maintenance precious metal for daily wear — it just needs gentle cleaning and careful storage.
PVD stainless steel (316L and 304)
PVD stands for Physical Vapor Deposition, a process where color is applied to stainless steel in a vacuum chamber, bonding the finish to the surface at a molecular level rather than sitting on top of it the way traditional plating does. The result is a finish that is dramatically harder, more adhesive, and more resistant to wear than electroplated jewelry.
The base metal matters here too. 316L stainless steel, also called surgical steel, is the highest grade commonly used in jewelry. It's hypoallergenic, highly corrosion resistant, and used in medical implants for a reason. 304 stainless steel is also a high quality grade that offers excellent resistance to rust and oxidation.
Together, PVD finish on a 316L or 304 base creates jewelry that is genuinely built for daily life. It won't tarnish, won't turn skin green, and won't fade the way plated brass does. It handles moisture, sweat, and humidity without issue. This is why so much of the Justyna Grace Jewelry Collection is made with PVD stainless steel. It's the material we trust to look beautiful and last.
How to care for it:
This is the most forgiving material on this list. You can shower in it, sleep in it, and wear it through summer heat without worry. For routine cleaning, warm water, a drop of mild dish soap, and a soft cloth or soft toothbrush are all you need. Work gently into any chain links or textured areas, rinse, and pat dry. Clean every few weeks for pieces you wear daily. Avoid prolonged soaking in chlorinated or saltwater, and apply lotion and perfume before putting your pieces on rather than after. Store them separately to help prevent surface scratches from harder materials.
The honest reality: PVD stainless steel is the most practical choice for everyday jewelry. It requires the least maintenance of any material on this list and delivers the most consistent, long-lasting wear. For women who want beautiful jewelry they don't have to think about constantly — this is it.
A quick reference
| Material | Tarnishes? | Water safe? | Skin reactions? | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold-plated brass | Yes (plating wears) | No | Possible (brass base) | Months to 1–2 years |
| Gold-filled | Rarely | Limited | Unlikely | Many years |
| Sterling silver | Yes (reversible) | Limited | Rare | Lifetime with care |
| Solid gold | No | Yes | No | Lifetime |
| PVD stainless steel | No | Yes | No | Years of daily wear |
The bottom line
The jewelry that lasts is the jewelry you understand. Know what your pieces are made of, care for them accordingly, and you'll stop replacing the same earrings every few months and start building a collection that actually grows with you.
Beautiful things deserve to be kept.