Plating is a process where a layer of gold is placed on to coat the surface of another metal. As the jewelry is not 100% solid gold, extra care should be taken to maximize its lifespan. Anything plated will eventually tarnish with time and wear.
To decrease the chances of fading out, here are easy ways on keeping the luster of your gold plated jewelry.
- Do not spray on perfume or other sprays while wearing your gold-plated jewelry.
- Wait until your lotion or cream is dry or has been absorbed by your skin before you wear your gold plated ring, bracelet or necklace.
- Substances like oil, nail polish, nail polish remover, chlorine, and perfume may react with metal/plated jewelry and cause it to tarnish. This is also true for sweat, so make sure you remove your gold plated jewelry when you exercise or doing anything requiring heavy work and when swimming.
- After every use, clean your plated jewelry with a cotton ball or a very soft cloth to remove any dust and dirt. Gently rubbing the surface of your gold plated jewelry using a soft jewelry cloth, helps restore shine. Do *not* use a polishing cloth as this will strip away the plating.
- If your jewelry needs more cleaning you may clean it with warm, soapy water. Soak it for a few minutes and you may clean it with a soft cloth. Stay away from jewelry cleaners and antibacterial soaps which may have certain components that will make your gold plated jewelry tarnish more quickly.
- To avoid scratches, wrap your jewelry in a soft cloth after cleaning or keep it in a jewelry box separate from other types of jewelry you have. Small zip-locks work great.
- Store like items together. Do not store gold plating and silver plating together. The different metals will cause each other to tarnish, fade and/or turn colors. Have different storage places for different colors of metals like gold and rose gold. Store in a dry area.