Keep the polish. Protect the cord.
Natural stone is durable jewellery, not maintenance-free jewellery. A dry cloth, careful storage and removing the strand before water or exercise do most of the work.
The daily routine
Five care habits
Take it off before showering, swimming and the gym — sweat and chlorine dull polish and age elastic fastest.
Put jewellery on last, after perfume, sunscreen and lotion have dried.
Wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing; use a barely damp cloth for dust, then dry immediately.
Store flat in the pouch it arrived in, away from direct sun and radiators.
Roll it on and off over your hand rather than pulling the strand open — pulling is what stretches elastic.
Cleaning
Dry cloth, gentle pressure
Hold the strand without pulling it open and wipe each bead lightly. A dry soft cloth removes skin oils without soaking the elastic or dulling the polish.
By hardness
Care by durability
Rather than thirty separate sets of instructions, the stones fall into three practical groups. Check the hardness listed on the Stones & culture page, then follow the matching group.
Mohs 7 and above
Everyday wear
18 materialsHard enough for daily rotation. They still scratch each other, so treat them as jewellery, not equipment.
- Wipe with a soft, barely damp cloth
- Remove before workouts, swimming and showers
- Store in the pouch, away from other stones
Mohs 6–7
Mindful wear
7 materialsRobust in normal use, but prone to chipping at the drill hole and dulling from sweat and cosmetics.
- Dry cloth first — no soaking
- Put on last, after perfume and lotion
- No ultrasonic or steam cleaning
Below Mohs 6
Delicate
5 materialsSoft, porous or glassy. These are occasion pieces and benefit from careful handling.
- Never soak; keep away from acids and cleaners
- Avoid sunscreen, oils and hairspray
- Store alone, never stacked with quartz
If the cord breaks
A restringing kit comes with every order
Spare clear elastic, a bead threader and a step-by-step card mean an accidental break is usually fixed at home without international return postage. Send your order number and a photo if you would rather we walk you through it.
Get restringing help