Jewellery Care Card Maker

It depends on how thick the coat is and how the piece is worn, and no plating is permanent. Plating is measured in microns: a thin flash coat starts showing brass at the edges and chain links within weeks of daily wear, a heavier coat lasts far longer. Sweat, perfume, sanitiser and any abrasive take it off fastest. State the coat in your listing and never promise lifetime colour.

The black is the finish, not dirt. Silver-dip liquid, toothpaste and baking soda strip it out of the recesses and the piece comes back bright, flat and lifeless. Wipe the raised parts only, with a dry soft cotton cloth, and leave the dark grooves alone. No soaking, no ultrasonic. Store it dry in a closed pouch — sweat and humidity are what thin the finish.

Four lines cover most pieces: last thing on, first thing off; wipe dry with cotton after every wear; keep each piece in its own pouch; and the one thing that ruins this material — water and heat for kundan, where lac and foil sit behind the stone, perfume and lemon for pearls, abrasives for anything plated. Keep the purity words the same as the tag and bill: 925, 916 for 22K, 750 for 18K.