Pangangalaga sa jade
Updated September 2026 · Conservative care notes for natural jadeite set in S925 silver. Nothing here is unusual or difficult: keep the stone away from knocks, heat and household chemicals, clean it gently, and store it on its own. When you are unsure, do less and write to us first.
Everyday wear
Jadeite is a tough material by nature, which is why it has been carved and worn for centuries, but toughness is not the same as invulnerability. A cabochon that meets a door frame, a granite counter or a set of keys at the wrong angle can chip at its edge, and a silver bezel or prong can move. Treating a piece as jewelry rather than as hardware is most of the work.
A simple order of operations helps more than any product: put the piece on last, after moisturizer, perfume, sunscreen and hairspray have dried, and take it off first when you get home. Wash your hands without it if you can. If you wear a ring on a working hand, take it off for cooking, cleaning, gardening, lifting and anything with a grip.
Look at the piece now and then in good light. You are checking that the stone still sits firmly in its setting and that nothing has shifted, not looking for flaws. If something feels different, stop wearing it and write to us before doing anything else.
Cleaning
For nearly all cleaning, a soft dry cloth is enough. Wipe the stone and the silver after wearing to remove skin oils and dust; doing this regularly means you rarely need to do anything more.
When a piece needs more, use lukewarm water with a single drop of mild soap. Dip a soft cloth, wipe, rinse briefly under lukewarm running water, then pat the piece dry and let it sit on a towel until it is completely dry before it goes back into storage. Do not soak a piece for long periods, and do not use hot water: silver and stone expand at different rates, and moisture trapped under a setting is the usual cause of trouble.
The general trade advice for jadeite in silver is to avoid ultrasonic cleaners, steam cleaners, jewelry dip solutions, chlorine bleach, ammonia and abrasive pastes or powders. Ultrasonic and steam machines are designed for stones and settings that can take vibration and heat, and neither is a safe assumption here. For the metal only, a proper silver polishing cloth is fine; keep it off the stone and away from the edge where the two meet.
Storing a piece between wears
Store each piece on its own, in a soft pouch or a lined compartment. Jewelry stored loose in one box rubs together, and harder stones will mark both jadeite and silver given enough time in a drawer.
Choose a place that is dry, out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources such as radiators, window sills and the top of a laptop. A closed box in a room-temperature drawer is better than an open dish in a bathroom, where humidity is high and cleaning products are close by.
Sterling silver keeps its brightness longer in still, dry air. An anti-tarnish strip in the box helps, and so does making sure the piece is completely dry before it is put away. If you are storing several pieces together, give each one its own pouch rather than relying on the shape of the box.
What to keep it away from
Impact is the first thing to avoid. Most damage to a cabochon happens in a single moment against a hard surface, not gradually over years of wear. Sinks, tiled floors, car doors, gym equipment and stone counters account for most of it.
Heat is the second. Leave the piece out of hot cars, saunas, steam rooms and direct heat from a hair dryer, and take it off before a hot bath. Sudden temperature changes are harder on a set stone than steady warmth.
Chemicals are the third. Perfume, hairspray, lotion, sunscreen, nail products, household cleaners, bleach and solvents should all go on before the jewelry does, or better, never touch it at all. Chlorinated pools, hot tubs and hot springs combine heat with chemistry, and salt water leaves residue in a setting; take the piece off before all of them.
Jade is stable to light, but avoid prolonged heat from hot cars, radiators or heated windowsills. Care also depends on any treatments and on the setting; follow the information for the specific piece.
S925 silver and natural tarnish
For pieces set in S925 silver, the silver may darken over time. That is ordinary chemistry rather than a fault: silver reacts with sulfur compounds in air, in some cosmetics and foods, and in skin chemistry, which varies from person to person. Two people can wear similar pieces and see different rates of change.
A silver polishing cloth, used gently on the metal only, brings brightness back for most everyday tarnish. Work slowly, keep the cloth off the stone, and stop at the edge of the setting rather than rubbing across it. Do not use dip solutions, baking soda pastes, foil-and-salt methods or toothpaste: they are aggressive, hard to control around a set stone, and can leave residue under a bezel.
Frequent wear usually keeps silver brighter than long storage does. If a piece will be put away for a season, clean it, dry it fully and store it in a closed pouch with an anti-tarnish strip.
Travel, exercise and water
When travelling, keep jewelry in a padded pouch in your cabin bag rather than in checked luggage. A hard case with a soft lining is ideal; a rolled cloth is fine. Hotel bathrooms are the most common place a piece is left behind, so make a habit of putting it back in the same pouch each night.
Take a piece off before the gym, swimming, running, climbing, contact sports and anything involving weights or grip strength. Rings and bracelets take the most punishment here, and a slipped hand against a bar or a machine is exactly the impact that chips an edge.
Occasional splashes of clean water do no harm, and neither does washing your hands while wearing a piece once in a while. What is worth avoiding is repeated exposure to chlorinated water, hot water and soaps left to dry in a setting. Dry the piece with a soft cloth when it does get wet.
When to ask us first
Write to us through contact before you act if a stone feels loose or sounds different when tapped lightly, if a bezel or prong looks moved, if the piece has taken a hard knock, or if you are considering resizing, repair, replating or any bench work by a third party. Tell us the piece number, and send a photograph in daylight if you can.
We would rather answer a question that turns out to be nothing than see a piece treated with an ultrasonic machine or a dip solution because it seemed routine. We do not currently offer repair, resizing or refinishing services, so what we can do is tell you plainly what we know about how the piece was set and what we would avoid.
If a piece arrives and does not match the photographs and video on its listing, contact us within seven days of delivery rather than trying to correct anything yourself.
Care, Final Sale and what we can help with
Orders are Final Sale. Within seven calendar days of delivery there is an exception path for a mis-shipped piece, transit damage, or a piece that is materially different from what its listing showed. Everyday wear, accidental impact and tarnish are not covered by that path, which is the practical reason these notes exist.
An in-stock piece is sold individually, so an identical replacement may not be available. Careful storage and a habit of taking a piece off before rough work are worth more than any repair would be.
If you want to understand the vocabulary on a listing before you buy, read the translucency and color guide, and for the difference between natural and treated material see natural jadeite vs treated jadeite. Questions about a specific piece are always welcome through contact, before you order.