A piece of jewelry needs proper care, and it doesn't matter whether it's gold or silver. In any case, any piece of jewelry will lose its shine over time, become covered with micro-scratches and even small chips.

Why can gold darken?

Gold itself can darken only if its sample is low - 333 or 375. And it darkens due to other impurities in the composition, and gold itself can hardly darken. Currently, the vast majority of jewelry of higher samples - 583, 585, 750 or even higher. However, such gold is not subject to darkening in any way, except in cases of exposure to various chemicals, such as acids or any reagents.

Therefore, if your jewelry of 585 or higher has darkened, do not prematurely bombard sellers or workshops with negativity. Try to remember what substances the gold jewelry touched - and you will surely remember some case.

What substances destroy gold?

First of all, common substances have a negative effect on gold: mercury and iodine. If mercury is usually "protected" from affecting humans and their jewelry, then the situation is different with iodine, since iodine is often added to swimming pool water. Despite the insignificant content of iodine in the pool, jewelry can react to it "in its own way".

In some cases, a small content of mercury can be found in cosmetics and medicines. That is why it is recommended to keep jewelry away from cosmetics, or at least take a break of at least 10 minutes after applying cosmetics before putting on jewelry.

The effect of mercury and iodine on gold is the active destruction of the top layer of jewelry, the surface becomes uneven and a mixture of sweat and dust easily gets into it. The jewelry, although not immediately, but quite quickly darkens and loses its shine.

How to care for gold?

Fanatical care of gold is not necessary, unlike silver, which darkens simply due to the environment. However, there are still some recommendations for care and they come down to removing the jewelry during certain activities: visiting the pool, if you decide to swim in the sea, cleaning, applying various creams, ointments, lotions or using aerosols. You should be especially careful with medical substances, for example, iodine. In general, these are all the basic recommendations for caring for gold.

You can also sometimes bring the product to a jewelry workshop for professional cleaning and polishing.