How to Care for Keepsake Jewellery: Cleaning, Storage & Tarnish Tips
- mikaylacyph
- Jul 4
- 8 min read
Your keepsake jewellery is so much more than a fashion accessory to compliment an outfit; it holds meaning, memories and those that you hold in your heart. Whether it's a keepsake created with your breastmilk, a pendant containing ashes or a beautiful ornament that takes pride of place in your room; all of these pieces deserve gentle care.
In this guide, I'll walk you through how to keep your keepsake jewellery lookin beautiful for years to come- from what to avoid, where to store it and how to safely handle tarnishing.
What To Avoid
Your keepsake jewellery is likely the most precious piece you own — not because of its materials, but because of who and what it represents. Unlike everyday jewellery, these pieces often contain sensitive inclusions set in resin, usually within sterling silver. They deserve gentler care and a little more attention.
To help your keepsake last for years to come, there are a few things I recommend avoiding. These everyday exposures might seem harmless, but over time they can discolour the resin, wear down the silver, or compromise the overall integrity of your piece.
Chemicals (including perfumes, cleaning products, lotions, hand sanitiser, hairspray and chlorine)
Everyday chemicals might not seem harmful, but they can cause long-term damage to both the resin and the sterling silver in your keepsake jewellery. Perfumes, lotions, hairspray, and cleaning products can dull the surface of resin, break down its clarity over time, and may even cause discolouration; especially in delicate inclusions like breastmilk or flowers.
Resin is porous at a microscopic level, so once chemical residue gets in, it’s nearly impossible to reverse. Sterling silver is also vulnerable - chlorine, in particular, is especially harsh. It can cause sterling silver to pit, darken, and weaken structurally over time. Even tiny, repeated exposures (like from hand sanitiser or wipes) can cause dullness and accelerate tarnishing.
To avoid this kind of damage
Always apply perfumes, sprays, and lotions before putting your jewellery on.
Remove your keepsake if you’re cleaning, using sanitiser, or handling products with strong chemicals.
Never wear your jewellery in a swimming pool or hot tub — the chlorine will do lasting damage to silver. This is also recommended for any sterling silver items you may wear.
Water & Moisture (bathing, swimming, sweat, damp storage)
Resin may feel solid to the touch, but it's actually microscopically porous. Over time, repeated exposure to moisture (whether from handwashing, showers, washing dishes, or even damp storage) can start to seep in and cause damage.
Moisture can disrupt the bond between the resin and the inclusions inside (like breastmilk, ashes, or hair)
Cause haziness, cloudiness, or even visible separation.
Lead to yellowing; especially when moisture combines with heat or sunlight
Slowly weaken the structure, especially around edges or settings. This can cause your stone to come loose or fall out entirely.
Even if the damage isn’t immediate, moisture will almost always leave its mark in time.
To protect your keepsake from moisture:
Always remove your jewellery before washing hands, bathing, swimming, or exercising.
Avoid wearing your piece in steamy environments (like bathrooms or saunas.
Store it in a dry, cool place - ideally in a lined jewellery box or airtight pouch.
If your piece does get wet, dry it thoroughly with a soft, clean cloth as soon as possible.
Heat (radiators, direct sunlight, hot surfaces or leaving jewellery in hot cars)
While resin cures into a hard, glass-like surface, it remains sensitive to temperature fluctuations, especially high or prolonged heat. When resin is exposed to high temperatures (such as direct sunlight, radiators, being left in a hot car or a direct blast of heat from opening an oven), it can begin to retract slightly. This retraction creates microscopic gaps between the resin and its metal setting. If moisture is present at the same time (even from humidity or sweat) it can seep into these gaps. Once the resin cools, it expands and settles again, trapping the moisture beneath the surface. Repeated cycles of this expansion and contraction slowly compromise the bond between resin and setting. Over time, this can result in:
Cloudiness, hazing, or visible distortion in the resin
The inclusion shifting or becoming misaligned
In some cases, the resin lifting or popping out of the setting entirely
Once this bond is broken, repair is difficult and often irreversible, especially in handmade pieces where inclusions cannot be replaced without being remade entirely.
To protect your keepsake from heat:
Never leave your jewellery in direct sunlight or hot spaces (like windowsills, car dashboards, or beside a radiator)
Avoid wearing your piece in saunas, hot tubs, or while using heat tools near your hands (like hair dryers or curling wands). It is also recommended to keep your jewellery under clothing or remove when cooking or near hot ovens.
Store it in a cool, shaded area when not in use
Heat damage can happen gradually and often without immediate visual signs -prevention is always the safer route.
Sunlight & UV Exposure
Natural light may seem harmless, but prolonged exposure to sunlight or UV rays can cause gradual but permanent changes to your keepsake jewellery - especially in pieces containing resin or organic inclusions like breastmilk, flowers, or fabric.
What UV exposure does
Discolouration and yellowing: Resin is UV-sensitive by nature. Over time, direct sunlight can cause it to yellow or darken — particularly in breastmilk jewellery and clear resin settings.
Fading of inclusions: Delicate materials like fabric, dried flowers, or inked handwriting can fade or bleach under UV exposure.
Weakening of the resin surface: Prolonged UV light can make the resin brittle, dry, or more prone to microcracks — especially when combined with heat or moisture.
Even UV-stabilised resin (the only kind I use) has its limits. it slows the process but doesn’t stop it entirely. Think of UV like weathering - subtle, slow, but permanent.
To protect your keepsake from UV damage
Avoid storing your piece on windowsills, dressing tables near natural light, or in your car
Don’t leave it on when sunbathing or during long periods outdoors
Keep it in a box or pouch when not being worn, especially in the warmer months
A little sunlight won’t ruin your piece — but repeated exposure over time will leave its mark.
Abrasions & knocks (avoid wearing during manual tasks or exercise)
Every piece of keepsake jewellery I create is designed to be worn and loved, but it’s important to remember that resin is not indestructible. While minor surface marks are inevitable over time with daily wear, heavier knocks, scrapes or drops (especially during manual labour or high-impact activities), can crack, chip or dislodge the resin.
To protect your piece, I recommend removing it when gardening, cleaning, exercising, or handling anything that could exert pressure or cause impact. It’s a precaution - not a limitation, to help preserve the beauty and integrity of what your keepsake holds.
Each piece comes with an 8-week warranty from the date your order is placed, covering you against any early faults. Beyond this, I do offer a repair service for a small fee, and if a piece can’t be repaired, a like-for-like replacement can often be created at a discounted rate. Your memories deserve to be protected — and I’m here to help ensure they are.
Storing Your Jewellery With Other Items
How you store your keepsake jewellery when it's not being worn makes a huge difference to its longevity. Proper storage protects against dust, moisture, tarnishing, and surface scratches - all of which can dull the appearance of both the resin and the silver over time.
I always recommend storing your piece in a soft, lined box or pouch, ideally away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. It’s also best to avoid storing it alongside other jewellery items. Metals can rub against one another, causing abrasions or dents, and chains can tangle or catch on settings. Treat your keepsake like the delicate treasure it is — not because it's fragile, but because what it holds inside is irreplaceable.
Storing You Keepsake Jewellery
How you store your keepsake jewellery when it’s not being worn plays a vital role in how well it holds up over time. These pieces are crafted with care and filled with meaning - and that deserves a little extra attention when it comes to where and how they’re kept.
Your jewellery is best stored in a clean, dry place, away from direct sunlight, humidity, and fluctuating temperatures. The original box your keepsake arrives in is ideal! It's soft-lined, protective, and designed to cradle the piece safely without pressure or abrasion. If you prefer to keep your jewellery in a larger box or drawer with other items, be sure to store each piece separately in a pouch or small box to prevent scratches or tangling. Resin and silver are both prone to surface damage when rubbed against harder materials or other metal jewellery, especially if there are sharp edges or chains involved.
To go a step further, you can add a small silica packet (the kind you often find in shoeboxes or electronics) to your jewellery storage area. These absorb excess moisture in the air and help reduce the risk of tarnishing on the silver or moisture-related clouding in the resin.
By making storage part of your aftercare ritual, you're not just protecting the jewellery, but the memories it holds.
Below are some links to some recommended jewellery storage options and anti tarnish solutions.
Large velvet jewellery storage box
Compact travel jewellery box
Silica Packets
Anti tarnish strips and jewellery organising bags
Silver polishing cloth
Tarnishing: What It Is & How to Fix It
Tarnishing is one of the most common things you'll see with sterling silver; but thankfully, one of the easiest to manage! It happens when the silver reacts with elements in the air, like oxygen and Sulphur. This creates a thin layer of oxidation on the surface, which shows up as dark patches, a dull finish, or an overall greying of the metal. It's completely natural and doesn't mean your jewellery is damaged or faulty!
Some people notice tarnish faster than others - skin pH, air humidity, and even how a piece is stored all play a part. And if the jewellery isn't worn regularly, it can actually tarnish quicker due to lack of friction and exposure to air. Tarnish is normal, expected - and thankfully, treatable.
Removing Tarnishing
The safest and easiest way to remove tarnish from your keepsake is to use a silver polishing cloth. These are soft, specially treated cloths that gently lift the oxidation without scratching the surface or harming the resin or inclusions.
To clean your piece:
Gently rub the silver with the polishing cloth in small circular motions
Focus only on the silver - avoid rubbing directly over resin or inclusions, especially if your piece contains breastmilk, hair, or ashes
Never scrub, and don’t use pressure, the cloth does the work for you
What to avoid:
Chemical dips or silver-cleaning solutions
Ultrasonic cleaners
Toothpaste, baking soda, or any abrasive household remedy
These may work on plain silver, but for keepsake jewellery containing resin or sentimental inclusions, they’re far too harsh and could cause permanent damage.
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