Grant Harrold, a former Royal butler to King Charles and British etiquette expert, has revealed his top tips for keeping Royal jewellery as dazzling as ever.
The royals are always expected to be impeccably dressed, with outfits that impress from head to toe. From their polished shoes to their perfectly styled hair, every detail is crucial in maintaining their elegance, and jewellery plays a significant role in this. From sparkling tiaras to sophisticated rings and delicate bracelets, it's the gleaming silver and gold that truly captivates the eye.
Their glittering accessories often come from the Royal Collection, a prestigious archive of pieces passed down through generations of the monarchy. Preserving this jewellery, both from the collection and their personal pieces, is no easy task, but Grant Harrold shared with Slots Temple the two main methods used to restore its lustre.
His best and oldest trick is using Silver Dip, which can be found on the shelves for as little as £8. The expert said: "If Camilla had a ring she wanted cleaned, she would bring it down, and part of my role as a butler was to clean it for her.
"We used silver dip, a solution that essentially strips a fine layer of gold or silver from the piece, removing tarnish." Harrold went on to explain that following the dipping process, the jewellery must be rinsed immediately in cold water and buffed to restore its lustre.
He maintains he has employed this particular technique on virtually everything from bangles and necklaces to rings, describing it as "very effective".
Regarding more conventional approaches, soda crystals and tin foil are household essentials, likely already sitting in your kitchen cupboards.
The expert said: "We'd fill a basin with hot water, soda crystals, and pieces of tin foil. ""The combination creates a chemical reaction that lifts tarnish. It's an old-fashioned technique, but it worked beautifully for jewellery that was cleaned every few months."
Harrold emphasised that this approach is considerably gentler than using Silver Dip. Bearing this in mind, any heavily tarnished or larger jewellery pieces are better suited to being cleaned with a more robust technique for optimal gleaming outcomes.
Alternative suggestions online recommend using the household staple we all possess - toothpaste. By applying a modest amount of non-gel and non-abrasive toothpaste to items such as gold and silver pieces, it can demonstrate swift jewellery cleaning capabilities.
Gently rubbing it into the jewellery using a soft toothbrush with caution, before rinsing and drying thoroughly, proves an effective approach. Whilst this isn't something a Royal butler would endorse, it serves as a useful trick if you're pressed for time and wish to eliminate minor tarnishing.
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