Jewellery Care and Safety Guide

Document code: RJ-LS-18

Version: 1.2

Version date: 29 September 2026

Effective date: 1 October 2026

Issued by: Ralph Jacobs SA (Pty) Ltd (reg. 2019/101093/07) and Ralph Jacobs NZ Limited (company no. 9334729) — see Where We Sell for which company sells to you

Supersedes: version 1.1 (27 September 2026, published). Changed in 1.2: the JewelFix contact address in section F and the footer is now claims@ralphjacobs.org. Version 1.0 was never published

This guide is written for everyone, including people who have never owned fine jewellery. It explains how your piece is made, how to wear it safely, how to look after it, and what can go wrong, from the most serious risks, such as injury to a finger, to the smallest, such as a mark on your skin. Please read it, keep it, and share it with anyone who wears the piece.

A printed copy comes with every purchase. Its version number is printed on it. We update this guide as we learn from new cases, and in step with our Warranty and Care policy, our repair terms and our Terms and Conditions. The latest version is always at ralphjacobs.org/care, and every earlier version is kept in the version archive with its dates. An update adds to our advice; it never takes away a right you had when you bought.

This guide does not reduce your rights. The guarantees the law of your country gives you apply in full. The guide is general safety and care information. It is not medical advice. If you are injured, or a finger is swollen, numb or changing colour, get medical help at once (South Africa: 10177, or 112 from a mobile · New Zealand: 111 · United Kingdom: 999 or 112 · European Union: 112 · Australia: 000 · United States: 911).

The Hazard and Risk Summary at the end of this guide lists every risk we have identified, how serious it can be, and what to do. We keep a full hazard and risk assessment and review it whenever we learn of a new case.

PART A — YOUR SAFETY

This is the most serious risk of wearing a ring. If a ring catches on something while your body keeps moving, the force goes into your finger, not the ring. It can tear the skin and tissue, damage blood vessels, nerves, tendons and bone, strip the soft tissue off the finger (“degloving”), or cut the finger off. Gold and platinum rings are strong and do not break before the finger does. Surgeons report that rings cause most finger avulsion injuries, and many cases end in amputation. It happens at home as often as at work.

Typical ways it happens:

• a ring catching on machinery or moving parts, tools, drills, lathes, conveyors or farm equipment;
• jumping down from a vehicle, truck bed, ladder, wall or fence, and the ring catching on the edge;
• climbing over a fence or gate, or using hooks;
• catching the ring on a basketball hoop, a door, a vehicle door, a shelf or a counter edge during a fall;
• gym equipment, weights and bars, and contact sports.

What to do:

• Take your rings off before manual work, DIY, gardening with tools, using machinery or power tools, gym and weights, ball or contact sports, martial arts, climbing, and any work on ladders, fences, vehicles or farms.
• Never jump down from a height while wearing a ring.
• For work and sport, consider a silicone ring, which is designed to break or stretch.
• Follow your workplace rules. Many employers ban rings around machinery.

If a ring catches and injures a finger: do not pull the ring off an injured, torn finger. Press a clean cloth on the wound, raise the hand, and get emergency help immediately. If part of a finger has come off, wrap it in a clean, damp cloth, place it in a sealed bag, and keep the bag cool on ice, never directly on ice, and take it with you.

A ring cannot stretch. If your finger swells, the ring acts like a tourniquet: it traps blood and fluid, which makes the swelling worse, and in severe cases it can cut off the blood supply and cause the tissue to die. Rings left on swollen fingers have become embedded under the skin.

Fingers swell from: any injury to the hand or arm (a knock, a sprain, a fracture), burns, insect bites and stings, allergic reactions, pregnancy, heat, salty food, fluid retention, some medicines, arthritis flares, infections, surgery and long flights.

What to do:

• Take your rings off immediately after any injury to the hand or arm, a burn, a bite or sting, or an allergic reaction, before the swelling starts.
• Take rings off at the first sign of swelling or when a ring starts to leave a deep mark.
• Pregnancy: remove rings by the third trimester, or earlier if they feel tight. Wear the ring on a chain instead, or have it resized.

If a ring is stuck:

1. Raise the hand above your heart for 5 to 10 minutes, and cool it (a cold cloth or cold water).
2. Lubricate the finger with soap, hand cream or oil, and gently twist the ring towards the fingertip.
3. Do not force it. Forcing increases the swelling.

Get emergency help at once if the finger is blue, purple, white or cold, is numb or tingling, is in severe pain, or the ring is cutting into the skin.

Let doctors cut the ring off if they need to. Gold, platinum and silver rings can be cut quickly and safely with a ring cutter. Your finger always comes first. A ring cut in an emergency is not a defect, and we can usually repair it (JewelFix; we recommend waiting until the swelling has fully gone before resizing).

Metal conducts electricity and heat.

• Batteries: a ring or bracelet that touches both terminals of a car, truck, motorcycle, lawnmower or other battery (or a battery terminal and a spanner) completes the circuit. The ring heats up in a second or two and can cause a deep burn all the way round the finger. Published cases needed skin grafts and surgery. Remove all metal jewellery before any work on batteries, vehicles or electrical equipment.
• Electrical work: never wear rings, bracelets, necklaces or watches near live electrical parts. Workplace safety law bans conductive jewellery where it could touch energised parts.
• Heat: rings and bracelets can become hot enough to burn from ovens, grills, braais and barbecues, hot pans, steam, kettles and irons, and from metal left in strong sun. Remove them when cooking with high heat or working with hot equipment.
• Lightning: metal does not attract lightning, but it does conduct. Follow normal lightning safety.

• MRI scans: remove all metal jewellery and piercings, including gold and platinum. The scanner can heat metal and burn the skin, and any magnetic part can be pulled with great force.
• Surgery, X-ray and CT scans: hospitals ask you to remove all jewellery and piercings. Leave valuable jewellery at home when you go into hospital. Tell the staff about anything you cannot remove.
• Emergencies: hospital staff may cut a ring off if a hand is injured or likely to swell. Let them (section A2).
• Pacemakers and implanted defibrillators: we do not use magnetic clasps unless a written warning card comes with the piece. If any jewellery you own has a magnetic clasp, keep it at least 15 cm away from the device.

• Choking: earring backs, beads, loose stones and small parts are choking hazards. Keep all jewellery, spare parts and packaging out of reach of children.
• Magnets: if a child may have swallowed a magnet (for example from a magnetic clasp), or two or more magnets, get emergency care at once. Magnets swallowed separately can join through the bowel wall.
• Anything swallowed or breathed in: if a child may have swallowed jewellery, or is coughing, choking or struggling to breathe, get emergency help immediately.
• Babies and sleep: never put necklaces, bracelets or anklets on babies or sleeping children, and do not use “teething” jewellery. There is a risk of strangulation and choking.
• Our jewellery is not designed or intended for children to play with.
• Pets: dogs and cats swallow earrings, rings and chains, which can injure their gut. Do not try to make the animal vomit; see a vet urgently.

• Catching: chains and bracelets can be pulled into machinery and caught on objects. Take them off around machinery, for sport and before sleep.
• Chains break, or do not: fine chains break easily and can be lost; strong chains may not break at all and can hurt the neck if caught. Take care with both.
• Clasps and jump rings wear out. Have them checked at every inspection.
• Earrings: backs loosen and earrings are lost; heavy or dangling earrings can stretch or tear the earlobe, especially if caught on clothing or pulled by a child. Remove earrings for sleep, avoid wearing heavy earrings for long periods, and replace worn backs (locking backs are safer).

• Remove rings for the gym, weights, ball sports, contact sports, climbing and martial arts. They can crush or catch your finger (section A1), damage equipment and injure other people. Many sports rules ban jewellery.
• Swimming: cold water shrinks your fingers, and rings slip off and are lost in the sea, pools and lakes. Chlorine also damages gold (section C2). Do not swim wearing rings.
• Cold weather shrinks fingers: a ring that fits in summer may slip off in winter.
• Heat, exercise, salt and flights make fingers swell (section A2).

• Nickel allergy is the most common metal allergy (roughly one person in ten). Some white gold alloys and some lower-carat gold alloys can contain nickel. Rhodium plating covers the alloy only until it wears off. If you know or suspect you have a metal allergy, tell us before you order, and we will advise on a suitable metal, such as platinum or a nickel-free alloy.
• Other allergies (to gold, cobalt, palladium or rhodium) are uncommon but possible.
• If a rash, itching, redness or blistering develops under or around your jewellery, stop wearing it and see a doctor. A patch test can find the cause.
• “Wedding ring rash” is usually caused by soap, water, sweat, cream and dirt trapped under the ring. Take rings off to wash your hands and apply creams, rinse and dry well under the ring before putting it back on.
• Black or green marks on your skin are usually harmless. Black marks are caused by make-up or sunscreen rubbing fine particles off the metal. Green marks come from the copper in some gold and silver alloys. They wash off.
• Ear piercings: a new or existing piercing can become infected, and some people form thick scars (keloids). Seek medical care for a piercing that is red, hot, painful, swollen or leaking pus, or for a scar that keeps growing. Earring backs can become embedded in the lobe if too tight.

• Rings, stones and engraving trap dirt and bacteria. Clean under your rings regularly (section C6).
• Healthcare and food work: follow your workplace rules. Health and food-safety guidance generally asks workers to remove rings (a plain band is sometimes allowed). Remove rings when handling raw food, kneading dough or mixing by hand.
• Workplaces can ban jewellery for safety or hygiene. Follow those rules.

PART B — SECURITY, CRIME AND SCAMS

• Be discreet. Visible jewellery can make you a target for robbery. Turn a ring’s stone inward, or leave valuable pieces at home, in crowded places, on public transport, when walking alone and when travelling.
• Do not post location-tagged photos of your jewellery, your home or where you are, and do not share your travel plans publicly.
• Be aware of being followed, especially after buying or collecting jewellery. In South Africa, “follow-home” robberies are a known risk. If you think you are being followed, drive to a police station or a busy public place; do not go home.
• If you are robbed, do not resist. Your life is worth more than your jewellery. Report it to the police as soon as you are safe.

• Store valuable jewellery in a bolted safe, not in a bedroom drawer or jewellery box, which are the first places burglars look.
• Travel with as little jewellery as possible. Carry it in hand luggage, never in checked bags. Use the hotel safe, and do not leave jewellery on hotel sinks, bedside tables or beside pools.
• Airport security does not usually require you to remove jewellery, but bulky pieces may cause extra screening. You can ask for private screening.
• Never leave rings beside a public sink or on a counter. Keep them in a zipped pocket or a ring holder.

• Our parcels are plain and unbranded, and the label does not describe what is inside. Please do not post photographs of the parcel or the delivery online.
• A signature or a one-time PIN (OTP) is required on delivery. The PIN is sent to you: give it only to the courier at your door, never to anyone who phones or messages you for it. We and the courier will never ask you for it in advance.
• Be available, or arrange collection from the courier. Never ask for a parcel to be left at the door.
• Check the parcel before you sign. If it is damaged, opened or re-taped, note it with the courier, photograph it, and tell us at once (Shipping).
• Your printed Care and Safety Guide is in the parcel, with its version number.

• Keep photographs of each piece (from several angles), your invoice, laboratory report, valuation, and any laser inscription number on the stone, stored away from the jewellery, for example in secure cloud storage.
• New Zealand: you can record your valuables on the police-backed SNAP register.
• If your jewellery is stolen or lost, report it to the police promptly and get a case number. Your insurer will need it.

• Street “gold” sellers: people selling “gold” jewellery on the street, often with a hard-luck story, are selling fakes. Walk away.
• Distraction and swap scams: strangers who put jewellery on you, or distract you while handling your jewellery, may swap it for fakes. Do not let strangers handle your jewellery.
• Only use trusted jewellers. Stone switching during repairs is rare but does happen. Record your stone’s details (laboratory report, inscription, photographs) before any work, and ask to see the work done where possible. JewelFix is our authorised repairer.
• Check laboratory reports. Counterfeit reports and fake laser inscriptions exist. Check the report number on the laboratory’s own website (for example GIA Report Check) and match the inscription on the stone.
• Buy and sell only through registered dealers. Buying jewellery that turns out to be stolen is a crime and you can lose it without compensation.
• Why we ask for your identity and sometimes the source of funds: anti-money-laundering law requires jewellers to verify customers and report certain transactions (in South Africa, the Financial Intelligence Centre Act; in New Zealand, cash of NZD 10,000 or more for jewellery is prohibited). Ralph Jacobs NZ Limited accepts no cash (Payments).
• Insurance fraud (a false claim of loss or theft) is a crime and is reported to the police.

Striking someone while wearing a ring can cause serious injury to them and to you, including fractures and deep cuts, and can make an assault a more serious offence. Do not wear rings where fights or violence are possible. A ring used in this way will also be damaged, and that damage is not a defect.

PART C — LOOKING AFTER YOUR JEWELLERY

• Cast in one piece. Our rings are cast in one piece in the size you ordered: the head and the band are a single casting, with no joins.
• Set and finished by hand. Stones are set one by one, and the metal is finished and polished at the bench. Under strong magnification or phone zoom you may see tiny tool marks or polishing lines. They are normal in hand-made jewellery (Warranty and Care section 6A).
• Metal marks. Pieces are stamped with their fineness, for example 375 or 9ct (9 carat gold), 750 or 18ct (18 carat gold) or 950 (platinum), and ZA. These are our own fineness marks, not an assay-office hallmark.
• Porosity. All cast metal can contain tiny pores. Most are invisible and harmless. Resizing or repair heat can expose pores or cause small pits at a joint (Warranty and Care section 4).

Chlorine and bleach damage gold. Chlorine (swimming pools, hot tubs, spas) and household bleach can attack gold alloys, especially where metal is under tension, such as claws, and can make them crack and break, sometimes within hours. Always take your jewellery off before swimming, using a hot tub or cleaning with bleach.

What it is. White gold is plated with rhodium, a hard, bright white metal. The gold underneath is naturally a slightly warm, greyish or yellowish white.

It wears away. Plating wears fastest where the piece rubs: inside and under a ring, and where rings touch. On a ring worn every day, the warm tone often starts to show within 6 to 18 months. Earrings and pendants keep their plating much longer. Skin chemistry, chemicals and knocks all make a difference. If you have a nickel allergy, worn plating can expose the alloy underneath (section A8).

Black rhodium (a dark decorative finish) wears noticeably faster, sometimes within months on a ring, and needs renewing more often.

Silver is sometimes rhodium-plated to resist tarnish; once the plating wears, the silver can tarnish.

This is normal and not a defect. Re-plating is routine maintenance. JewelFix cleans, polishes and re-plates the piece, and checks the setting at the same time. We quote the price first. Some stones cannot go in the plating bath (pearls, opals, emeralds and other treated or porous stones), so they are protected, or removed and reset, and we tell you before we start.

Last on, first off. Put jewellery on after lotion, sunscreen, perfume, hair spray and hand sanitiser have dried, and take it off first. These products leave a dull film, and alcohol sanitiser can damage pearls, opals and oiled emeralds.

Take your jewellery off for: the gym, sport and lifting; gardening, sand, housework, cleaning and washing dishes; swimming, hot tubs, spas and saunas; cooking with high heat; manual work, DIY, machinery and anything that can knock or catch the piece; sleeping (chains, bracelets and earrings).

Put a ring on and take it off by holding the band, never by the head or the centre stone. Pulling on the head levers the most delicate part of the ring and can bend or break it. This is not covered as a defect (Warranty and Care section 4).

Wear the right size. A ring that is too loose turns, knocks and gets squeezed until the band goes oval; a ring forced on when too small stretches. Have it resized as soon as it feels loose, turns or needs force. Fingers change size with the weather, weight, pregnancy and age. If you have arthritis and your knuckle is larger than your finger, ask us about sizing options.

Knocks. Hard surfaces (granite counters, door frames, car doors, gym equipment) chip stones and loosen claws. Bag straps and handles catch on settings.

Delicate designs. Thin bands, fine claws, pavé, micro-pavé, eternity and tension settings need extra care. If your piece was made below our recommended specification, follow the inspection schedule on your risk acceptance.

Treatments. Many coloured stones are treated (for example heated, oiled or filled). Your invoice and laboratory report show any treatment we know of. Treated stones need gentler care, and you should tell any jeweller about the treatment before they work on the piece.

Heat. Keep jewellery away from high heat and sudden temperature changes. Heat damages emerald, tanzanite, opal, pearl and filled stones, and a jeweller’s torch or a house fire can damage even a diamond.

1. Soak the piece for a few minutes in warm water with a little mild dishwashing liquid.
2. Brush gently with a soft toothbrush, including behind the stone, where oil and dirt build up.
3. Rinse in clean warm water over a bowl, not an open drain.
4. Dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Do not use bleach, chlorine, toothpaste, household cleansers or abrasive powders, acetone or solvents, or polishing cloths on plated pieces. Do not use an ultrasonic or steam cleaner at home: they can loosen stones and damage many gems. Follow the stone table in section C5.

• Your piece comes in its own box (a matching set, such as a necklace and earrings, an engagement ring and wedding band, or a pair of earrings, comes in one set box). Keep the box for storage and travel.
• Store each piece separately, in a soft pouch or a lined box with compartments. Diamonds scratch other stones and metal.
• Keep silver in anti-tarnish pouches, and pearls and opals away from very dry places.
• Keep jewellery away from children and pets (section A5), and valuable pieces in a safe (section B2).

Looking after your jewellery is the owner’s responsibility. Claws wear, settings loosen and plating wears, gradually and often without being noticed. Most lost stones and damaged rings we see come from pieces that were not inspected.

Have your jewellery inspected every 3 to 6 months. The general inspection is always free, in our store, or sent by courier, with you paying the courier and insurance (Warranty and Care section 5). Anything beyond it, such as cleaning, re-plating, claw work or repairs, is quoted first.

Check it yourself regularly: look at the claws; tap the piece gently near your ear and listen for rattling; run it lightly over fine fabric to feel for snags.

Stop wearing the piece and bring it to us promptly if:

• a stone turns, rocks or rattles, or you can hear it when you tap the piece;
• a claw looks bent, lifted, flattened or worn, or catches on clothing;
• a pavé stone is missing, or the surface feels rough;
• the band is out of round, thin, cracked or dented;
• a clasp, jump ring or earring back is loose or worn;
• the piece has had a hard knock.

A stone that moves is not necessarily about to fall out, but it needs attention. The real risk of losing a stone is when a claw bends open, lifts or wears thin.

Use JewelFix for repairs and resizing. JewelFix is our authorised repairer. You are free to use another jeweller, but we are not responsible for their work, and it can make it harder to show what was there when we delivered your piece. If you do use another jeweller, tell them about any stone treatment.

Resizing. Resizing cuts and solders the band, so a resized ring has a join. A faint line or a slight colour difference at the join is normal. The solder is a different metal mix from the ring, and may be of a lower fineness (Ring Resize Benefit).

• Insure your jewellery from the day you receive it. Read your policy’s conditions: many insurers require regular inspections, safe storage and up-to-date valuations.
• Keep your invoice, laboratory report, valuation and photographs in a safe place, separately from the jewellery (section B3).
• Have your insurance valuation updated about every two years, or when metal and stone prices change a lot (Valuations).

Contact JewelFix at jewelfix.co or email claims@ralphjacobs.org, with your order number and a photograph. We look at every concern, and we assess the piece itself. Where there is a defect, the law’s remedies apply, as set out in Warranty and Care and Returns.

What is usually not a defect: normal wear, scratches and plating wear; damage from knocks, chemicals, chlorine or heat; a head bent by pulling on it; a band pushed oval by the wrong size; a ring cut off for medical reasons; a stone lost after a claw was bent or worn, or after inspections were missed; porosity that does not weaken the piece; tiny marks visible only under magnification; damage from use as a weapon; and work by another jeweller. Each case is assessed on its facts.

Tell us about any injury or incident involving our jewellery, even a minor one. We record every case and use it to improve this guide and our hazard and risk assessment.

How to read this table. “Likelihood” is how often the hazard occurs for people who wear jewellery. “Severity” is how bad the worst realistic outcome is. Every hazard can be reduced or avoided by following the “What you should do” column. We review this summary whenever we learn of a new case.

*Risk ratings combine likelihood and severity for a person who does not follow the advice (likelihood 1 to 5 multiplied by severity 1 to 5: 1–4 Low, 5–9 Medium, 10–16 High, 20–25 Extreme). Any hazard that could be catastrophic is rated at least High, and any that could be major at least Medium, however rare. Following the advice lowers every risk.*

Ralph Jacobs SA (Pty) Ltd · Registration number 2019/101093/07 · 1 Kiewiet Street, Lake Umuzi Waterfront, Secunda, Mpumalanga, 2302, South Africa

Ralph Jacobs NZ Limited · Company number 9334729 · Unit 4, 69 Boundary Road, Claudelands, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand

JewelFix is a trading name of each company · claims@ralphjacobs.org · +27 87 551 7635 · Latest version: ralphjacobs.org/care