Caring for polki and uncut stones

Polki is uncut diamond, set over a reflective foil that gives it its glow. The foil is the whole point and it is also the vulnerability: water gets behind it, the foil clouds, and the stone goes flat. This is irreversible without resetting.

So: never an ultrasonic cleaner, never soaking, never steam. Clean with a dry soft brush, and if you must use moisture, a barely damp cotton bud on the gold only, avoiding the stone edges.

Store polki flat, in a soft pouch, away from other jewellery. Uncut stones have irregular edges that scratch polished gold, and they chip against each other.

Perfume and hairspray before jewellery, always — with a gap. Alcohol-based sprays are the fastest way to dull both foil and pearl.