How to Care for Hand-Painted Enamel Jewellery (Expert Guide)

If you have ever wondered how to care for enamel jewellery, the answer starts with understanding what makes it so special in the first place. Hand-painted enamel is a centuries-old craft, and pieces built on gold-plated brass need a slightly different care routine than your everyday costume jewellery. This guide walks through exactly what to do, and what to avoid, so your collection keeps its colour and shine for years.

What Is Enamel Jewellery, Exactly?

Enamel jewellery is created by fusing or hand-applying layers of pigmented material onto a metal base, then setting each colour so it holds its shape and depth permanently. At Les Néréides, our artisans hand-paint each motif individually, layer by layer, onto gold-plated brass findings, drawing on a design heritage rooted in Paris. This is why no two pieces are ever perfectly identical, and why the florals, birds and storybook scenes that define our collections have such rich, dimensional colour. Unlike printed or resin-coated jewellery, genuine hand-painted enamel has texture you can feel under a fingertip, and colour that sits slightly raised from the metal beneath it. Browse the full range across our collections to see the variety of techniques and motifs this craft makes possible.

Does Enamel Jewellery Tarnish?

The enamel surface itself does not tarnish, since it is not a metal and does not oxidise the way silver or unplated brass can. What can change over time is the gold plating underneath, particularly at the edges where enamel meets metal. Gold-plated brass is durable with proper care, but repeated contact with moisture, perfume and skin oils will gradually thin the plating faster than the enamel itself will ever fade. This is the distinction worth remembering: your colours are more stable than most people expect, but the metal setting deserves the same attention you would give any fine plated piece.

Daily Habits That Protect Your Enamel Pieces

Small routines make the biggest difference. Put jewellery on last, after perfume, hairspray and moisturiser have fully dried, and take it off first when you get home. Avoid wearing enamel pieces to swim, shower or exercise, since chlorine and prolonged water exposure are the fastest way to dull both the enamel surface and the plating around it. If you love layering brooches or statement earrings for everyday wear, a piece like our hand-painted wisteria brooch holds up beautifully when it is only worn as an occasional accent rather than clipped on from morning to night.

How to Clean Hand-Painted Enamel Jewellery

Cleaning should always be gentle and dry wherever possible. Wipe pieces after each wear with a soft, lint-free cloth to remove oils and residue before they settle into the fine details of the paintwork. If a piece needs more than a wipe, lightly dampen the cloth with water only, never a jewellery cleaning solution, alcohol or ultrasonic cleaner, all of which can strip plating or lift enamel at its edges. Never soak enamel jewellery, and always dry it immediately and thoroughly, paying particular attention to any spaces between layered elements where moisture can linger. For dangling styles with multiple painted components, such as our wisteria drop earrings, cleaning between the layers with a dry, soft brush before a light wipe keeps every petal free of buildup.

The Right Way to Store Your Collection

Store each piece separately, ideally in the pouch or box it arrived in, so enamel surfaces never rub against other jewellery, metal clasps or hard edges. Keep pieces away from direct sunlight and humidity, both of which accelerate discolouration of gold plating over time. A cool, dark drawer or a lined jewellery box with individual compartments works far better than an open dish or a tangled jewellery tray, especially for brooches and earrings with raised painted surfaces that can chip if knocked against something harder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can hand-painted enamel jewellery get wet?
Brief contact is generally fine, but prolonged exposure to water, chlorine or saltwater should be avoided, and pieces should always be dried immediately if they do get damp.

How long does hand-painted enamel jewellery last?
With the care outlined above, hand-painted enamel pieces are designed to be worn and enjoyed for years, since the enamel itself is a stable, long-lasting material when protected from knocks and moisture.

Is enamel jewellery hypoallergenic?
Gold-plated brass is generally well tolerated, though anyone with a known metal sensitivity should check the specific plating and base metal details before wearing any piece for extended periods.

Why is hand-painted enamel more expensive than printed jewellery?
Each motif is painted by hand in individual layers rather than printed or moulded, a slower, more skilled process that gives every piece its distinctive depth, texture and one-of-a-kind character.

Explore the full story behind every hand-painted motif in our collections, from wisteria brooches to layered drop earrings, and find the piece that deserves a place in your everyday rotation.