How to Care for Your Agate & Gemstone Jewelry

Simple care habits can help preserve the natural color, texture, luster, and character of your Yun Agate jewelry for years to come.

Caring for Natural Jewelry

Every Yun Agate piece is made with natural materials, and no two stones, beads, or carvings are exactly alike.

Agate is naturally durable, but many of our designs may also include materials such as turquoise, agarwood, amber, jade, and other natural stones. Each material responds differently to water, heat, chemicals, and everyday wear.

A little thoughtful care will help preserve the natural beauty and character of your jewelry over time.

Keep Your Jewelry Away From Chemicals

Perfume, lotion, sunscreen, hairspray, hand sanitizer, household cleaners, and other chemicals can gradually affect gemstones, wood, metal components, and surface finishes.

We recommend applying cosmetics and fragrance first and allowing them to dry before putting on your jewelry.

As a simple rule:

Put your jewelry on last, and take it off first.

This is particularly important for porous or organic materials such as turquoise, amber, and agarwood.

GIA specifically notes that turquoise can be discolored by cosmetics, chemicals, perspiration and skin oils, which makes this recommendation especially relevant to some of your mixed-material pieces.

Avoid Water, Swimming, and Showering

Whenever possible, remove your bracelet or necklace before:

showering, swimming, exercising, washing dishes, visiting a sauna, or taking part in activities that involve prolonged exposure to water or sweat.

Although materials such as agate and jade can tolerate gentle cleaning with water, other materials used in Yun Agate jewelry require more care.

Repeated exposure to chlorine, salt water, soap, moisture, or sweat may affect delicate stones, natural wood, metal components, and bracelet cords over time.

For mixed-material jewelry, avoiding prolonged water exposure is the safest approach.

How to Clean Your Jewelry

For regular care, gently wipe your jewelry after wearing it with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth.

This helps remove dust, skin oils, and light perspiration before they build up on the surface.

For most Yun Agate jewelry, aggressive cleaning is unnecessary.

If your piece is made entirely from durable stones such as agate or untreated jade, a small amount of mild soap with lukewarm water may occasionally be used. Rinse gently and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth.

However, if the piece contains agarwood, amber, turquoise, elastic cord, or other delicate materials, do not soak it. Instead, clean the surface gently and locally.

GIA recommends warm soapy water or soft-cloth cleaning for many gemstones, but also warns that ultrasonic and steam cleaners are unsuitable for a number of delicate, porous, organic, or treated materials.

Special Care for Different Natural Materials

Agate

Agate is relatively durable and suitable for everyday jewelry, but it can still be scratched or damaged by hard impacts.

Wipe it regularly with a soft cloth and keep it away from harsh household chemicals. For pure agate pieces, occasional gentle cleaning with lukewarm water and mild soap is generally sufficient.

Avoid dropping the bracelet onto stone, tile, or other hard surfaces.

Turquoise

Turquoise requires more careful handling because it can be porous and sensitive to oils, cosmetics, chemicals, and excessive heat.

Avoid direct contact with perfume, lotion, sunscreen, household cleaners, and prolonged perspiration.

Clean gently rather than soaking the stone, and never use steam or ultrasonic cleaning on turquoise jewelry.

Agarwood

Agarwood is a natural aromatic wood and should be kept as dry as possible.

Avoid soaking it in water or exposing it directly to perfume, alcohol, soaps, or strong cleaning products, as these may affect the wood’s surface and natural aroma.

After wearing, simply wipe the beads gently with a clean, dry cloth and allow any accidental moisture to dry naturally at room temperature. Industry care guidance for agarwood similarly recommends keeping it away from repeated moisture, fragrances and excessive heat.

Amber

Amber is an organic gem and is much softer than most mineral gemstones.

Protect it from scratches, hard impacts, high temperatures, and chemical products. Store amber separately from harder gemstone jewelry whenever possible.

Clean gently and never use abrasive materials or ultrasonic cleaning equipment. GIA places amber at only about 2–2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is why it needs considerably more scratch protection than agate or jade.

Jade

Jade is known for its excellent toughness, but its polished surface can still be scratched.

For normal care, wipe it with a soft cloth. Lukewarm water with mild soap is also suitable for gentle cleaning.

Because jade can sometimes be treated, simple cleaning methods are preferable to aggressive chemical or professional cleaning unless the treatment status is known.

Avoid Hard Impacts and Friction

Natural stone does not mean indestructible.

Avoid striking your bracelet against desks, walls, metal objects, stone countertops, or other hard surfaces.

When wearing several bracelets together, remember that harder stones and metal components may rub against softer materials.

This is particularly important for pieces containing amber, turquoise, carved details, or natural wood.

Caring for Stretch Bracelets

If your bracelet uses an elastic cord, avoid pulling it excessively when putting it on or taking it off.

Instead of stretching the bracelet wide over your hand, gently roll it over your fingers and wrist.

Repeated overstretching can gradually weaken the elastic and shorten the life of the bracelet.

Also avoid leaving stretch bracelets under continuous tension or hanging them from hooks for long periods.

Store Your Jewelry Separately

When you are not wearing your jewelry, keep it in a clean, dry place away from prolonged direct sunlight, excessive heat, and humidity.

Whenever possible, store individual pieces separately in a soft pouch, jewelry box, or compartment.

This prevents harder gemstones and metal parts from rubbing against softer stones, wood, or polished surfaces.

For agarwood, keeping the piece in a dry, protected environment also helps preserve the natural character of the wood. For amber, separate storage is particularly helpful because of its softness.

Natural Changes Are Part of the Material

Natural materials may gradually change with wear.

Wood may deepen in tone, metals may develop subtle signs of use, and some natural stones may show small changes in luster or surface appearance over time.

These changes are not necessarily defects. They are often part of the natural aging and wearing process of genuine materials.

Even natural amber, for example, may gradually oxidize and darken with age.

Every Yun Agate piece is unique from the beginning, and proper care allows that character to develop gracefully over time.

Need Help Caring for Your Jewelry?

If you are unsure how to clean or care for a particular Yun Agate piece, please contact us before using cleaning products or attempting intensive cleaning.

Send us a photo or the name of your jewelry piece, and we will do our best to recommend the safest care method for its materials.

Yun Agate Care Tip:
When a piece combines several natural materials, always care for it according to the most delicate material. When in doubt, use only a clean, soft cloth and avoid soaking the jewelry.