Caring for your Nandai piece

Every Nandai piece is gold-plated brass, hand-set with American diamonds and kundan-style stones in our Jaipur workshop. The plating is a thin layer of gold electroplated onto the brass base — it looks like solid gold, but it behaves like a finish. Treat it like a finish and it will last.

The four enemies

Plating breaks down faster when it touches:

• Water — shower, swim, dishwash. Take the piece off first.
• Perfume, hairspray, deodorant, body lotion — alcohol and solvents eat the plating. Apply your scent, wait two minutes, then put the jewellery on. Never spray onto the piece.
• Sweat — gym sessions, long-haul flights, summer afternoons. Salt accelerates oxidation of the brass underneath. Wipe down with a dry cloth when you take the piece off.
• Chlorinated pool water and seawater — these are the fastest path to a dull, copper-tinged finish. Remove before any pool, beach, or hot-tub.

The daily rule

Last on, first off. Put the piece on after you finish dressing, perfume, and hair. Take it off before you wash your face. Wipe with a soft, dry cotton cloth — never tissue paper, never the corner of a saree — and return it to its pouch.

Cleaning when it dulls

For light film: a soft toothbrush with a drop of mild dish soap in lukewarm (not hot) water, work it gently into the stone settings, rinse under a slow tap, pat dry with a lint-free cloth, and air-dry on a clean towel for at least an hour before storing. Never soak. Never use silver polish, jewellery dip, or ultrasonic cleaners — these are formulated for solid metal and will strip the gold plating.

Storage

Each piece ships in a Nandai cotton pouch. Keep it in the pouch and store each piece separately — kundan stones chip when they rub against each other in a drawer. A small box of silica gel in your jewellery drawer pulls humidity out of the air and slows the brass oxidation underneath the plating.

Plating life — the honest number

With normal wear (a few times a month, festive occasions, dinners) and the rules above, the gold plating will hold its colour for 12 to 18 months. Wear it every day and that drops to six. Treat it as an heirloom and it will last years. When the plating starts to thin — usually first on edges that touch skin most — write to us at karan@nandai.store. We are working on a re-plating service from the Jaipur workshop; until that is live, the email goes directly to the founder so we can route it.

If a stone comes loose

Kundan-style settings are held by metal collets, not glue. If a stone shifts or falls out within 30 days of delivery, we replace the piece. After that, send a photograph to karan@nandai.store and we will quote a repair from Jaipur. Most loose-stone fixes cost less than the price of the original piece.