My gold wedding band is scratched and faded. Is there any way to return it to its former glory?

When it comes to rings, wedding rings in particular, scratches are almost inevitable because of the amount of love and daily use they have to endure. The good news is that your jeweller will likely be able to get them back to an almost-new condition.

Every metal scratches, even platinum and titanium which are otherwise seemingly indestructible; and if these are supposedly scratch resistant, then what chance do softer silver and yellow gold metals have?

Professional jewellers often offer a polish service which can buff your well-love wedding ring almost to the condition it was when your groom slipped it on your finger. Don Gillett of Gillett’s Jewellers has been making and selling wedding bands for over 40 years. When it comes to polishing your ring, it is difficult to instruct how often you should do it.

“Everyone’s rings are subjected to different conditions,” says Gillett, “but I can say that a bride or groom will know exactly when their rings need to be done just by looking at it!”

Wedding bands under normal day-to-day wear-and-tear will likely benefit from a polish about every two years; a schedule which again depends on your ring and the conditions it is subjected to. While some may require more regular servicing, six months is likely too often.

“You don’t want to over polish your wedding rings because, if you do, it will wear away the metal,” says Don who also suggests that wedding rings with a matte finish or a textured design would benefit more from being refined than polished.

Like polishing, the process of refining a wedding band restores the ring to a former life by recoating the exterior with a coloured rhodium to match the original base colour of your ring.

So, yes, with a little elbow grease and polish (or a slightly more technical process) by your jeweller, the former glory of your wedding ring can be returned and make your much-loved band look as new and shiny as it did on your big day.