"Natural stone" covers materials with wildly different personalities: agate is one of the toughest gems you can wear daily, while amber is soft enough to scratch with a copper coin. Caring for them well means knowing which kind you have. Here is the stone-by-stone guide.
Which natural stones are delicate, and which are tough?
| Stone | Mohs hardness | Main care concern |
|---|---|---|
| Agate | 6.5–7 | Very durable; dyed varieties can fade in strong sun |
| Amethyst & rose quartz | 7 | Colour can fade with prolonged direct sunlight |
| Jade (nephrite/jadeite) | 6–7 | Exceptionally tough, but avoid harsh chemicals and heat |
| Turquoise | 5–6 | Porous — absorbs oils, perfume and colour; keep dry |
| Amber | 2–2.5 | Very soft fossil resin — scratches easily, damaged by solvents and heat |
Can turquoise and amber get wet?
Best avoided. Turquoise is porous: it can absorb water, oils, perfume and even cosmetics, which may permanently alter its colour. Amber is a fossil resin — alcohol, perfume and household solvents can cloud or even soften its surface, and heat is equally unkind to it. Both follow the strictest version of the "last on, first off" rule: after perfume, before hand-washing.
Does amethyst really fade in the sun?
Over long periods, yes. Amethyst — along with some other quartz varieties such as rose quartz — can slowly lose colour intensity with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Wearing it outside is no problem at all; the risk is storage on a sunny windowsill or display shelf for months on end. Store coloured stones in the dark and the colour stays put.
How do you clean natural stone jewellery safely?
One method suits nearly every natural stone: a soft cloth, barely dampened with plain water, wiped gently over the stone, then dried straight away. No soaking, no ultrasonic cleaners, no steam, no chemical dips — porous and organic stones can absorb detergents, and vibration can open tiny fractures. For tough stones like jade and agate a drop of mild soap in the water is fine; for turquoise and amber, stick to the damp cloth alone.
How should you store natural stone jewellery to prevent damage?
Three rules. First, separate and padded: soft stones like amber and turquoise scratch easily, so each piece gets its own pouch or lined compartment — never loose in a drawer with metal chains and harder gems. Second, dark and stable: away from sunny windowsills, radiators and the humid bathroom, all of which fade or stress stones over time. Third, moderate humidity: unlike metals, some stones (turquoise and opal in particular) dislike being hermetically sealed for years — a lined jewellery box in a bedroom drawer is the happy medium.
See these materials in the Natural Stone Jewellery collection — including the jade Celestial Harmony Bracelet and the south red agate Heritage Agate Studs. For amber specifically, our guide to green amber and how to spot real amber goes deeper.