None of this requires much effort — just a few habits, repeated, that add up over months of wear.
Put jewelry on last. After perfume, lotion, and hairspray, not before. Those products are some of the biggest culprits in speeding up wear on a plated finish.
Take it off before water touches your skin. Showering, swimming, and washing dishes are all moments to set jewelry aside, even on pieces described as water-resistant.
Store pieces separately. Tossed together in a drawer, metal scratches metal. The pouch or box your order arrived in is usually the easiest solution, kept somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight.
Skip the jewelry cleaner. Jewelry cleaning solutions, ultrasonic cleaners, and harsh polishes can strip a plated finish faster than ordinary wear ever would. A soft, dry cloth handles most day-to-day cleaning; for something deeper, a cloth lightly dampened with water is as far as we'd go.
Treated this way, a piece can hold its shine for a long time — though some natural softening of the finish is expected eventually, which we explain in more detail in What Is 24K Gold Plating, Really?. For the full breakdown, see our Jewelry Care Guide.