Cleaning solutions & processes for jewellers during Covid-19
Blog
Are you looking for advice on how to get back to ‘business as usual’ or least back to ‘business in the new normal’?
For those who have a shop, sell at craft fairs or markets, or perhaps teach jewellery making classes or share a workshop with others, we’ve put together a handy guide on where to look for advice, resources or equipment for keeping you & your customers safe during the pandemic.
It can be tricky navigating these challenging times, especially if you have a business which relies on selling face to face or teaching. There are now numerous rules in place to try and control the spread of Covid-19, meaning most businesses are having to take extra measures to implement social distancing as well as ensure their retail space or workspace, including products & tools are regularly cleaned.
Firstly, stay up to date
Things are constantly changing as we try to return to normal life, so firstly and most importantly, always take a look at the governments very latest advice to see what needs to be done.
You can find the most up to date advice from the government here.
Advice is relatively thorough, but not always explicit for absolutely all businesses. So you will find it helpful to supplement this with more advice from authorities within the jewellery industry.
For example, Professional Jeweller has a Coronavirus Advice Desk which has a whole plethora of advice on all kinds of topics related to the jewellery industry - from how to return to work safely, to how to optimise your SEO for better online sales. Take a look here.
The NAJ also have some very helpful advice and support on how to return to work safely, including risk assessment templates, public notice/poster templates plus other useful documents, see here.
Keeping your shop or stand safe
If you have a retail space or shop then there is a lot of guidance online for retailers, and you are fully in control how you set up your space to best adhere to the social distancing guidelines.
If you sell at markets or craft fairs, then it’s likely that you will receive guidance from the organisers, but there are also things you can do to help yourself and in both instances it’s more than likely you will need to consider using the following items:
Hand sanitiser stations - which can be used by your customers at the entrance of you shop or stand, or before trying on any jewellery.
Alcohol/ethanol spray or wipes - to regularly wipe down screens, cabinets, door handles, tills, card payment machines etc.
Masks - disposable ones which can be offered at the door for any customers not wearing one (if you feel it is important in your store - perhaps if you are unable to maintain a 2 metre distance due to small space).
Plastic/perspex screens - to protect your jewellery display, stand or till point.
A visor - you might need to or want to invest in one of these instead of a mask so that your customers can see you and you can communicate clearly without a mask in the way.
All kinds of protective gear (PPE) such as visors specifically for the jewellery industry can be sourced here.
Cleaning your jewellery regularly
Your jewellery will need to be cleaned regularly and especially before and after someone has touched or tried it on. Thankfully, there are a few solutions out there which can cater for different kinds of jewellery.
The NAJ states that most jewellery can be effectively and quickly cleaned in store/at your stand with ethanol/alcohol spray or wipes, so you may well feel this works for you.
If you’re after something a bit more professional or thorough, then HSWalsh do recommend a few different products for sterilising items of jewellery to ensure that they are completely free from any bacteria.
The Elma Steam Cleaner
This machine will effectively steam clean mounted jewellery, watch bracelets, chains and rings at 4.5 bar steam temp 135C. It costs £1,434 (inc VAT) see here for more details.
The Elma Ultrasonic Digital Heated Cleaner
A much more affordable option is this heated ultrasonic cleaner which can heat jewellery up to 80C and be used in conjunction with a chemical solution. It costs £234 see here for more details.
Elma Clean EC55 Cleaning Solution
This cleaning solution has been proven to be effective against coronaviruses (it was developed for the dental industry). So you may want to consider using this in a dedicated ultrasonic tank for disinfecting your jewellery. See here for more details.
Parify UVC LED Compact Steriliser
If your jewellery can’t be immersed into a cleaning bath or a bath is just not practical, then Parify have launched a compact UVC LED steriliser which uses light to kill off any bacteria. It’s compact and very affordable at £90 inc VAT. You can learn more here.
And don’t forget softer, more porous gemstones such as opals, coral or pearls cannot be cleaned with any of the above. So you may decide that these pieces are unable to be handled, or may need to be put out of circulation for a period of time, once a customer has tried them on.
For those who teach jewellery making
This area is certainly a lot more complicated as jewellery making classes often involve people getting up close in order to see how to make small components that might make a piece of jewellery. It is also likely that tools and equipment will be shared, which will not be possible now.
Essentially, you would have to go through a similar process to a retailer and complete a risk assessment, then look at ways in which you can mitigate this.
Key solutions to keep staff and students safe might include:
A 2m distance between individual work benches
The use of perspex screens around work benches
The use of visors and masks
Hand sanitising stations at various points including toilets
A set of tools for each student
A deep clean process between every session, including cleaning of tools
Airbnb have put together a usual article for those running ‘Experiences’ that you may find of help. It details the kind of process you would need to implement in order to sanitise your workshop between classes, see here.
You might also find the governments advice for educational settings of help too, see here.
The above set up and processes would also apply to any jewellers who might share a studio or workspace with others.
Please do always remember to check the very latest advice from the government and specifically for your area (Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland etc) this is an ever evolving situation so some information above may well become out of date.
It’s certainly going to be challenging getting back to business as usual, but where there’s a will there’s a way as they say!
Wishing you all the best of luck going forward.
With love, Jess x
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