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

Unfortunately, when it comes to wedding rings (any rings, really), scratches are inevitable but the good news is that your jeweller can get them back to near-new condition.

All metals scratch, even the seemingly indestructible ones such as platinum and titanium. However, though platinum and titanium are far more scratch resistant than softer metals such as yellow gold and silver, they, too, will scratch over time.

You can reduce the effect of scratches on your precious wedding band – and get it looking (almost) as good as the day it was slipped on your finger – by having it polished by a professional jeweller. Just don’t do it too often!

Don Gillett from Gillett’s Jewellers, has been making and selling wedding rings for more than 40 years and says that, when it comes to polishing rings, it is difficult to say how often is too often because, “everyone’s rings are subjected to different conditions.”

“But I can say that a bride or groom will know exactly when their rings need to be done just by looking at it!”

Having your ring polished every six months is, likely, too often, but for normal wear-and-tear, a polish every two or so years shouldn’t do too much damage but, again, that comes with the proviso that you must consider how well (or badly) your wedding ring is treated.

“You don’t want to over polish your wedding rings because, if you do, it will wear away the metal,” says Don who adds that, if your wedding rings are textured or have a matte finish, they can be refinished rather than polished.

Refinishing is a process that, essentially, restores rings to their original condition by, essentially, re-coating the ring in, typically, rhodium, which is coloured to match your ring’s original finish.

So, yes, with a little spit and polish (ok, it’s more than spit and polish) from your jeweller, you can have your dull and scratched wedding band looking as shiny and new as it looked on your wedding day, all those years ago!