Jewelry Care
How to care for your jewelry:
Simple instructions:
Lay flat in a light tight lined jewelry box with anti-tarnish strips when not wearing and your are good to go….
Detailed Instructions:
- When not wearing your jewelry please keep in a closed jewelry box or a zip locked plastic bag. Always keep gems and metals away from light and air whenever stored to help keep colors bright and metals from tarnishing.
- Gemstones come in untouched natural, heat treated, chemical color enhanced and even dyed variations. The more natural the color the more expensive the stone. However heat treating is a very common and accepted way to bring out color in a stone without changing it’s composition. Softer stones that have been color enhanced or heat treated can lose color over time when exposed to light which is why I recommend storing them in a light tight jewelry box to retard this natural process. Softer stones like citrine are widely known to lose color over time but keeping in a jewelry box means they will last for decades without a problem.
- Pearls: Pearls are extremely soft and very susceptible to scratches from other jewelry pieces and dulling of the surface color. For this reason I again recommend pearls be kept in a lined jewelry box or zip locked bag to keep them bright and colorful over time.
- For silver pieces: Argentium Silver is used in my jewelry whenever possible. I hand forge my earring loops and use Argentium silver as it is hypoallergenic and resists tarnishing better then fine or sterling silver. Having said this it is still a good idea to keep your jewelry in a lined jewelry box and to have anti-tarnish strips in the box. I provide an anti-tarnish strip in each zip locked package and have them for sale online. A strip lasts for up to 6 months to help keep your jewelry bright and shiny. If your jewelry has dulled you can clean your jewelry with a jeweler’s cloth (available for purchase online) to help shine them again. I do not recommend using liquids and creams as they are very difficult to get out of wire wrapped crevices and can damage soft gems and pearls.
- Most charms are still made of sterling silver and can be cleaned the same as Argentium silver.
- If you dropped your jewelry in mud, cookie dough or whatever life brings about you can rinse them clean in water. Then pat dry and lay flat to allow the silk thread that I use to dry completely before wearing. Hanging them to dry can cause the thread to stretch from the weight of the stones so please lay flat for 24 hours before wearing. Try not to use detergents or soaps as they can dull/damage soft gemstones and pearls.