Jewelry Care

My work is made by hand. And since I am human, it will have slight variations and imperfections. These are the signs of the hands that made them.

The care and treatment of your jewelry will determine its lifespan. 

Please do not swim or bathe in your jewelry. (Hot tubs are terrible)

Avoid lotions, cosmetics and cleaning products while wearing your jewelry. (Bleach is also terrible)

All manner of chemicals can affect the metal or stones. This is not always able to be corrected. 

Jewelry should be the last thing on and the first thing off. (This little rule saves so many mistakes from happening)

I use mostly sterling silver in my work. Sterling is an alloy containing 92.5% Silver and 7.5% Copper. It darkens or oxidizes over time. I intentionally oxidize parts of my work in order to achieve contrast. Harsh jewelry cleaners will strip off this finish. If you want to clean your jewelry, I always recommend good old warm water and dish soap. An old soft toothbrush is perfect for this application. Dry with a soft towel and store in an airtight container. The ziplock bag and anti-tarnish square your piece came in is ideal! 

Alternatively, there is a Sunshine Polishing cloth you can buy (pretty cheap on that giant online website that begins with an A) that has some cleaner embedded in the material. You can take this to the high points, or the bright silver spots to remove tarnish, taking care to avoid any darkened patinaed areas or stones! I would use this sparingly.