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Material Information / Cleaning

It is always important to consider how to care for your jewelry when made from various materials I work with. See the chart below for specific directions by metal type. All materials retain their luster better when stored in an air tight container when not in use. It is never a good idea to swim in a chlorinated pool while wearing jewelry. Most materials tend to tarnish very quickly in chlorine. It's also very easy to lose an item while swimming.

 

I polish all my jewelry in a tumbler for several hours before shipping, to ensure you receive the best looking piece on your doorstep. Tumbling helps to remove skin oils and dirt that may have been picked up while the piece was being made.

 

If you have any metal allergies, please let me know and I will work with you to find something you love that you can wear. I recently met a woman who was allergic to Aluminum, Silver, and Nickel, and we found a hypoallergenic semiprecious metal called Niobium!


Sterling Silver  Like any silver piece, this will tarnish over time due to the acidity of environment and your skin. Any silver cleaner will bring back the shine of silver jewelry. For my intricate pieces, I recommend a liquid dip which can reach all around the rings.
Argentium Silver This is the same amount of silver as in sterling silver (92.5%), but with some of the copper replaced by Germanium, making this more tarnish resistant than standard sterling silver. The cleaning is the same as with sterling silver.
14/20 Gold Fill
and Rose Gold Fill
A layer of 14k gold is pressed over a layer of copper, because the layer of gold is thick (5%) the gold wears off very slowly and pieces in this material tend to last for many years. Clean with detergent free dish soap and warm water, a toothbrush works well to reach the insides of the rings.
Aluminum Pieces made from aluminum will pick up oils and dirt over time. They can be cleaned with detergent free soap and water to remove dirt. Never use polishing creams on colored aluminum pieces, this will remove the outer anodized layer. I have also found that keeping a piece of aluminum jewelry in a jeans pocket for a few days while wearing them will help to clean some of the oils and dirt form the piece.
Brass Brass contains copper on the outer layer, beware this may cause skin to turn green for a short time. Cleaning brass is simple; submerge brass jewelry in any brass cleaner such as Brasso