🚫 What to Avoid
"Normal wear" is gentler than you think. To keep your pieces pristine, remove jewelry before:
Housework & Chemicals: Cleaning supplies and swimming pool chlorine are enemies of fine metal.
Physical Activity: Especially sports requiring helmets, which can snag and damage earrings.
Personal Care: Always apply hairspray, perfume, and makeup before putting on your jewelry.
🏠 Proper Storage
The Golden Rule: Store in a closed jewelry box or a zip-lock bag to prevent dust and tarnish.
Scratch Prevention: Wrap pieces individually in a soft cloth.
Gentle Handling: Never "toss" jewelry into a purse or box; place it down with care.
🧼 Cleaning by Material
Different materials require different levels of "tough love."
Pearls - clean with a damp soft cloth mild soap/warm water if needed. Never use detergents, bleach, or brushes.
Gems & Stones - Wipe with a damp cloth. Never use chemical dips, ionic cleaners or acidic cleaners (like ketchup)
Beads & Crystals - Lukewarm soapy water; rinse thoroughly. Never usehot water or solvents.
Copper & Brass - polishing cloth or the Ketchup Method (for metal-only pieces).
The Ketchup Hack: For large copper or brass pieces without stones, coat them in ketchup or tomato sauce for a few minutes, rinse with cool water, and pat dry. The acidity strips the tarnish right off!
🧪 Understanding Metals & Patina
The "Green" Effect: Copper, brass, and bronze naturally oxidize. Depending on your body chemistry and local humidity, copper may leave a green mark on your skin—don't panic, it washes off with soap!
Natural Aging: Sterling silver and copper alloys will darken over time. Many people love this "antique" look, but a polishing cloth will bring back the original shine.
🛡️ Protective Coatings
If your piece has a Renaissance Wax or sealant finish, it will eventually wear off. You can maintain the shine by:
Polishing the metal back to your preferred brightness.
Resealing with a tiny amount of Beeswax (natural) or an automotive wax like Turtle Wax (industrial) using a soft cotton cloth.
Metals & Finishes
Antiqued / Aged Metal: New metal treated to look old by darkening and oxidizing the surface.
Argentium Silver: A premium, tarnish-resistant silver made with recycled metal. It is purer than sterling (93.5 vs 92.5).
Standard Sterling Silver: The industry standard, containing 92.5 silver and 7.5 other metals (usually copper).
Fine Silver: 99.9 pure silver. It is softer than sterling and tarnishes more slowly.
Karen Hill Tribe Silver: 99.9 fine silver handcrafted by artisans in Northern Thailand.
Gold Filled: A thick layer of gold bonded to a brass core. It contains at least 5% gold by weight, making it much more durable than plating.
Gold Plating: A very thin layer of gold over base metal. It provides the look of gold but can wear away over time.
Brass: A strong alloy of copper and zinc. My pieces use lead-and nickel-free plating.
Jeweler’s Brass: Also called "Merlin’s Gold," this alloy has a warm, 14K-gold color.
Bronze: A warm-toned alloy made of 82% copper and 10% tin.
Copper: A classic metal known for its reddish hue. It will develop a natural patina over time unless coated.
Pewter: A modern, lead-free alloy of tin, copper, and antimony.
Glass & Crystal
Crystal: Glass with added lead (10-24%), which makes it heavier, brighter, and more reflective than standard glass. Note: Not for ingestion; keep away from children/pets.
Swarovski Crystal: Globally recognized as the finest, most brilliant crystal and faux pearls available.
Czech Glass: Handcrafted glass beads produced by small cottage industries in Bohemia, continuing centuries of tradition.
Lampworking: The art of melting and shaping glass rods using a torch flame.
Terminology
Vintage: Authentic items (beads or metal) that are no longer manufactured, often dating from the 1920s–1950s. They are highly collectible and cherished because of rarity and/or because of the condition and used a lot in fashion jewelry designs.
Retro: New items designed to look like they are from a previous era.