Jewelry Care
General Care Instructions
Please avoid harsh chemical jewelry cleaners since these can wear on the artistic finishes as well as the stones, sea glass and sea shells.
To clean your jewelry, mix a small amount of baking soda with some water. With a "retired" soft toothbrush lightly scrub in circular motions, then rinse with water and dry gently with a soft cloth.
Avoid scrubbing stones and oxidized metals, and if cleaning a piece with turquoise (or other soft stones) please be extra gentle as turquoise is a porous stone. Always try to avoid submerging turquoise, opal and other sensitive stones in water and oils.
Take care to apply skin care products before putting on your jewelry as these may alter the original color of the stones and alter the finish or cause tarnish to occur on metals.
Sea Glass
Please keep these creations relatively dry. If your piece does get submerged in water please take care to allow for proper drying. This could be by placing face down on a paper towel in a sunny window or even intentional drying out with the low heat of a hair dryer. The goal is to keep water from causing mold growth below the translucent stone/sea glass that may cloud it's original beauty.
Another thing to consider about sea glass jewelry is that sea glass is made of glass. I know that sounds obvious but please be gentle with your sea glass creations and be sure not to whack or drop - this is more applicable for larger creations with bigger pieces of sea glass.
Gemstones
It is mentioned above but please be extra gentle when cleaning a piece with turquoise, opal and other sensitive stones.
For rare, natural turquoise it is best to avoid completely submerging the piece in water. Rather, use a damp paper towel or a soft cloth. If you have any questions about cleaning your pieces please feel free to ask.
Some stones are also light sensitive such as larimar. It is good practice to store your jewels out of direct sunlight and treat like wearable art.
14 Karat Gold Filled
Gold filled is durable and with proper care will last a lifetime. It is much different from gold plating. Gold plating is a thin layer of gold that wears off very quickly. True gold filled is comprised of a thick layer of gold bonded to a base metal (usually brass).
As with all of my creations, I do advise you to take special care with your gold filled jewelry to keep it in best condition. Even though gold filled (and sterling silver and even pure gold) can be worn in the ocean and swimming in pools, it is still best practice to remove it before partaking in these activities as well as anything rough or high contact including any interaction with harsh chemicals.
I recommend using the BLUE Sunshine polishing cloths for your gold filled jewelry as they will provide beautiful luster and a more gentle experience while polishing your treasures.
Special Finishes
Any patina finish may fade in time. This is natural. Oxidized silver finishes may change in color and will react differently from person to person depending on the amount of wear, sweat, moisturizing products, etc.
Storing Your Jewelry
For ultimate preservation of your jewelry it is good to take special care when storing, especially if you live near the ocean (lucky!).
Adhere to general maintenance tips and if you want to keep a piece shiny for the next time you wear it, you can give it a gentle polish with a jewlery polishing cloth then store in a ziplock bag. There are also such things as anti tarnish strips. I like the Sunshine polishing cloths.
Final Words...
By being gentle and mindful in caring for your jewelry, it will last a very long time (maybe even forever!) and will always look good on you.