JEWELRY CARE

Brass, bronze, and sterling silver will naturally oxidize (turn dark) over time due to the environment and to other factors. Humidity, any form of moisture, and contact with chlorine, shampoo, moisturizers, perfume, oils, and etc. will accelerate the oxidation process.

It is best to remove any jewelry before exercising, sleeping, cleaning, swimming, and any activity that could cause strain and damage. Jewelry is an investment and needs maintenance and care. With cleaning and proper storage, your jewelry will last forever.

Storage

When storing your jewelry, place the piece in the included black cloth pouch or a sealed plastic bag and then place that in an air tight container. This will slow down the oxidation process as well as avoid damage. To prevent scratches or tangling (chains), each piece should be stored in a separate bag. If you store pieces together, group the same metals together to prevent discoloration from oxidation.

Cleaning and Polishing

To prepare any metal piece for polishing, carefully wash it with gentle soap (such as Dawn dish soap) and warm water to remove any oils and then dry the piece with a clean towel or cloth before polishing. If the piece is hollow (such as the pendants on the Baule and Baulita necklaces), do not submerge the piece in water, as it may get trapped inside the piece. Instead, use a damp cloth or tissue with soap and water to wipe the surface.

For sterling silver metal - you can use sterling silver jewelry cleaner or we like using Sunshine Polishing cloths, which have polishing compound embedded in it.

For brass or bronze metal - you can use any metal jewelry cleaner appropriate to the metal type or we like using Sunshine Polishing cloths, which have polishing compound embedded in it.

For gold metal - the beauty of pure gold is that it doesn’t oxidize like other metals. 24 karat gold is the purest form and very soft, so it must be treated carefully. Other karat gold consist of percentages of pure 24 karat gold mixed with other metals to create alloys. This results in a harder metal and produces varying colors (like rose or white gold). To keep a high shine, use a jewelry cleaner created specifically for gold jewelry or we like using Sunshine Polishing cloths, which have polishing compound embedded in it.