Care
Because I often use nontraditional materials in my work, please care for and wear your art jewelry gently and follow the following instruction to ensure your piece remains beautiful for years to come.
For all of my jewelry, please follow these basic instructions:
- Do not swim, shower, or bathe while wearing my jewelry
- Do not submerge in liquids or solvents, or use chemical, ultrasonic, or abrasive jewelry cleaners
- Avoid exposure to lotions and household cleaning products
- Exposing my jewelry to cleaning chemicals that contain bleach can create dark spots in silver that must be professionally removed
- Please fasten necklace hook closures securely
CARE FOR JEWELER'S BRASS
Many of my collections feature a warm golden metal alloy called jeweler's brass. This alloy of 85% copper and 15% zinc is often used in the jewelry industry for its warmth and golden glow similar in color to 14k gold. It is sometimes also called red brass, Merlin's gold, and Nugold.
If I have included a gray polishing paper with your purchase, you can use this to remove naturally occurring tarnish on my brass jewelry. To use the polishing paper, fold it two or three times to create a small square, and lightly rub the metal in small, tight circles, taking cake care to avoid any gem stones, enamel, or polymer clay. This small swatch of special paper will provide many polishes, even after it appears dirty. If the brass in your piece is etched or engraved, note that aggressive or frequent cleaning can diminish the visibility of the inscription over time. This piece of polishing paper can be used dozens if not hundreds of times.
Some people who are especially sensitive to copper may experience temporary, harmless skin discoloration from prolonged contact with brass due to their particular skin acidity. If your skin reacts to copper or if this is a concern for you, I recommend purchasing my work that is created in sterling and fine silver.
I sometimes seal my brass jewelry with a skin safe lacquer to prevent tarnish and discoloration from exposure to the air, sweat, and body oil. Do not attempt to polish sealed brass as it will damage the clarity of the lacquer and cause it to turn cloudy.
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CARE FOR VITREOUS ENAMELS
Please care for and wear your enameled jewelry gently. Enameled jewelry is glass fused to metal. It is more durable than you might think, but a drop or sudden impact with a hard surface can cause your piece to chip or become damaged. Store enameled jewelry in a cloth bag, poly bag, or wrapped in acid-free tissue separately from other objects.
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CARE FOR SILVER
Avoid contact with lotions and perfumes. Store in an airtight environment if possible (such as a small polypropylene zip top bag) or anti-tarnish pouch to supress tarnishing. Exposure to cleaning chemical, especially products that contain bleach, can create dark spots in silver that must be professionally removed.
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CARE FOR STONES
Do not swim, shower or bathe when wearing a piece with a precioous or semi precious stone. Do not use abrasives, scrub pads, jewelry cleaning cloths or jewelry cleaning chemicals as this can damage the stone. Avoid exposing the stone to lotions and perfumes as this can permanently and undesirably alter the appearance of some stones. Do not submerge in a tumbler or ultrasonic jewelry cleaning device. If removing silver tarnish from the setting, use a Sunshine cloth on the metal only and take care not to allow the Sunshine cloth to contact the enamel; Sunshine cloths contain fine abrasives which can scratch and cloud enamel.
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If you have care questions about your particular jewelry piece, please email me at teresa [at] silverpoet.com.