Jewelry Care
Caring for Sterling Silver
Like fine silver, sterling silver does tarnish over time. Exposure to chemicals can affect the appearance on silver (like hand sanitizer, pool chlorine, some soaps, etc.). It is not recommended to wear sterling silver jewelry while bathing or swimming for this reason. If it tarnishes, sterling silver jewelry can be cleaned with cleaning cloths or solutions that are labeled as being safe for silver. Cleaning sterling silver can also remove oxidized patina applied to the piece, so use caution when cleaning if there is desired oxidized patina. If your jewelry has stones in it, please only use with a cleaner that is labeled as safe for stones as any other cleaner could potentially damage them.
Caring for Oxidized Sterling Silver
Oxidation is a a process which creates the blackened or antiqued appearance on silver. Oxidized patina on silver isn't particularly durable to long-term exposure to water (like bathing or swimming) or a lot of scrubbing, as friction is the way to polish silver to shine. Constant exposure to tasks such as hand washing, bathing, swimming, washing dishes, etc., will slowly wear away the oxidized patina leaving a shiny silver finish as silver can be polished by both friction and chemical means. Cleaning sterling silver can also remove oxidized patina applied to the piece, so use caution when cleaning if there is desired oxidized patina. If your jewelry has stones in it, please only use with a cleaner that is labeled as safe for stones as any other cleaner could potentially damage them.
Caring for Pearls
The outer layer of pearls (the nacre) is very sensitive to chemicals. Do not expose them to chemicals, including chlorine, perfumes, soaps, etc. Do not wear them while swimming or bathing due to the chemicals present in the water. Store pearls away from objects that may scratch them. Do not store pearls in airtight packaging; pearls are created in water and can crack if the environment they are stored in is too dry. Only clean pearls with solutions labeled as safe for pearls.