Caring for Your Jewellery

My jewellery is built to last, but every piece of jewellery will need a little care now and again, so I have added some helpful tips for storing and cleaning your ‘The Twisted Kitty’ jewellery.

General Jewellery Care

To keep your jewellery looking its best I recommend gentle and regular cleaning with a soft, lint-free cloth. This will help with any natural tarnishing which will happen over time. For best results I would recommend that you clean your jewellery after every use and keep the item in a sealed bag or airtight container (or within the jewellery box I posted your item in if used which has an anti-tarnish velvet box liner) when not being worn.

If you do need/want to clean your jewellery I recommend using a small amount of a mild liquid soap with lukewarm water and use a soft brush like a toothbrush, if the jewellery is very dirty you can leave it to soak for a few minutes before giving it a brush. Rinse with clean water and pat dry with a soft, clean cloth. (Please ensure that you only submerge harder gemstones in water as some of the softer stones like turquoise will get damaged if wet).

Be careful if you decide to use any commercial cleaners that they are safe for gemstone use. Many of them are not and extra care will need to be taken to work around the gemstone if used in my jewellery.

You should also follow these rules:

Remove your jewellery when showering, swimming, using a sauna/steam room or participating in sports - tarnishing can be removed, but some gemstones will never be the same after repeated submerging.
Remove your jewellery when applying perfumes and lotions – it should be the last thing you put on in the morning and the first thing you remove in the evening.
Do not expose your jewellery to household chemicals such as bleach etc. as these can damage the metals and gemstones (if used).
Store your jewellery in an airtight bag, this will reduce the item’s interaction with the air, diminishing the rate of tarnish.
Some of my designs are quite intricate, with my more intricate designs please be careful of snagging on clothes etc. these are wearable art items and are able to be worn but care should be taken.
Make sure you know what you're wearing, some stones are soft, and while I take this into consideration in my designs to allow as much protection as possible, they just aren't as stable as a diamond, sapphire, or quartz. Take into consideration the activities you will be doing while wearing your jewellery.
Keep in mind that designs with exposed crystal points are at an increased risk of cracking when dropped on an edge and extra care should be taken to avoid dropping.
Some stones commonly used in my jewellery such as amethyst, rose quartz, aquamarine etc. will fade if kept in direct sunlight.

Metal Specific Jewellery Care

Sterling Silver and Silver Filled Jewellery:

Sterling silver will tarnish over time but using a silver polishing cloth regularly will prevent the tarnish from forming. Some of my jewellery I add a patina to the final piece, as a patina only affects the top layer of the metal, it will rub off over time with wear, however items which as worn infrequently may develop a darker patina over time. To keep the jewellery looking its best a jewellery cloth can be used to keep the non-patinaed sections from tarnishing.

Sterling silver is 92.5% silver mixed with copper. Sterling silver is hypoallergenic so is suitable for those with sensitive skin.

Silver Plated Jewellery:

The silver plated wire I use is a sterling silver plated over a copper core.

If you wear plated jewellery with other metals and there is potential rubbing (rings next to each other etc.), over time the plating will start to wear off showing the base metal (copper) underneath.

For storage, store jewellery with the same type of plating together, do not mix it with another metal type, doing so would encourage the metals to tarnish.

Copper and Copper Electroformed Jewellery:

Copper jewellery looks beautiful and there are a lot of reasons why people prefer to wear copper over other metals. There are health benefits to wearing copper and it is also a very durable metal, if looked after copper jewellery can last a lifetime.

Copper jewellery will tarnish over time, but you can use a silver polishing cloth regularly to prevent the tarnish from forming. Some of my jewellery I add a patina to the final piece, as a patina only affects the top layer of the metal, it will rub off over time with wear, however items which as worn infrequently may develop a darker patina over time. To keep the jewellery looking its best a jewellery cloth can be used to keep the non-patinaed sections from tarnishing.

For an added clean you can mix equal amounts of baking soda and lemon juice to make a paste and use this with a soft brush (or your fingertips) to rub into the metal. Try and avoid the gemstone(s) if used as it may scratch the stone(s). Rinse off and leave to thoroughly dry.

Copper can leave green stains on your skin if worn a lot. This because of a chemical reaction that occurs when the copper metal comes into contact with your skin and sweat. This creates copper chelates, pure copper cannot be absorbed by the skin but chelates can. Your body will adsorb as much as it needs (if you are copper deficient) and the excess copper chelates that aren’t absorbed are what causes your skin to turn green. This staining is not permanent and can be easily washed away with soap and water. You can also add clear nail varnish to the jewellery where it touches your skin to stop this from happening.

There are a few more considerations when caring for electroformed jewellery.

Avoid bending/excessive force. Electroforming makes pieces a bit more brittle than your average piece of copper jewellery. Adjustable rings and bracelets should never have to be forced.

Rings with copper bands will come finished with renaissance wax sealant applied but if you notice that your ring or finger is becoming discoloured you can coat the inside of the ring with a clear coat of nail polish.

Soft Solder Jewellery:

Soft solder can develop a layer of whitish or greyish oxidation, you can remove this easily with a polishing cloth.

Some of my jewellery I add a patina to the final piece, as a patina only affects the top layer of the metal, it will rub off over time with wear, however items which as worn infrequently may develop a darker patina over time. To keep the jewellery looking its best a jewellery cloth can be used to keep the non-patinaed sections from tarnishing.

There are a few more considerations when caring for soft solder jewellery.

Avoid bending/excessive force. Soft solder pieces may be a bit more brittle than your average piece of silver jewellery. Adjustable rings and bracelets should never have to be forced.