How to Care for your Jewelry

PLEASE READ BEFORE HANDLING YOUR JEWELRY 

All of my jewelry is hand made and designed to provide you with a lasting piece of lovely jewelry.  However, twisting or pulling too vigorously on the links can result in twisted or broken wires.  Many of my necklaces I have designed specifically to be circular (so they lie flat around your neck) – you do not want to hang them or pull at them.  If the links are catching simply place the necklace on a flat surface in a circular fashion and gently uncoil the problem area.  With a girdle or bodice jewelry, you can gently shake out any wire that is coiled or catching on a setting or bead.  If gentle shaking does not remedy the problem, place on a flat surface and gently untwist the problem area.  However, please, do not pull at a problem area too aggressively as your links will stretch and separate.

Should any of your links start to separate, use a needle nose pliers and gently tighten the connection.  If you are not comfortable with this, usually a local bead shop will be happy to help you or you can send it back to me for adjustments. 

I recommend washing your jewelry in a gentle solution of warm water and mild soap after each use to remove dirt and skin oil that promotes tarnishing.  Gently pat your jewelry dry with a soft towel to move the extra water and then allow them to air-dry completely before you store them in plastic to avoid tarnishing.  Tarnishing is going to happen so make sure you keep your pieces clean and stored in plastic.  If you have a particular body chemistry that tends to tarnish metals at a faster rate I have found that applying a tin coat of clear acrylic nail polish really helps.  If your pieces do tarnish, you can use a brass or silver polish and following the manufactures instructions polish the affected areas and then apply the clear acrylic nail polish.

Although I use the same adhesive as the major jewelers, over time the adhesive can become degraded.  So remember to check your stones on a regular basis and if one is loose, you can use a bead glue that can be found in your local craft store called Aleens 6000.

If the jewelry you purchased is made from settings that have prongs holding your jewels in place – it is good to check the prongs on a regular basis so your stones don't come out! 

With minimal attention to storing and handling, you can enjoy these lovely pieces for years.