AFTERCARE
To keep your keepsakes in as good a condition as you possibly can, I'd strongly recommend reading through the below as thoroughly as you can and keeping it to hand if unsure. Damage caused through improper care voids your 8 week repair guarantee. Any further questions, check our FAQ page first, or get in touch to ask for my help.
WHEN TO REMOVE YOUR JEWELLERY
Your jewellery is splashproof, not waterproof. You should remove all jewellery items when submerged in water for any length of time. This includes:
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Washing your hands (soap is an abbrasive and can cause damage)
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Washing dishes
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Bathing
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Showering
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Swimming in any body of water; swimming pool, sea, stream - you name it.
When using any manner of cleaning chemicals - this is particularly important when cleaning as many don't consider this necessary. Cleaning chemicals or soaps of any kind can be extremely damanging to resin and the metal of your jewellery - removing when using cleaning products of any kind is extremely important. I've seen extensive damage to many rings through ignoring this particular rule. Products that may cause damage that you may not consider include:
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Bleach
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Chlorine
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Any cleaning chemicals
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Dish soap
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Shampoos, conditioners, body gels
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Bubble bath
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Perfumes and aftershaves
It is also recommended to remove any jewellery items when sleeping. This prevents items getting caught on clothes and damaged, tarnishing and heat exposure (see below)
HEAT & UV EXPOSURE
Prolonged exposure to UV rays or heat will cause yellowing, discolouration and potentially melt and distort the resin out of shape. In order to prevent this from happening, please be mindful of where you are storing your jewellery items or ornamental keepsakes and where your jewellery is when you may be exposed to heat. For example (based on experience of damage through exposure) -
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Don't store your items on windowsills. This may place it in in direct sunlight, and over time will cause discolouration.
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Take care when cooking! Not an obvious one, but I've had to perform repairs in the past where necklaces have been damaged from a rapid heat blast from the oven.
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Take care when smoking - smoke with your other hand. This is a discolouration risk, too.
OTHER INFORMATION
Tarnishing
If you have a sterling silver jewellery item, for some (not all) people, you may experience some tarnishing of your jewellery. This may make your silver turn slightly black or look dull. This is a direct chemical reaction as the metal reacts with the salts in your skin. I'm one of the unlucky ones that has this reaction with literally any sterling silver jewellery I wear - but thankfully, it's an easy fix.
All my items are sent with a silver polishing cloth. Use this at any sign of tarnishing and vigorously rub (buh dum dum!) until your silver has returned to its original state. This can be repeated as many times as is necessary.
Sterling silver plated jewellery
Plating is a thin layer of gold, rose gold or black rhodium dipped and plated over a sterling silver base. Over time, this plating will wear back to its original silver state. Its unpreventable, unavoidable and how quickly this happens varies person to person. For some it may take a year, for others just a few weeks.
I would strongly recommend not ordering plated jewellery if you are not prepared for it to wear back to it's original silver state over time. Some items are available in 9ct or 14ct gold, which will keep your pieces in it's original coloured state - you can find all these available items under our Precious Collection page.