Caring for Your Handmade Jewellery and Related Information

Caring for your jewellery

I hope you will be pleased with your handmade jewellery; this is a guide to caring for your purchase; treating jewellery with love and care will ensure years of years of trouble free wear.

View your handmade, antique or vintage jewellery as an heirloom piece - treat it gently and you may be able to pass it on to future generations.

Sterling silver may tarnish over time - never use a silver dip on handmade jewellery as this will immerse not only your silver but also any stones, pearls, glass or leather; please only use a soft silver or gold cleaning cloth to clean precious metal jewellery; with other metals or leather you can use just a soft lint-free cloth.

Do not use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean your handmade jewellery.

Of all the 'ingredients' in handmade jewellery, pearls and freshwater pearls are perhaps some of the most delicate - clean these with a soft cloth only; pearls tend to flourish and bloom when they are worn frequently - they need the oils from your skin to nourish them and keep them 'living' - if they are not worn, they may lose their lustre - wear them, enjoy them, and they will tend to look after themselves.

Don't soak you jewellery in water - this will damage pearls and gemstones; in the case of porous gemstones like lapis lazuli, turquoise or coral (for instance) the water may penetrate and damage the stone; with pearls it may take off layers of nacre and sheen.

Do not shower, sunbathe or swim or use the jacuzzi whilst wearing any jewellery - chemicals or salt will cause damage - I do not recommend it is subjected to strenuous activities, for example, such as exercise or gardening as it may snag and break.

Where possible, store your jewellery in the tissue paper inside the box or the pouch it arrived in; if it looks grubby at all, wipe it with a soft cloth before storing it.

Apply perfume, hairspray, and lotion before wearing jewellery - put it on once your potion, lotion, cream or perfume has dried; this will ensure that you do not damage pearls or gemstones.

My handmade jewellery on SLC Designs is primarily either wired, strung on Beadalon Professional or Acculon, Leather or Silk; I make pieces to be durable and wearable, but please note that in the case of jewellery strung on silk, this takes on oils from your body and also may stretch over time; eventually it may need to be replaced; the reason that silk is knotted in between each bead is so that if it does break, you only lose one pearl or bead; it is a great thread to use for pearls or colour contrast or small gemstones, but it will not last for ever.

Whilst the glass I use in my pieces has been annealed in a kiln, it is still glass - if it is dropped or banged then the glass may break.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask me on stephanie@slcdesigns.co.uk

Kind regards

Stephanie

All Content, Design, Text and Photographs Copyright Stephanie Lewis-Cooper, SLC Designs™, 2002-2008