Caring for your Copper Jewelry

To clean and remove tarnish, lightly buff with a polishing pad or “Sunshine Cloth.”

Preserve the metal by applying a thin coat of olive oil or Renaissance Wax. Rub a small amount onto the jewelry and buff with a clean cloth. Polish and reapply as needed, and always store in a dry place.

Try not to wear your jewelry in the shower, bath, or ocean. If this happens, dry it immediately and apply a light coat of oil or Renaissance wax.

Caring for your Bronze Jewelry

To clean and remove tarnish, lightly buff with a polishing pad or “Sunshine Cloth.”

Preserve the metal by applying a thin coat of olive oil or Renaissance Wax. Rub a small amount onto the jewelry and buff with a clean cloth. Polish and reapply as needed, and always store in a dry place.

Try not to wear your jewelry in the shower, bath, or ocean. If this happens, dry it immediately and apply a light coat of oil or Renaissance wax.

Caring for your Aluminum Jewelry

Since aluminum doesn’t tarnish like more traditional jewelry metals, your aluminum jewelry should only require light buffing with a soft cotton cloth or polishing pad like a “Sunshine Cloth” to help remove any dirt or finger prints.  Easy! 

Aluminum – What is it?

Aluminum is the most abundant metal on Earth, boasting a unique set of valuable properties. It’s one of the lightest metals available, nearly three times lighter than iron, yet it is also incredibly strong, highly flexible, and corrosion resistant due to the fact that its surface is always covered in an extremely thin and yet very strong layer of oxide film.

Additionally, aluminum is highly recyclable. It can be melted down and reused repeatedly without losing any of its mechanical qualities.

Caring for your Sterling Silver Jewelry

Silver is a very soft metal and can be scratched if you aren’t careful. Store in a dry place and clean with 100% cotton or special sterling silver cleaning cloth, like the “Sunshine Cloth”, to remove any fingerprints or tarnish. If your artwear has patina (intentional coloration or darkening of the metal) avoid dips and liquid cleaners as well as polishing with anything abrasive or aggressively polishing in the recesses of the piece as this can remove the patina. Gently buff the easily accessible parts- the shiny silver elements- and that’s it. The beauty of patina is that it creates an aged effect that accentuates the highlights and lowlights of a piece and it is designed to change over time.

Patina

Patina is the intentional coloration or darkening of sterling silver. We use patina to match sterling silver earwires and chain to steel on steel jewelry pieces.  If your artwear has patina, avoid dips and liquid cleaners as well as polishing with anything abrasive or aggressively polishing in the recesses of the piece as this can remove the patina.  Gently buff the easily accessible parts- the shiny silver elements- and that’s it.  The beauty of patina is that it creates an aged effect that accentuates the highlights and lowlights of a piece and it is designed to change over time.

Sterling Silver – What is it?

An alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper.

Caring for your Gold Filled Jewelry

Handling your gold-filled jewelry properly is essential to maintaining its good look and its bright finish.  When stored in a dry place, tarnishing elements act very slowly and your piece should require only light buffing with a soft cloth or polishing pad like a “Sunshine Cloth.”

14k Gold Fill – What is it?

Gold-filled material is made by heat and pressure bonding a thin layer of 14 karat gold to a brass core.

“14/20” gold-filled material is made with 14-karat gold and the gold represents 1/20th (or 5%) of the total weight of the material.