To keep your handcrafted jewelry clean and in good condition, gently wipe off residues and oils with a soft, 100% cotton lint-free cloth after each wearing. Apply perfumes, make-up, hairspray, lotions ect prior to putting on jewelry to prevent damage to softer stones and build-up on your jewelry. The safest method to clean your jewelry is to use a soft bristled brush like a child's toothbrush and a drop of liquid dish soap or hand soap (never use toothpaste or other abrasive cleaner as they may scratch metals).  Rinse and dry thoroughly prior to re-storing.

To help prevent sterling silver from tarnishing, your jewelry has been shipped to you in a plastic zip-lock bag within a soft bag. Storing your jewelry in plastic bags and sealing them when not in use will help retard the tarnishing. Store each piece individually to prevent soft stones and metals from being scratched by harder stones.  Pearls are especially sensitive to acidity and humidity. It is recommended that you wrap pearl pieces in tissue and store directly in a soft bag as moisture can build up in a plastic bag and damage the pearls.

If your jewelry begins to tarnish try soaking your jewelry in warm water with a mild liquid soap for 2-3 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and allow your jewelry to dry completely on a lint-free cloth before re-storing it in your bags. Soaking jewelry that contains soft opaque stones such as opal, coral, fluorite, lapis lazuli, pearls, turquoise, malachite, and onyx, is not recommended. Extended soaking in any solution may harm the polish on the stone. With these soft stones it is preferable to simply wipe the stones down with a little soapy water rather than soaking them. Because they are very porous they absorb liquid and can become discolored by any chemicals - even soap. To remove excessive tarnish from sterling, we recommend a jeweler’s cloth such as a Sunshine Polishing Cloth.  Because several of my jewelry designs incorporate the use of patinas to achieve different colors on metals, an aggressive metal cleaner may do the job too well, removing the patina and changing the overall appearance of the piece.

Always remove your rings and fine jewelry before using any product that contains bleach!  Bleach can cause gold and other metal alloys to breakdown leaving the metal irreparably damaged. This includes swimming pools and bathing in hot tubs as chlorine products are added to prevent bacteria growth.  Always remove your jewelry before using any product that contains bleach or chlorine. These chemicals can cause gold and other metals to break down as well as discolor and damage softer stones. Besides chlorine bleach, denatured alcohol, turpentine, acetone, and ammonia can cause harm.  These chemicals can dull or even pit the surface on softer gemstones.  Petroleum based products can actually "melt" amber if allowed to remain on the stone and they can do significant damage to pearls.  Apatite, chrysocolla and tanzanite are very brittle stones and crack easily. They should be worn with care to avoid broken stones. Daily wear of these stones is not recommended.  Remove jewelry pieces that contain soft stones if you are doing activities that require them to be submerged in liquid for any length of time (i.e. doing dishes, bathing, swimming, etc.).