Brass is made from an alloy of copper and zinc.

Care Instructions for your BRASS jewelry

• Gentle Cleaning: Clean your brass pieces with a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda or a mild soap. Use a soft cloth to gently scrub and remove any dirt or tarnish.

• Use a Polish Cloth: Similarly to silver, brass will naturally patina and age overtime. You can use the same silver polishing cloth that you would use for your silver jewelry to polish it back to a shining gold color.

• Brass should stay shiny when you wear your pieces often, as the oil from your skin will keep the brass protected from oxidization.

• Dry Completely: After cleaning, make sure to dry your brass jewelry thoroughly with a soft cloth to prevent water spots and further tarnishing.

• Proper Storage: Store your brass jewelry in a cool, dry place, preferably in a sealed plastic bag or an anti-tarnish pouch to minimize exposure to air and moisture.

• Extra Note: Depending on your body chemistry, brass can also leave black or green colored marks on your skin. Luckily, these marks are harmless and are caused by the copper content in the metal. You can coat the inside with clear nail polish to help create a protective layer between the metal and your skin.

  Click here to read my article about brass on Substack.
  

Sterling silver is an alloy made up of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, like copper and zinc, to enhance its strength and durability.

Care Instructions for your sterling silver jewelry:

• Avoid Exposure to Harsh Chemicals: Keep your jewelry away from household cleaning agents, chlorine, and saltwater, which can cause erosion and tarnishing.

• Regular Cleaning: Clean your sterling silver pieces with a soft cloth and mild soap in warm water. Avoid abrasive cleaners, that can scratch the surface.

• Use a Polishing Cloth: Silver will naturally tarnish overtime, so you can use a silver polishing cloth designed specifically for sterling silver to polish it back up.

• If you are constantly wearing your silver pieces they won’t tarnish as quickly, due to the natural oils from your skin.

• Proper Storage: Store your sterling silver jewelry in a dry, cool place, preferably in an anti-tarnish pouch or a lined jewelry box to prevent scratching and oxidation.

Gold-filled jewelry consists of a solid layer of gold, bonded to a base metal, typically brass or bronze. This layer makes up at least 5% of the jewelry's total weight, ensuring durability and longevity.

With proper care, gold-filled jewelry can last anywhere from several years to decades. However, factors such as exposure to moisture, chemicals, and abrasion can affect its longevity.

Care Instructions for your gold-filled jewelry

• Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Keep your pieces away from cleaning agents, chlorine, and saltwater, which can damage the gold layer.

• Gentle Cleaning: Use warm water and a mild soap and wash between your fingers.

• Dry Thoroughly: After cleaning, pat dry with a soft cloth. Avoid using paper towels, which can scratch the surface.

• Proper Storage: Store your gold-filled pieces in a dry place, ideally in a jewelry box or pouch to prevent scratches and tangling.

Gold is forever. It’s one of the only metals on our planet that does not fade. 14kt gold is the most popular karat for jewelry, meaning that it is alloyed with other metals like copper and silver to make it stronger and more scratch resistant.

Care Instructions for your 14kt SOLID gold jewelry

• Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Keep your jewelry away from household cleaning agents, chlorine, and cosmetics as these types of chemicals will slowly eat away at the metal and can ultimately damage it.

• Regular Cleaning: Clean your gold pieces with a mild soap and warm water. Gently scrub with a soft toothbrush to remove any dirt or residues.

• Dry Thoroughly: After cleaning, pat your jewelry dry with a soft, lint-free cloth. Avoid using paper towels, which can scratch the surface.

• Proper Storage: Store your gold jewelry in a soft pouch or lined jewelry box to prevent scratches and minimize exposure to air, which can dull its shine.

Just because gold is a forever element, doesn’t mean that it’s indestructible. Please remove your gold jewelry if you are doing any heavy lifting or more extreme activities, like high-contact sports that might put unnecessary strain on your jewelry.

Please note that everyone’s body chemistry is different, and some gold alloys may react differently on skin, in rare cases causing harmless green or blackish marks to appear where the jewelry is being worn.

While it’s a common belief that gold never tarnishes, this isn’t entirely true. Most gold used in jewelry is alloyed with other metals (14kt, 18kt, 22kt) to increase its strength and durability, and these other metals can react and cause slight tarnishing over time. While it's not very common, it can happen under certain conditions. Thankfully, tarnish is typically easy to remove with a simple polishing cloth or by having the piece professionally cleaned.

Pearls are relatively soft, so be sure to take them off when doing any heavy lifting, or other work with your hands.

• Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Pearls are sensitive to acids and chemicals found in cosmetics, perfumes, and cleaning agents, so apply these before putting them on.

• Avoid Submerging in Water for Extended Periods of Time: Be sure to take them off while showering or swimming in pools and the ocean. 

• Gentle Cleaning: You can clean them with a soft, damp cloth after each wear to remove any residues. For a deeper clean, use a mild soap and lukewarm water, but avoid soaking them.

• Dry Thoroughly: After cleaning, let them air dry completely before storing them. Avoid using hair dryers or direct heat sources, which can damage them.

• Proper Storage: Store in a soft pouch or a lined jewelry box to prevent scratches. Keep them away from other jewelry pieces that might rub against and damage them.

• Wear Often: Pearls love the natural oil from our skin, so wear them often to maintain a lovely glow.

Topaz has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, making it a durable gemstone.

Care Instructions for Topaz:

• Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Topaz stones are sensitive to harsh chemicals found in cleaning agents, cosmetics, and perfumes. Remove your topaz jewelry before applying lotions or sprays to prevent damage.

• Gentle Cleaning: You can clean it regularly with a soft, lint-free cloth dampened with mild soap and warm water. Avoid using abrasive materials or harsh cleaners that can scratch or dull the stone's surface.

• Avoid Extreme Temperatures: Avoid exposing it to direct sunlight or extreme heat for prolonged periods.

• Proper Storage: Store in a soft pouch or a lined jewelry box, and avoid storing with other pieces that may rub against or scratch the stones.

Garnet has a hardness of 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, meaning it’s a relatively hard and durable stone.

Care Instructions for Garnet:

• Same as topaz, moonstone & citrine.

Moonstone has a Mohs hardness of around 6 to 6.5. While it’s not as hard as some other gemstones like diamonds or sapphires, it is still durable enough for everyday wear.

Care Instructions for Moonstone:

• Same as topaz, garnet & citrine.

Citrine has a Mohs hardness of 7, making it a fairly durable gemstone.

Care Instructions for Citrine:

• Same as topaz, garnet & moonstone.