How To Care For Your Jewellery

How To Care For Your Jewellery
So you're a magpie like me and you've just ordered yourself a piece of ALXNDRA jewellery. Or maybe you're thinking about making a purchase? I know what you're wondering, will it be difficult to look after my new fine jewellery? Absolutely not! This post is going to show you just a few simple things you can do to keep your fancy new shiny friends in tip-top condition to help make them last as long as possible.
 
 

What is ALXNDRA Jewellery made of?

Firstly lets start off by explaining what your ALXNDRA jewellery is made of and it's natural properties:
  • All ALXNDRA jewellery is hand-made from recycled solid sterling silver in the UK. 
  • Often they are also available in gold or rose-gold plate.
  • My plated jewellery is made up of a base of solid sterling silver which is then plated with gold or rose-gold.
  • When jewellery is "plated" it refers to the electrochemical process by which a thin layer of gold/rose-gold is deposited on the surface of another metal.

 

What Are the Properties of Silver and Gold?

Silver metal is a soft malleable metal making it perfect for jewellery making. It is subject to oxidation which is a natural process of the metal. Something that can get oxidised means that on exposure to oxygen in the air, silver naturally can turn black or "dirty" on the outside. Don’t worry this is normal and there is nothing wrong with your jewellery, it is just the nature of silver! There are ways of cleaning and combating this which I will get to in a minute.
Gold has many special qualities which make it perfect for manufacturing jewellery. These include; a very high luster; tarnish resistance; ability to be drawn into wires, hammered into sheets, or cast into shapes. Unlike silver gold does not oxidise.
Rose Gold is considered by many to be the most romantic metal due to its pinkish-red color. A complement to all skin tones! Copper is mixed with gold to create this pinky hue making it very durable due to the strength of copper. This also makes rose gold tougher than yellow or white gold. 
 

So How Do I Look After My Jewellery? 

Below are some great and easy tips to help keep your jewellery clean and ready to wear for many years to come.
    • Store your jewellery away when you are not using it.
    As mentioned above silver specifically can easily tarnish through the natural process of oxidisation. So the best thing to slow this down is to keep it away from oxygen when you are not wearing your jewellery. This also helps keep your special pieces dust free. Don't have a jewellery box? No problem! Each piece of ALXNDRA jewellery is packaged with care in it's own recyclable box so you can always keep them safe and clean!

       
      •  Wipe with a cloth before and after wearing your jewellery.

        This can be a towel or a tissue but once again I got your back. All ALXNDRA jewellery also comes with a little polishing cloth to keep your jewellery clean.
        By making a point to do this before and after will make sure any lingering moisture, oils or dust is gone, keeping the silver clean to avoid any irritation of dirt in your piercings the next time you wear them.

       
      • Keep away from skincare products.

        This one is a little difficult to remember but not impossible. Don’t wear your jewellery then apply lotions, perfume or hairspray. It's best to do your usual beauty regime, face lotions, perfume, hairspray (or whatever you use) first and then let all that settle/dry well before you put your jewellery on. Perfume in particular is notorious in wearing down gold/rose-gold plate from your jewellery. So if you want your plated jewellery to last, don't forget this step!

      • Don't go swimming in your jewellery.

      Once again the chemicals and extra moisture can damage or shorten the life of your plated jewellery. Same goes for exercising or using a sauna in your jewellery! It's extremely important to keep unnecessary moisture or chemicals away from your jewellery for a long life.

      • Store silver and gold jewellery separately.

      Gold scratches easily, so keep them in individual soft cloth bags or the original boxes they came in.

      • Use warm water and dishwashing soap to clean.
       
      If your pieces sadly do go a bit dull, filmy, or start to discolour, mix a few drops of mild dishwashing soap with warm water and rub the jewellery with a soft cloth. Rinse in cool water and buff with a cloth until dry. Simple as that.




      • Purchase silver polish as a last resort.
          If for some reason you forgot to store your jewellery in a container for a week+; or you found an old beloved pair you thought you had lost; and washing with soap just isn't doing the trick, the best thing to do now is to buy a jewellery safe silver polishing cleaner. There are many on the market and I can't predict what will be available in different countries but this will do the trick if your jewellery is really tarnished. Don't forget to wear gloves which using silver polish fluids, they're often not too kind to your skin. Also try not to use this every time your jewellery gets a little dirty, especially on plated items as it can wear away the plate if used too often.
          I hope these tips are valuable to you and help you enjoy your jewellery for years to come!
          Thank you for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.
          Much love from Alxndra herself X

              Read more

              Manga Jiman Competition 2019 - 2nd Place!

              Manga Jiman Competition 2019 - 2nd Place!

              Yoyo The Ricecorpse Collab 2022 -Interview with the artist ♥︎

              Yoyo The Ricecorpse Collab 2022 -Interview with the artist ♥︎

              How To Care For Your ALXNDRA Scarves.

              How To Care For Your ALXNDRA Scarves.

              Comments

              Be the first to comment.
              All comments are moderated before being published.