While general jewellery care is something many may be familiar with, we at Made In Earth are insistent that our handcrafted, gemstone jewellery receives extra attention to detail when it comes to the aftercare and preservation of your beautiful pieces.
Luckily, we have outlined the best way for you to look after your jewellery in this detailed and educational blog...Check out the do's and don'ts of Jewellery care!
Moisture & chemicals
For all jewellery, it is best to avoid contact with any moisture, be it steam, water, cleaning chemicals, make up, or perfumes. With the range of chemicals in these products, like bleach; they can damage the silver of your piece and the results may be permanent and irreversible. When showering, we recommend removing your jewellery and placing its on a soft cloth outside of the bathroom so to avoid moisture exposure.
Polishing & tarnish build-up
For 925 Sterling Silver, a soft polishing cloth is the best way to remove surface build-up on your jewellery. And when not being worn, your jewellery should be kept in a safe, dry environment such as a jewellery box or pouch. When purchasing from us, we include a special cloth for your jewellery with every order. Made fro 100% cotton and impregnated with cleaner agent/anti-tarnish, they are they best way to polish and maintain your gemstone jewellery. This cloth remains effective so long as it is not washed. Follow these steps for many years of wearing pleasure!
Property specific maintenance (soft, fossil, water or iron rich, etc)
+ Raw, Druzy & Soft Stones - These particular stones are in their natural state and are not polished. With an often crystalline texture or low level of hardness, they can be prone to scratching/chipping so extra care must be taken when being worn. Their rough nature can also lead to a greater dust build-up so polishing the jewellery with your MIE provided cloth will aid in keeping it clean.
+ Metallic/sub-metallic or Iron rich - Gems such as pyrite & meteorite are an example of metallic/sub-metallic stones, meaning they contain high amounts of iron. As such, they can be prone to rusting or discolouration if not cared for properly, so please take extra caution! All meteorite stones at our Gallery have been protected with a special barrier coating to aid in their maintenance, but to ensure this coating remains on the gems, it is still important to avoid contact with moisture!
+ High water % stones - Stones such as Opal with a water composition of 2-20% are best stored in a sealed plastic or jewellery pouch with a damp cotton ball so to prevent dehydration of the stone. The reason for this is; while these types of stones are generally stable, heat or sudden temperature changes can cause fracture lines known as 'crazing' as well as some colour loss. Stones with such water content are best cleaned using a damp cloth, but be sure never to soak the stone!
+ Fossils - While all our stones deserve attention to care, it is no surprise that fossils, given their unique and fragile formation process over millions of years, require a delicate touch. Comprised of many various minerals, fossils are delicate and often porous with varying hardness depending on their mineral composition. Extra care must be taken during wear to avoid scratching and chipping, and when cleaning; we recommend a dry polishing (avoiding moisture) of your 100% cotton cloth, so to maintain the beauty of the piece.
