Caring for your jewelry

Every piece is made by hand in Miami from everyday materials — steel, laminate gold, glass, wood, pearl, stone. None of it needs fussing over, but a few small habits will keep it looking the way it did in the box. The short version: put it on last, take it off first, keep it dry, and store it in its pouch.

Everyday care

Jewelry goes on last and comes off first. Dress, do your hair, put on perfume and lotion, let them dry — then the jewelry. At night, take it off before you wash your face. Sleeping in a piece bends chains, stretches elastic and grinds facets against the pillow.

Give it a quick wipe with a soft, dry cloth when you take it off. That one habit removes most of the skin oil, sweat and residue that would otherwise dull it overnight.

Water and sweat

Take jewelry off before the shower, the pool, the beach and the gym. Chlorine and salt attack every metal finish, sweat is mildly acidic, and the cord or elastic inside a beaded piece holds moisture long after the outside looks dry.

Stainless steelis the most forgiving: a rinse and a dry after a swim is all it asks.Gold-filledhandles incidental water — washing your hands is fine — but not the pool or the sea. If anything else gets wet, dry it right away with a cloth and let it finish drying in the air before it goes back in the pouch.

Perfume, lotion and hairspray

These are the quiet culprits. Alcohol and oils dull metal finishes, wear down laminate gold, cloud crystal and soak into pearls and wood. Apply them first, let them dry, then put your jewelry on. When you reapply during the day, take the jewelry off or shield it with your hand.

Cleaning

A soft, dry cloth is the right tool for almost everything she makes. For steel, gold-filled and silver, a drop of mild dish soap in warm water and a soft cloth works too — dry the piece fully afterwards.

No jewelry dips, ultrasonic cleaners, steam or toothpaste. They are made for solid gold and strip laminate, cloud crystal and damage pearls and wood.
No polishing cloths on laminate gold or on silver-plated pieces — the polish is abrasive and removes the plating. A polishing cloth is only for silver you know to be solid; when in doubt, a soft cloth is the safe choice.
Never soak a beaded or strung piece. Wipe the beads and keep the string dry.

The section for your piece's material below says exactly what is safe for it.

Storage

Dry, dark and separate. Keep each piece in its own pouch or a lined compartment so metal does not scratch crystal, pearl or softer stone. Lay chains and beaded pieces flat rather than hanging them, so the cord is never under tension. Avoid the bathroom — humidity is what tarnishes silver and creeps into wood.

Silver in particular likes a closed pouch or a small zip bag. Pearls like a soft pouch but not an airtight one.

What changes with wear

Handmade pieces live a little. Small variations in finish and size between pieces are the mark of the maker, not a flaw, and every material ages in its own way:

Gold laminate softens in colour and thins with daily wear. That is the nature of a thin layer, not a defect.
Silver darkens with air and skin; a polishing cloth brings it back whenever you like.
Stainless steel does not tarnish or change colour. It may pick up fine surface scratches.
Wood deepens into a patina from your hands.
Elastic on a beaded bracelet relaxes over a year or two of daily wear; the beads are fine, the string can be replaced.

If a piece needs help

It arrived damaged: Send us a photo within 7 days of delivery and we will repair or replace it. Details are in theshipping policy.
It is not right for you: Email us within 21 days of delivery for a free return label or a sizing exchange — a different chain length, for example. From day 22 through day 30 a return is accepted as store credit for the item price. After day 30, sales are final. Thereturns policyhas the conditions.
A clasp failed, a strand stretched, a stone came loose: Tell us through thecustom orders formand choose “Remake or repair a piece I have”. Describe what happened and, if you can, attach a photo by reply. The returns policy explains what is repaired free and what is repaired at cost.

Anything else: [email protected]

By material

The product page for each piece says what it is made of and links to its section here.

Gold laminate

A layer of gold bonded over a base metal — what most people call gold-plated. It gives the colour of gold at a fraction of the price, and the layer is thin, so how you treat it decides how long it lasts.

Put it on last, after perfume, lotion, sunscreen and hairspray have dried.
Take it off before showering, swimming, the gym and washing dishes.
Wipe with a soft, dry cloth after wearing. Skip polishing cloths and pastes — they are abrasive and take the gold layer with them.
Store it dry, on its own, in the pouch it came in.

What changes with wear: The gold layer softens and thins with wear, and eventually the base metal shows through. That is normal for laminate, not a defect — a piece worn daily will show it sooner than one saved for occasions.

18k gold-filled

Gold-filled carries a far thicker gold layer than laminate, pressure-bonded to a base metal. It is made for everyday wear and holds its colour for years with basic care.

Fine to wash your hands in. Take it off for the pool, hot tub and beach — chlorine and salt are the two things that harm it.
Clean with a drop of mild soap in warm water and a soft cloth, then dry it fully.
Keep it away from bleach, household cleaners and jewelry dips.
Store it dry and separate from harder pieces that could scratch it.

What changes with wear: It may dull slightly from skin oils and lotion; a wipe brings the shine back. It will not flake or turn your skin green the way a thin plating can.

Stainless steel

The most hard-wearing thing she makes. Stainless steel does not tarnish, does not react with skin, and shrugs off the sweat and water that damage softer materials.

Rinse after the beach or a workout and pat dry.
Clean with warm water, a little mild soap and a soft cloth. Dry it so water spots do not form.
Avoid soaking it in chlorine or bleach for long stretches — brief contact is fine.
Store it anywhere dry; it does not need its own pouch, though the pouch keeps it from scratching other pieces.

What changes with wear: Fine surface scratches over time, which is how steel looks after it has been lived in. The colour of the metal itself does not change.

Silver

Silver reacts with the air and with your skin and slowly darkens. This tarnish is on the surface only — it is not damage, and it comes off.

Wearing it often is the best care: the friction of wear keeps tarnish from settling.
When it darkens, wipe gently with a soft, dry cloth. Use a silver polishing cloth only if you know the piece is solid silver — on a silver-plated piece the cloth is abrasive and thins the plating. If you are not sure which you have, ask us and stick to the soft cloth.
Wash with mild soap and warm water if needed, then dry completely. Never leave it wet.
Take it off for pools, hot tubs and hot springs — chlorine and sulphur darken silver fast.
Store it in a closed pouch or a small zip bag when you are not wearing it; air is what tarnishes it.

What changes with wear: A warm, slightly darker tone over time, deepest in the recesses of a design. Many people like that look; a gentle wipe with a soft cloth brightens it whenever you prefer.

Pearls

Whether a pearl is grown in a shell or a coated glass bead, its surface is soft and porous. Anything that touches it — sweat, perfume, cosmetics — can dull the lustre, and it is strung on cord or elastic that does not like water.

Last on, first off: put pearls on after perfume, lotion and hairspray, and take them off before undressing.
Wipe with a soft cloth, barely damp, after wearing. Never soak them and never use jewelry cleaner or an ultrasonic bath.
Take them off before showering, swimming or exercise.
Store them flat, on their own, in a soft pouch. Do not seal them in airtight plastic, and keep them away from metal pieces that can scratch them.

What changes with wear: A slow loss of shine if they are worn against perfume or cosmetics; wiping after each wear prevents most of it. On a strand, stretching or knotting of the cord means it is time for a restring.

Natural gemstone

Every stone is cut from natural material, so colour, veining and clarity vary from piece to piece — no two are identical. Hardness varies too, so the safe rule is the gentle one.

Take stones off before swimming, hot tubs and long baths. Porous stones can absorb water and chemicals.
Keep them away from heat and sudden temperature changes, which can crack some stones.
Clean with a soft cloth and, if needed, a little warm soapy water. No jewelry dips, steam or ultrasonic cleaners.
Store pieces apart from each other: a harder stone will scratch a softer one.

What changes with wear: Variation between pieces is the nature of the material, not a mistake. Some softer or dyed stones can lighten with years of sun and sweat; storing them in the pouch slows that.

Crystal

Faceted glass crystal catches the light beautifully and scratches more easily than it looks. The facets are what sparkle, so protecting them is the whole job.

Store crystal pieces away from metal pieces and from each other.
Wipe with a soft, dry cloth. Fingerprints and lotion are what dull the facets.
Take it off before showering, swimming and exercise; the coating on some crystal beads and the elastic they sit on both suffer in water.
Do not drop it on hard floors — crystal chips at the edges.

What changes with wear: Fine scratches on the facets over years of wear, and a dulling of any mirror-like coating if it meets chemicals. Clean and dry, crystal keeps its sparkle a long time.

Wood

Natural wood is warm and light and, like any wood, it does not like being soaked. It also changes colour slowly with handling, which is part of its character.

Keep it out of the shower, the pool and the sea. If it does get wet, dry it right away with a cloth and let it finish drying in the air.
Dust or wipe with a dry cloth. No soap, oil or polish unless we told you otherwise for a specific piece.
Keep it out of direct sunlight when stored — sun lightens the wood.
Do not leave it in a hot car; heat and dryness can crack wood.

What changes with wear: A gradual, richer patina from your hands, and slight lightening if it lives in the sun. Each bead shows its own grain, so no two pieces match.

Beads

Beaded pieces are strung by hand on cord or elastic. The beads are usually the sturdy part; the string is what needs looking after.

Roll an elastic bracelet on and off over your hand instead of pulling it open from one spot — pulling stretches and weakens the elastic.
Do not hang beaded pieces from a hook; store them flat so the cord is not under tension.
Take them off before swimming, showering and sleeping.
Wipe the beads with a soft, dry cloth. Follow the guidance for the bead material — pearl, crystal, wood or stone — when you know it.

What changes with wear: Elastic loses some of its snap over a year or two of daily wear; that is the elastic, not the beads. A restring is a quick repair — see "If a piece needs help" above.

Other materials

Some pieces combine several materials — a steel medal on a crystal strand, wood beads with metal findings — and some are made of something outside the list above, like silicone, resin or leather. Either way, care for the whole piece the way you would care for its most delicate part.

Follow the strictest rule that applies: if any part is laminate, pearl, wood or crystal, keep the whole piece dry and away from perfume and lotion.
Wipe with a soft, dry cloth after wearing.
Store it dry, on its own, in a soft pouch.
If you are not sure what a piece is made of, ask us — the product page says, and we are happy to explain.

What changes with wear: Each part ages the way its own material does: metal may soften in colour, wood may darken, elastic may relax. None of it happens all at once.