JEWELLERY CARE

POLISHING

There are many ways to polish your silver, but the best way to keep your pieces shiny is by wearing them. The oils from your skin remove tarnish through contact with fabrics and other surfaces.

Using a polishing cloth is also advisable. These have polishing compounds in the fibres and will polish off tarnish by simply buffing the silver with the cloth. 

TARNISH

Sterling silver will eventually tarnish, oxidize and blacken over time. This is a natural reaction of being exposed to everyday life. 

Some causes of tarnish are, but not exclusively: 

• Oxygen, moisture, humidity & sunlight.

• Perfumes, shampoos, conditioners and moisturizers.

• Harsh chemicals like chlorine, cleaning products & bleaches.

• Your skin’s acidity/ph levels, which is affected by diet, medication, smoking, environment & stress etc.

When you aren’t wearing your pieces you'll need to store  them out of sunlight, preferably in a protective container or pouch.

WEAR & TEAR

Please take care when wearing your jewellery. Please avoid wearing your jewels during labour intensive activities such as gardening, housework, heavy lifting, sporting and such. You will risk injuring yourself and damaging your jewellery. Katie is not responsible for returning or exchanging pieces that are damaged due to wear and tear. If your jewellery has become damaged please feel free to get in touch to see if it can fixed or to stop it from getting worse.

GEMSTONES

To clean the gemstone, simply wipe with a clean damp soft cloth. Do not use sharp objects to clean out dirt from crevices and stone settings. This is guaranteed to damage the metal and the gemstone, and may result in your gemstone coming loose.
You can clean your pieces by making a baking-soda paste (mix water + baking soda). You can rub this gently but firmly over your jewellery with a soft cloth, you may need to repeat this a few times if your piece is also tarnished heavily.