Jewelry Care Tips
My jewelry is created with a range of materials including sterling silver, acrylic, gold-filled ear wires, stainless steel, wood, copper, and niobium.
These tips will help you maintain your handmade jewelry, keychains, bookmarks, stitch markers, ornaments, or other items. While I’ve written these tips for my own handmade items, you might find them handy for items you’ve bought from other shops, too. Most people will only ever need a soft polishing cloth on occasion to keep their items clean and bright, but I’ve added more detailed ideas just in case you ever need them. This is far from a definitive list; everyone has their own favorite ideas on how to clean and care for jewelry. If you search online, you’ll find many helpful videos and step-by-step instructions. I apologize in advance if I’ve omitted your time-tested cleaning favorites!General Tips
Jewelry: In general, it’s always a good idea to remove your jewelry when swimming, showering, exercising, or sleeping. Getting your items wet with plain water occasionally is not normally a problem, but the chemicals in perfumes, hand sanitizers, lotions, and chlorine can be very hard on your jewelry. Some people use the motto “last on, first off” to remember to put on their jewelry after they’ve finished getting ready for the day and take it off first thing when getting ready for bed at night.
Key chains: Most key chains are subject to daily, rough use, so they are more likely break over time than other handmade items. (We don’t usually drop our jewelry on cement driveways or back over it with our cars!) That said, it’s possible to use the same keychain for a decade or more. The strongest part of any key chain is usually the large steel key ring where you place your keys. This means that if a key chain is overloaded with heavy items (too many keys or large, bulky automatic car openers) and you always hold it by the weaker, non-steel part, eventually (over months or years) the hole connecting the key ring to the key chain will slowly get larger and break. An overloaded key chain might also cause the small steel ring connecting the two key chain parts to separate. If this happens, you can replace this connector ring with a steel split ring which is easy to attach without any special tools. Avoid storing your key chain among sharp objects that could leave scratches, particularly if your key chain is made with a softer metal like aluminum, brass, or copper.
Copper can dramatically change in color over time. For some key chains, I darken the copper with a chemical to give it an aged appearance years before it would naturally occur. This darkened copper will start showing blue/green tones eventually. Remember that the Statue of Liberty is made with copper, not blue/green metal!
Different materials will require different cleaning and care options; the full product descriptions should list the main materials. These are types of materials I commonly use:
- Acrylic
Treat acrylic like you would your eyeglasses or the glass in a framed artwork. Paper towels and chemical glass cleaners are likely to cause scratches, so it’s best to avoid them. Use soft cloths and if necessary, liquid eyeglass cleaners, to carefully remove any smudges on your acrylic. I especially like dry microfiber cloths that are used to clean camera lens, eyeglasses, or computer monitors. - Metals
The backs of these silver-plated earrings were quite tarnished after a year of not being worn. A Sunshine polishing cloth (no liquids!) was all that was needed to restore the earrings to their silver-colored glory.
If your metal keychain or earrings are dirty, you can wipe them with a soft cloth. You can buy special jewelry polishing cloths like Sunshine brand cloths (these are especially nice for sterling silver) or microfiber cloths, but any soft rag (like an old cotton t-shirt or sock) will do.
If your blackened letters have disappeared on your hand stamped items, you can add them back yourself using a permanent Sharpie marker. (Use rubbing alcohol to remove any stray marks.) Aluminum is the most likely metal to have disappearing black letters over time, as it resists most chemical darkeners.- Aluminum
Aluminum is lightweight and keeps its bright color without polishing. It’s also hypoallergenic. I use a food-safe version of aluminum, so most people are able to touch and wear it without experiencing any allergic reaction. (If you’re super sensitive, you may still want to avoid all metals.) Aluminum is the softest metal I use, which makes it a little easier to bend rings and bracelets for a more custom fit. This softness does make it a little more likely to pick up scratches and dings. - Anodized aluminum
Anodized aluminum is aluminum that has been coated with a color. It is more susceptible to scratches than regular aluminum. If it’s used for something that will come into contact with a lot of sharp objects (such as a keychain), you can add a clear acrylic spray paint to protect the engraving. (This is a DIY option; I do not offer this service.) You can also buy a rubber/silicone dog tag silencer sold in pet stores to put around the edges of a round keychain to protect it. - Brass
Brass is a gold-colored metal that may be cleaned with common household items such as vinegar and salt. Martha Stewart suggests several options. I generally only use pure brass for items like keychains rather than jewelry. - Copper
Natural copper is a bright orange. This color will darken over time, eventually leading to blue and green tones. (Remember that the Statue of Liberty is made with copper!) How quickly this will happen depends a lot on your environment, whether it’s dry or humid, and whether you’re keeping the item in your temperature-controlled house or if you’ve left it outside on the lawn with the sprinklers going. (I wouldn’t recommend that last part!)- While rubbing the copper with a soft cloth may be enough to remove the darker color, you can also try Martha Stewart’s favorite home remedy of using a lemon sprinkled with salt. Commercial copper cleaners can be found wherever copper cookware is sold.
- A rustic or dark copper item is one that I’ve used a chemical process on to accelerate the look of aged copper. You will likely see blue/green tones on those within a year. I personally love these colorful tones, but you can wipe them away with a soft cloth if you don’t like them.
- You can coat your piece with Renaissance Wax to delay the tarnishing process. It will need to be reapplied occasionally.
- Gold-Filled (14-Karat)
Some of my ear wires are gold-filled. This means that there is a thicker coating of 14-karat gold on the ear wires than cheaper gold-plated ear wires. Gold-filled ear wires are more affordable than solid gold, but more durable than plated ones. Clean with a soft cloth or a combination of water and a gentle dishwashing soap. - Niobium
Niobium is a metal that is used in hospitals for medical devices, which is why I often use it for hypoallergenic ear wires. It is non-reactive, so it shouldn’t tarnish or change color over time. If it gets dirty, just wipe with a clean, soft cloth. If needed, you can also use a gentle dishwashing soap and water. - Plated Metals
The charms I use are often plated metals, which means that there is a top coat (usually sterling silver) over a less expensive metal like brass or copper. Just clean these with a soft cloth. Harsh chemical cleaners are likely to remove the top layer completely and you may expose the other metal below. I rarely use plated metals for jewelry components that have prolonged contact with the skin (such as necklace chains or ear wires). - Stainless Steel
This strong metal keeps its dark silver color fairly well with little care. Shiny (not matte) finishes show fingerprints more readily. There are commercial stainless steel cleaners on the market you can try, particularly for non-jewelry items. (They are often found in areas related to stainless steel refrigerators and other appliances.) - Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is often a good metal for those who are sensitive to other metals, which is why I use sterling silver ear wires in many of my designs. It does darken or tarnish over time. Wearing your jewelry, rather than keeping it in your jewelry box, will actually help keep your sterling silver bright longer. (If you’ve never had to polish any of your sterling jewelry, you might own Argentium silver. It is tarnish-resistant, but still may tarnish slowly under certain conditions. It is more expensive than ordinary sterling silver.) There are many sterling silver jewelry cleaners available, as well as tarnish-resistant storage bags and boxes.
- Aluminum
- Ribbon or Cotton Cord
I mostly use ribbon on ornaments and cotton cord on bookmarks. Ribbon will fray over time, but it’s easy and inexpensive to replace if needed. Alternatively, you can seal the cut ribbon ends with clear nail polish or a product like Fray Check. (I do not use this because it also makes the ends very stiff.) - Wood
Take care not to get wood wet. A drop of water occasionally might be fine, but soaking your item can damage it. Use a soft cloth to clean. If desired, you can use a very small amount of beeswax or olive oil on your wood to give it a little extra shine.