Simple Care for Long-term Jewelry Wear

Caring for your jewelry is important if you want it to last as long as you’d love. Naturally, precious metals (such as KT Gold & Sterling silver) will hold up better to longterm wear than their costume counterparts (plated metals such as goldplate or silverplate, copper or brass).

All that Glitters in Gold: White, Rose & Yellow in 14kt Goldfill.

Here at Brilliance Found Jewelry, my work ranges from gold to goldplate, lucite to titanium. It’s a big range, so I’m going to take a minute to talk about General Jewelry Care: Care tips that will work on most jewelry creations, & keep them looking pristine long after you purchase them.

First off, Jewelry has two major enemies: Water & Air. But since you can’t avoid either, I’ll tell you how to make the best of it!

A Word About Tarnish & Air Exposure

Skinny Crown Ring in Oxidized Brass

Most jewelry tarnishes when exposed to air. Tarnishing is a chemical reaction which causes a thin coat of color (often called a patina) to develop on the surface of the metal. It’s not harmful to you, but it does change the look of the metal & whether or not that is a good thing is purely preferential. Some of my jewelry (like my oxidized brass pieces, for example) are specially finished with a patina for effect. Many people appreciate the look of the darkened bronze-color metal; I definitely do!

Tarnish (or patina) can be cleaned off, usually quite simply, by some form of acidic bath (I love lemon juice for this!) or your standard jewelry polishing cloth.

Polished to a Raw Brass Gold

To avoid tarnish in the first place, there are some simple precautions you can take. I recommend storing your jewelry in a sealed, tarnish-resistant plastic zipper bag (like the one that comes with your jewelry order!) Minimizing the amount of open air contact greatly reduces the amount of tarnish that will develop on your jewelry.

Take It Off: Jewelry Doesn’t Like Getting Wet

If you love jewelry, you know how hard it can be to take off! But sometimes it really is best. Removing your jewelry before showering & sleeping can greatly extend the life of your jewelry. If you’re wearing rings, it’s good to get in the habit of removing them prior to hand-washing & make sure your hands are completely dry before putting them back on. This will keep your jewelry shiny & bright, as water can dull the surface of the metal over time. In plated pieces (such as goldplated or silverplated items), this plating wears off much quicker when exposed to water. For oxidized & antiqued pieces, keeping them out of water is even more important — you don’t want to “clean” the finish off!

With precious metals, such as KT Gold & Sterling silver, it’s not as important to avoid water, but Sterling silver will tarnish quicker (blacken) when exposed to it. Gold can also dull & will require a gentle polishing to restore brilliance.

A Little Precaution Before You Clean..

Make sure you know for certain the material your jewelry is made out of before attempting to clean it with any form of chemical or acid bath. At Brilliance Found, we announce our materials clearly in the “Materials” section — so you always know what you’re getting. If you’re not sure, always start with the most gentle cleaning method: a clean cloth. Using chemicals on plated metals can dull or remove their finish. Cleaning an artistically oxidized piece with chemicals will restore it to it’s original, shiny metal finish. As always, if you’re unsure about how to care for your Brilliance Found jewelry piece, feel free to contact me for specific care tips.

For more information on how to safely clean your new jewelry, by material type, please click here to view a previous post about jewelry care.

Check back soon for some tutorials on how to clean your sterling silver with baking soda, & your brass & copper with lemon juice!

Fun with Oxidized Brass: Oversized Cactus Tree Earrings

One of the wonderful things about metal is how it reacts when treated. Brass & copper in particular are known for their reactions to chemicals & heat, which creates a rainbow of iridescent colors & textures.

Heat-treated brass shows off it's iridescent rainbow properties.

These cactus earrings started out as raw brass; you can still see some of the original golden metal color at the very top. After cleaning the brass to rid it from oil & dirt (a very important step if you want drastic results!)  I painted it with my torch flame, which creates the rainbow pattern shown here. Not quite satisfied with that, I treated these pieces by dipping them several times in a liver of sulfur bath. The result is incredible — a one of a kind finish, which fades from shiny gold at the top to matte charcoal grey at the bottom.

Of course, if you want the color to stay as vibrant as it is here, it’s important to seal the patina, so it doesn’t tarnish further.

Lately I have been in love with all things gold — brass included. It always amazes me how simply you can change the look of a ring with just a little bit of patina. Suddenly it becomes a completely new ring!

All of my patina’d metals are hand-oxidized with liver of sulfur & a lot of hot water. The liver of sulfur reacts with the raw brass & deepens the color the longer it sits in the water bath. Of course, this process is not permanent: oxidized brass can be cleaned & polished back up to a golden sheen with a little bit of work. Gently polishing the oxidized metal creates contrast in the raised areas & really makes the coloring pop!

Left unpolished, the oxidized brass takes on a deep matte gingerbread color, as seen above in my Fern Frond Wrap Ring. Polished brass shines much like gold. Which finish is your favorite?