Caring for your jewelry!

Care of Gold Filled Jewelry
Gold filled jewelry is cared for in the same manner as other precious jewelry. The absolutely best thing you can do for your Gold Filled jewelry is to clean regularly using a little bit of warm water, and a soft cloth to dry and shine after. Many chemicals marketed for cleaning jewelry are actually somewhat abrasive or corrosive and can cause some damage or color alteration to your jewelry. The best way to avoid this is to keep it simple. Warm water and a soft cloth is the best thing you can do to maintain the beauty of your jewelry.

Cleaning Gold Vermeil
Vermeil simply means gold plating over sterling silver. Sterling silver beads can be gold plated. It is a good way to incorporate the look of gold at a fraction of the cost especially for beads. You can clean gold vermeil by washing the jewelry in warm soapy water. Use lukewarm water (not hot as it can crack some stones) and a couple drops of non-film leaving dish soap (not antibacterial). Use a soft toothbrush to get into tight places. Rinse and dry with paper towel immediately to avoid mineral residue from the water. You will be amazed how well this simple process works! If there are gemstones in the setting they will sparkle like new. You can use this process on soft stones and pearls. Mild gold cleaners can also be used and can be purchased at any jewelry store. Make sure it is safe for the stones in your jewelry.

Caring for your Brass Jewelry
So you just purchased a beautiful piece of brass jewelry, but you have no idea how to take care of it. What do you do?!?! Read below for tips and tricks on caring for you newly purchased piece of brass jewelry:

1. Never ever get your brass jewelry wet, it doesn't like it. Not one bit. It will begin to tarnish and you’ll see a brown patina begin to form. However, the brown patina can be beautiful to some, but others may want to enjoy the bright shine of the brass. If you prefer the latter, be sure to keep it dry.
2. One thing about brass is that it will tarnish at some point or other no matter how dry you keep it, that’s just the nature of the game. in order to get that shine back, just simply polish is with a polishing cloth or fine steel wool and it’ll return that beautiful shine to your piece. If you prefer a deeper clean in the hard to reach nooks and crannies, mix a little lemon juice, baking powder, and water together. Using a toothbrush go in between the hard to reach places to restore the shine.

Things to avoid with your jewelry
To maintain the beauty of your jewelry, whether it is gold filled or solid gold, salt water, chlorine (swimming pools) and all heavy detergents and cleaning agents should be avoided.

How long will my Gold Filled jewelry last?
Under normal wearing conditions, and with proper care, your gold filled jewelry can last a lifetime. It does not chip or peel easily as gold plated jewelry does. Heavy wear and rough conditions will of course impact how your jewelry looks. This is true no matter what your jewelry is made of.