About Our Metals & How to Properly Care for Your Jewelry

 

Sterling Silver will naturally tarnish over time if left exposed to the elements. Counterintuitively, the more you wear your silver jewelry, the less it will tarnish. This is due to oils that our skin contains actually help care for the silver. If your silver jewelry does eventually tarnish, it’s an easy fix. To bring silver back to its original state, gently rub it with a polishing cloth.

Brass Jewelry if taken care of properly can be enjoyed and passed down for generations to come. When exposed to the elements such as water, brass will turn to a deeper color (which can be lovely). You can shower or swim in the jewelry but to prevent watermarks just pat it dry afterwards just like the rest of you.  Another tip is to store your jewelry in an airtight pouch or dark place when not in use. We love our brass jewelry no matter the hue but we understand if you would like to keep your jewelry looking shiny. You can do this easily with polishing cloths, or commercial products like Brasso. There are tons of DIY chemical free brass cleaning recipes, one of our favorites to keep things real simple is to dip your brass jewelry in ketchup. 

**Due to the natural ph balance and oils of skin, some people may experience green discoloration where the jewelry, a ring or a bracelet was worn for a period of time. This is only a natural reaction to natural materials. The coloration is perfectly harmless. If you experience this with your brass jewelry and wish to prevent this, there are option if you are willing to try them out.

-Try coating the surface with renaissance wax polish and avoid putting your jewelry in contact with water or oils while wearing it. 

-Some of my customers have tried and love this stuff for preventing brass from tarnishing and reacting to skin chemistry but I haven't tried it yet myself.

-Watch this fun video I made about cleaning brass at home with kitchen ingredients like KETCHUP and a little mixed concoction of flour, vinegar and salt. ***with either of these options please only submerge your jewelry for 30-60 seconds at. time before rinsing off the acidic liquid and patting it dry with a papertowl or cotton cloth. Repeat as needed. 

-This happens to me too. So what I do is wear my brass rings out for dinner or whatever is the occasion and then take them off when I return home. Personally I prefer to take all my jewelry off while sleeping anyway.

 

Metal Choices:

As a designer I have to make choices about the materials I use. Factors like sustainability, affordability, convenience of care, safety and comfort all come into play when making this decision. As an artist I weigh them against my inspiration and vision and choose accordingly. Each material has it's pros and cons.  

Still have questions? Email us at info@danteperozzi.com, we would love to talk with you, always!