Cleaning your Jewelry: Tips and Tricks
Like you, your jewelry should always shine through.
We know how annoying it can be when your jewelry looks dull. But worry not, are we not your bestie? Rhetorical question. We are, and we will hold your hand through everything.
Alright so let’s talk about jewelry and how to care for it.
Before you get your hands on the cleaning supplies, let us first walk you through what kind of jewelry needs which kind of cleaning.
As a reminder:
All of our jewelry is made with high quality premium metals only. They’re completely nickel-free precious metals. To continuously ensure the hypoallergenic integrity of our jewelry, we melt them down and chemically test the alloys and contents. We do this continuously to ensure that the products being worn by our customers are always safe! Your ears are always in safe hands, bestie.
The types of metals that we offer-
All your Rowan jewelry is either Sterling Silver, 14K Gold over Sterling Silver or Solid 14K Gold.
Our Sterling Silver is a hypoallergenic precious metal that contains 92.5% of pure silver and 7.5% of copper. Copper is basically added to make the metal more durable than fine silver alone and meet the standard of silver jewelry.
The metal, silver, is sensitive to oxygen and water, which means, upon contact it may oxidize. But that’s fine, it's completely normal and your jewelry can be cleaned with a sterling silver cleaning wipe, to the point that it’s good as new. Yep, science! We love it too.
Our Gold Vermeil is a thick layer of 14K Gold over a sterling Silver base jewelry. It looks similar to 14K Gold jewelry, and it is more affordable and durable than it. In addition, with proper care Gold Vermeil jewelry will uphold its finish for years to come. Just try and keep your Gold Vermeil jewelry dry and gently wipe it with a dry cloth if necessary.
Our 14K Gold jewelry is made of 58.3% gold and 41.7% Alloy. Now wait, before you go… “but it’s not 100% gold.” Pure gold metal is extremely soft, and can not be used in its native state in everyday jewelry, so it is alloyed with other premium metals to make it stronger and more durable.
We make this study blend to be resistant to corrosion, rust and discoloration.
Your solid gold jewelry doesn’t need much upkeep.
Things to keep an eye out for:
For Sterling Silver or Gold Vermeil jewelry
When metal turns dark:
When this happens, do not panic, like we mentioned before, metal oxidizes and it looks like it has tarnished, which is common for all jewelry made of Sterling Silver.
Sterling Silver is a precious metal and it is sensitive towards oxygen and water. And through completely normal wear and storage, it can become oxidized, which causes the soot-like coloration on the jewelry.
And when this happens, you know what to do.
The jewelry just simply needs a gentle polishing. And you can do that by using the special silver cloth to polish your silver jewelry pieces. You may also use a lint-free flannel, microfiber, or other soft non-abrasive cloth. With some gentle care like this, your jewelry will be good as new, and will shine through, like you.
Whatever you do, please don’t use paper towels or tissues to polish your jewelry. They contain fibers that can scratch the silver, we also recommend not using any kind of brushes or toothbrushes to clean your Sterling Silver jewelry. Way too harsh.
For 14K Gold jewelry
When discoloration occurs:
Again, do not panic. This too, is normal. Sometimes this can happen with 14K Gold jewelry. The thing about solid gold is that it reacts differently with every wearer, it totally depends on our pH levels in the skin and if the jewelry piece was exposed to perfume/cologne, lotion, hairspray, etc.
Chemicals like Sulfur can also cause discoloration. Say, if the jewelry was stored in a jewelry box or pouch where sulfur could have been in its composition, then that’s very likely to happen.
When this happens this is what you do:
Mix some water and non-phosphate dish-washing detergent (like Dawn) and gently scrub the discolored area with a soft toothbrush. Then, rinse the jewelry in warm water and until the water runs clear. After that, use a soft cloth to dry the jewelry and then allow it to air dry.
This should bring the shine back to your 14K Gold jewelry!
So, remember bestie, discoloration happens, oxidation is normal—and these are easy problems that have easy solutions. Do not worry. As long as you treat your jewelry kindly, and take good care of it fondly, you have nothing to worry about. And in case something like this happens, just bookmark this blogpost for later. We’re always here to help!