Jewellers brass is made from copper and zinc and has a golden lustre. A natural patina will develop over time giving it a matte finish.
1. To remove dirt, use a brass cleaner like Brasso.
2. To finish, use our polishing cloth to remove tarnish and restore shine. Maintaining long up and down strokes to clean the jewellery. Be sure to use different parts of the cloth to avoid spreading any tarnish.
Sterling silver is an alloyed metal, normally made of 92.5% pure silver and other metals.
1. To remove dirt, use warm water, washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush.
2. To finish, use our polishing cloth to remove tarnish and restore shine. Maintaining long up-and-down strokes to clean the jewellery. Be sure to use different parts of the cloth to avoid spreading any tarnish.
If your brass or silver jewellery is darkened or appears dirty, then it has tarnished; tarnish is simply the result of a chemical reaction with oxygen or sulfur particles in the air.
1. Wear it often: Believe it or not, your skin’s natural oils will help keep silver and brass jewellery shiny. One of the easiest ways to prevent tarnish is to simply wear your jewellery often as opposed to letting it sit in a jewellery box unworn.
2. Remove during household chores: Substances with additional sulfur like household cleaners, chlorinated water, perspiration, and rubber will accelerate corrosion and tarnish. It’s a good idea to remove jewellery completely before cleaning.
3. Keep out of direct sunlight: Before you hit the beach or pool, be sure to remove your jewellery. Sunlight can cause metal to tarnish.
4. Put your jewellery on last: Lotions, makeups, hair spray and perfumes will accelerate tarnishing.
1. Use an air-tight container: any container can be used to store your jewellery, as long as it's air-tight. Zip-lock bags are great, but you can also use our cotton jewellery bags for a more attractive option.
2. Keep in a cool, dark place: as mentioned earlier, sunlight, heat and moisture accelerate tarnishing. Be sure to keep your jewellery in a cool, dark place.
3. Store pieces individually: storing your pieces separately prevents any chance of jewellery scratching or tangling with each other.
The key to keeping your jewellery clean is to keep up with regular cleanings to remove tarnish as it builds. It becomes more difficult if you let a piece accumulate a lot of tarnish and then try to remove it all at once. We suggest an annual clean at our studio to ensure your jewellery stays like new for years to come!
