Aluminum: These pieces are easy to care for. If they get dirty or gunky some soap and water will fix them right up. They’re safe to wear in the shower, pool, or ocean, though I recommend a rinse after being in a chlorine pool or in the ocean just to remove any residue. Anodizing is a finish that has been added to the metal, so it IS possible for that finish to be scratched, but it takes some force for it to happen. If your piece gets scratched contact me and we’ll discuss the best way to fix it. Bright aluminum can sometimes leave behind a dark grey residue on your skin, due to the oils used in making the wire.
Bronze and Copper: These pieces will naturally oxidise and patina. Some people also find that they can cause a greenish coloration on the skin under where the piece is worn. This is all normal. If you get your jewelry dirty or gunky a simple soap and water wash will remove the dirt. Polishing regularly with a soft cloth will help remove body oils and air contaminants that cause the metals to patina faster. I recommend remove these pieces before going swimming in a pool or the ocean, but if you forget make sure you give them a good clean and wipe down afterwards. If you don’t like the color of the normal patina you can clean the piece with a jewelry cleaner, just make sure that the cleaner is safe for ALL the metals included in the piece. All bronze and copper containing pieces are shipped in a small zip-top bag that also contains an anti-tarnish strip. If you store your piece in that bag with that strip in between wearing it will tarnish slower than if you just keep it in the open air.
Nu-Gold: Nu-gold is a specialty formulation of jeweler’s brass, sometimes called Red Brass. It contains no nickel. It is slower to tarnish, and easier to clean than regular brass. Treat these pieces like you would a bronze or copper piece.
Titanium: soap and water will take care of any gunk that might accumulate on these pieces. Anodized titanium can scratch if hit hard enough, but otherwise titanium is very sturdy and handles just about everything you could do to it. While it’ll handle chlorine or salt water I do recommend giving it a rinse afterwards.
- Black Glass Titanium: This is a speciality coated titanium, the coating will scratch if you use enough force, and as a general rule care should be used when swimming in a chlorine pool or salt water, but a quick dip is unlikely to cause a problem. Otherwise care is just like regular titanium.
Stainless Steel: soap and water and its good to go, same as with the others I recommend a rinse if worn in a pool or the ocean, but really it’ll hold up to just but everything you could do to it.
- Blackened Stainless Steel: this is stainless steel that has been tumbled with a specific mixture of grit and oil, the mixture soaks into the pores of the steel causing it to turn black. While in general this can be handled just like regular stainless steel I do recommend some extra care around chlorine pools or salt water just to be on the safe side. Different vendors treat their blackened stainless using different mixtures resulting in color variations from batch to batch depending on the source. If you have previously bought a piece with blackened stainless and you are looking for a matching piece please contact me using the contact form so that we can be sure it’ll match your expectations.
- Smokey Steel: this is stainless steel that has been coated with a coating similar to the Black Glass titanium. While it will generally hold up to anything regular stainless can handle I do recommend extra care around chlorine and salt water. It can also be scratched if enough force is used.