Care Instructions

How to Care for your SE pieces. 

Sterling Silver Jewelry

  1. The best way to prevent tarnishing is to store clean, dry sterling silver in a dry airtight container, like a ziplock bag.
  2. An anti-tarnish strip with the silver jewelry in a ziplock bag will help fight against tarnish.
  3. Don’t leave silver jewelry in the bathroom. Humidity can speed up the oxidation process that produces tarnish.
  4. Minimize sterling silver’s contact to chemicals (hairspray, perfume, body lotion, bleach, etc.) and do not wear it the shower, swimming pool or hot tub.
  5. After taking off silver jewelry, clean it with a dry soft cloth before putting it back into an airtight container.
  6. A general rule of thumb for silver jewelry: it should be the last thing put on before leaving the house, and the first thing removed when returning home. This will help minimize your jewelry’s contact with perfumes, lotions, and other chemicals.



Gold Plated Jewelry

Metal is particularly reactive in moist or wet conditions. Regions with humid weather like the seacoast and tropical areas are especially challenging for metals as chlorides combine with moisture and perspiration to form a corrosive element.

The best way to maintain the beauty of your gold plate is to take proper care of it from the beginning. Below are some tips on caring for and cleaning your gold plated jewelry.

  1. Store your gold-plated jewelry in velvet, satin or any soft fabric-lined jewelry box. You can also wrap it in a soft material or place in a re-sealable plastic bag to prevent scratches. Keep all your pieces separate from each other to prevent scratching.
  2. Remove all gold-plated jewelry before showering, applying lotion, make-up, hairspray and perfume. Soap and lotion usually won’t harm gold, but it can cause a film residue to form, making it appear dull and dingy.
  3. Remove all gold-plated jewelry before cleaning. Household cleaners and other harsh chemicals will reduce the luster and can permanently damage your gold-plated jewelry over time.
  4. Remove all gold-plated jewelry before entering swimming pools, hot tubs and before using chlorine bleach or any chlorine-based cleaning solutions. Chlorine can react with metals, particularly at high temperatures. Exposure to chlorine can erode, discolor and permanently damage your gold-plated jewelry.
  5. To clean your gold-plated jewelry at home, you’ll find many commercial cleaners available. Choose a non-abrasive cleaning material as abrasives can remove the layer of gold-plating. Please take care in making sure the product is safe to use on GOLD.
  6. Buffing your gold-plated jewelry with a soft cloth is an effective and inexpensive way to keep your pieces lustrous. If you use a jewelry polishing cloth, make sure the cloth is meant for polishing GOLD. For example, do not use a Sunshine Polishing cloth, which is formulated for silver and contains micro-abrasives, on gold plate. Using a polishing cloth that is meant for another metal besides gold could permanently damage your gold-plated items.
  7. Gold plated jewelry may also get dirty, making it appear dull and dingy. You can remove the dull film with a jewelry cleanser, soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or commercial window cleaner (like Windex), which contains ammonia. Use a soft cloth to carefully clean the item. After cleaning, rinse with lukewarm water and allow it to dry completely.
  8. If the gold has developed spots, a stronger jewelry cleaner can do the job. Be sure that the cleaning product is designed for cleaning gold and follow the manufactures’ instructions. We use Tarn-X to remove reddish brown spots that may develop. If a cleaning substance is too strong it can remove the gold.

We quality control all of the gold plate before it leaves the office to ensure it has a lustrous, flawless finish. However, we have heard from some customers that after several weeks, the gold plate has developed reddish brown spots on the surface. To remove them, we recommend using Tarn-X. We suspect the spots are the result of environmental factors such as perfumes, humidity or other chemicals.



Bronze Jewelry

Natural Bronze will oxidize over time, turning a darker, more muted color. Some designers prefer this darker, aged color as it adds character to the metal. To maintain a shiny bright finish for as long a possible, store your bronze away from the air in a ziplock plastic bag, and keep it as dry as possible. Do not wear in the shower or store in a humid environment.

All metals, including bronze, silver and gold, can react to beauty and cleaning products. Avoid contact as much as possible with perfumes, hairsprays, lotions and household cleaners.

If you like a high shine, you may prefer using a commercial metal cleaner specifically formulated for bronze or brass. Follow the instructions on the cleaning product.