How to care for your Silver & Fern jewellery

Silver & Fern jewellery is predominantly made using recycled sterling or fine silver, this makes it super easy to care for!

As a rule, you should always keep jewellery away from harsh chemicals, keep it dry, store it when you're not wearing it and clean and polish it when needed.

When you receive your jewellery from Silver & Fern, you'll find it nestled in a little cotton pouch (or gift box) with a complimentary polishing cloth. Both of these items are your best friends!

How to clean your jewellery

If you end up getting your jewellery dirty, you can gently clean it in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of washing-up liquid. Then, using a soft brush, gently scrub the piece and rinse in clean water. Be sure to allow your piece to air dry out before wearing it.

There are a few exceptions to pieces you can wash with soap which you can read a little further down.

How to use your polishing cloth

You can wear silver jewellery all day, every day but over time it will go dull, but don't worry, this is just tarnish and is a completely natural occurence! When silver is exposed to air, it reacts with a natural gas - sulphur - which causes a surface layer of tarnish. It is easily brought back to a shine by using a polishing cloth so it looks as good as new!

To slow down the rate of it tarnishing, simply keep your jewellery in the cotton gift pouch when not being worn as it will protect it from the gases in the air.

What about colourful jewellery?

You'll find that a lot of my pieces of jewellery already have either a colouring or a darkening to the silver, this is called a patina and is added for aesthetic purposes as it enhances certain details. You won't want to use your polishing cloth on these as it can remove the colouring leaving you with just a shiny plain silver piece! 

If you do happen to use your polishing cloth on your colourful jewellery and want the patina re-applying, please drop me an email and I will be happy to arrange this for you for a small fee.

What about stone set pieces?

If you purchase a stone set piece, you will want to care for it just a little more carefully. All pieces I make are absolutely fine to come into contact with clean water but you will want to avoid chemicals, moisturisers, perfume, harsh soaps or chlorinated water (you know, the eye-stinging swimming pool water). I strongly advise that you remove your stone set piece of jewellery before swimming, washing dishes, showering and even gardening.

If you own an opal piece of jewellery from Silver & Fern, try to avoid it getting wet. Although australian opals are stable in water, it is good practice to take good care of them so that they can last a lifetime. 

What about gold jewellery?

If you have a piece that is solid gold or has gold embellishments, you can use the polishing cloth provided with your order to clean it up when tarnish appears.  

And that's it!

It is pretty simple to care for your handmade jewellery but it's always good to make sure know how. If you follow these tips, your jewellery will last a lifetime!