caring for your jewelry

you've made an investment, and i want to make sure you can wear your pieces everyday while also staying shiny and bright for many manyyyy years to come.  

there is a lot out there touting gold filled as a "no maintenance needed" jewelry that will last you a lifetime and never tarnish...in theory that is possible (or if you lived in a bubble), but the truth is there are some lifestyle factors that can cause your jewelry to lose its luster. 

the good news is that caring for your gemstone and gold filled jewelry is low maintenance (that's all i have the patience for🙃).  here are simple steps i recommend to make sure your little beauties stay golden: 

🖤 refrain from wearing your pieces in the pool, hot tub, and ocean.  the harsh chemicals in pools & hot tubs create a super inhospitable environment for your jewelry. like a chemical soup, eww, that will tarnish your pieces on the double. likewise, salt water is not going to be kind to your pieces.  over time, exposure will cause corrosion & tarnish. 

that being said...have i jumped into the ocean with my jewelry on...yes, yes i have. if you're like me and throw caution to the wind in the face of waves, a.s.a.p. give your jewelry a good rinse with non-chlorinated water and dry off with a soft cloth. 

🖤 be mindful about wearing your pieces when you're working out. sweat and body chemistry factors can be hard on your jewelry. to be safe, i do my best to remove, but i'm not perfect, so like with saltwater, if i do keep it on, i give my pieces a quick rinse and dry afterwards. 

🖤 put jewelry on after you've applied lotions, perfume, hairspray, and sunscreen. continual & excessive exposure to products like these will lead to tarnish. 

🖤 when not wearing, keep your jewelry as dry as possible.  storing your pieces individually in a small air tight plastic bag (don't worry, i give you one) will go a longgg way in preserving its shine. less airflow means less possibility for oxidation that causes tarnish. 

🖤 once a month or so, give your jewelry a good cleaning. nothing complicated.  a bowl of warm water and a tad of mild soap will do the trick.  have your jewelry soak for a minute and then gently rinse and pat dry with a soft cloth.