Jewelry Care
BEADED BRACELETS
Each Calypso’s Island beaded bracelet is made from the highest quality materials. These materials are often cut from natural sources and the use of hairsprays, lotions, colognes or perfumes can alter the natural state of the materials used. For this reason our bracelets are highly sensitive to water and wearing them while sleeping, showering, exercising, or in a pool or sauna should be avoided. These elements can weaken the elastic cord that holds the bracelet together and can contribute to breakage in the future if not cared for properly.
To ensure the longevity of your Calypso’s Island beaded bracelet, ROLL the bracelet on or off your arm, rather than pull, stretch or tug on the beads. Repetitive tugging and pulling can cause the elastic to weaken and break over time and should be avoided. To maintain the beauty of your beaded bracelets, we recommend cleaning the beads by using mineral oil that has been wiped off with a soft, white cloth.
CHAINS & WIRE WRAPPED JEWELRY
Just like other fine chains, our wire wrapped jewelry can be delicate and should be treated with the utmost care. Remember they are handmade, do not pull or tug on them. Chains should be treated delicately in order to prevent damage.
STERLING SILVER
Sterling silver (abbreviated as “SS”) is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The first thing to understand is sterling silver tarnishes typically by things that we do or not do and/or wear. Perfume, colognes, lotions, sweaty skin and hair products can all be contributing factors to tarnishing your shiny jewelry. When the jewelry is removed and the residue isn’t wiped off, the chemicals will contribute to the tarnishing process. Harsh chemicals from dishwater detergents, chlorine and the like will tarnish sterling silver. If sterling silver is exposed to the air and left unprotected when not being worn, tarnish becomes inevitable.
A few easy steps will ensure your sterling to be as brilliant as the day it was purchased. Before you put any jewelry on, be sure any lotions and/or perfumes are absorbed into your skin. Apply all hair products, especially hair spray, before you put on the jewelry. Remove your jewelry before swimming, an invigorating workout or prior to bedtime. When you remove your jewelry at the end of your day, take a couple of minutes to wipe it off with a jewelry cloth or an old t-shirt. The jewelry cloth is preferable because it’s two sided: The inside rouge is for cleaning off the dull residue and the outside cloth is for buffing. Never use tissues or paper towels for cleaning silver. These products will scratch the jewelry, which will detract from the beauty of the pieces. After the jewelry is wiped clean, store it in an airtight container, such as a zip lock baggie, a cloth bag and/ or an airtight jewelry box.
Please be aware that many display units and boxes may contain sulfur, which interacts and tarnishes sterling silver. The less air and light your silver is exposed to when you aren’t wearing it, the less tarnish will occur, making it easy to have shiny jewelry each and every time you’re ready to wear it. Taking the time to keep your jewelry clean after wearing it and storing it away from light and air is all that’s needed to cut down on tarnish significantly.
GOLD FILLED & GOLD PLATED
Gold Filled jewelry is the latest introduction into the gold jewelry market although the term “gold-filled” is a bit of a misnomer. Gold-filled does not have gold in the middle, nor is it a mixture of gold and base metals. Actually, gold-filled is a brass sheet or brass core with a pressure-bonded outside layer of gold to produce the look of gold at a more reasonable price. Gold Plating is a method of depositing a layer of gold onto the surface of sterling silver through an electrochemical process. In other words, Gold Filled jewelry is created by applying gold over a base metal such as brass, rhodium, copper or sterling silver. To be called Gold Filled, the gold content must be at least 1/20th the weight of the total piece. This is what stands Gold Filled apart from Gold Plated. There is not a minimum gold quantity required in order to be termed Gold Plated.
Care should be taken when cleaning gold-filled and gold plated jewelry to protect the layer of gold from being worn away or nicked. Do not use abrasive compounds to clean the jewelry.
Gold Filled (abbreviated as “GF”) jewelry is created in a similar process to Gold Plated jewelry, yet is light years ahead in quality. Considered the “Gold of the Future”, Gold Filled jewelry
looks gorgeous and wears beautifully due to the higher gold content and improved methods of production.
Gold filled jewelry is cared for in the same manner as other precious jewelry. The absolutely best thing you can do for your Gold Filled jewelry is to clean regularly using a little bit of warm water, and a soft cloth to dry and shine after. Many chemicals marketed for cleaning jewelry are actually somewhat abrasive or corrosive and can cause some damage or color alteration to your jewelry. The best way to avoid this is to keep it simple. Warm water and a soft cloth are the best thing you can do to maintain the beauty of your jewelry.
To maintain the beauty of your jewelry, whether it is gold filled or solid gold, salt water, chlorine (swimming pools) and all heavy detergents and cleaning agents should be avoided.
Tips to Keep Your Jewelry Beautiful
COMMERCIAL SILVER/GOLD CLEANERS
Read the label, and if in doubt, do not use a chemical cleaner. Some gemstones that cannot be placed in commercial cleaners are: pearls, lapis lazuli, malachite, opals, coral and turquoise.
JEWELRY POLISHING CLOTH OR SUNSHINE CLOTH
Use lightly to restore luster. Do not press hard when polishing gold filled or plated jewelry or you will damage the surface.
EASY HOMEMADE SOLUTIONS
The best way to clean in places where a polishing cloth can’t reach is simple. First take a small bowl that holds about a quart of water and line it with aluminum foil. Then, add hot water, a tablespoon of baking soda and stir. Place jewelry in the solution for about one minute, rinse clean and let air dry. If you have a buildup of dirt in hard to reach places, just put dish washing liquid in a bowl of water and soak overnight.
Tarnish can be retarded by storing your jewelry in a resealable plastic bag with anti tarnish paper (all Calypso’s Island Jewelry that contains Sterling Silver will come in a resealable plastic bag with an anti tarnish paper. Pearls and opals, however, should be stored in fabric instead of plastic because they need to “breathe”.
And remember… don’t get your leather wet!