Hi.
Welcome to the Ozone and our adventures!
Welcome to the Ozone and our adventures!
Great question! We recommend using mild soap and water to initially clean a piece of jewelry. If it is hung with one of our leather cords, we recommend removing it or just washing the pendant itself, avoiding the leather as much as possible and drying immediately.
We do not recommend a vibratory cleaning machine for any of our jewelry pieces.
Please take care with harsh cleaning agents as some will be harmful to Opal, Pearl, or other gemstones we use.
A jewelry polishing cloth (that has embedded polish) is a great way to keep your jewelry looking fantastic, like the day it came off the jewelry bench. Cleaning and polishing the jewelry when you’re finished wearing it is a great way to prevent oxidation of the metals. Both sterling and fine silver will tarnish with time but a quick polish job should bring them right back to shining brilliance. A cotton rag and silver polish is another route to polishing and those items are readily available at many stores or jewelry counters. If your silver is treated with patina (dark/black oxidation deliberately added to the piece for contrast), we suggest polishing around the patina so as not to remove it, or just stick with the jewelry polishing cloth method. Feel free to contact us with any questions!
Yes! The copper is untreated on all of the jewelry items for two reasons; first, many additives/sealants are potentially toxic when worn against the skin and second, there are beliefs in the positive aspects of wearing copper against the skin. The natural color range that copper will express is beautiful! Enjoy the variations of greens, pinks, orange, reds, and even purple.
A simple ‘Jewelry Cleaning/Polishing Cloth’ is the best way to keep that fresh copper glow. Most jewelry departments have them to purchase or they’re easy to find online. If you give your bracelet or necklace a wipe down with the cloth after you wear it, that will greatly decrease the rate at which the copper may tarnish.
The longer the copper ‘patinas’ (changes color or oxidizes), the longer it will take to clean and polish the copper. Soap and water is fine to use on the copper, this will clean the copper but will not polish it.
It is NOT recommended to use any kind of polishing machine (vibratory polisher, etc.) or any liquid polishes on the patinated copper. If you have a piece that has that dark, velvety patina (Viking Weave necklaces and bracelets), you want to hand polish and make sure no polishing compounds contact the patinated areas.
In addition, take care that the patinated copper doesn’t come into contact with household cleaners (soap is okay!) as they may strip the patina from the copper or alter the patina.
Copper reacts with ever person differently. Copper may tint your skin with prolonged wearing or having to do with amount of sweat and other things on your skin. A small number of people may have reactions to copper just like other metals and possible allergies. Copper rarely leaves any sign on my skin especially if it’s in the style of these ‘banglet’ style bracelets that have very limited contact with the skin.
