jewellery care
Wild Incantations jewellery is carefully designed with the intention of creating treasured adornments that will be durable and will last, but every piece of jewellery needs a little love and care once in awhile! Here are some helpful tips for caring for and cleaning your Wild Incantations adornments.
caring for your jewellery
Avoid bending/excessive force. Although during the electroforming process, layers and layers are built up around the original object, creating a sturdy and hardened outer surface, copper is a softer metal compared to metals like silver.
Copper can tarnish easily, so I seal all of my pieces with a clear lacquer to protect the surface of the metal. To prevent tarnishing, avoid exposure to water, lotions and harsh chemicals, and store away from direct sunlight when not being worn. Nickel plated pieces are likely to have higher tarnish resistance and are unlikely to need much care.
cleaning your copper jewellery
Copper is a metal that naturally changes over time, and you might notice some sections of the copper becoming duller, shinier or developing a greenish tinge.
If you notice a slight greenish discolouration occurring on the surface of the copper (which is a natural process as the copper oxidises), this may be an indication that the clear sealant is wearing off, but it is not harmful. While you might enjoy the natural evolution of the metal, there are also ways to clean it if you wish to. If you wish to remove this you can use a soft, clean toothbrush with warm soapy water to gently scrub the copper. Be sure to thoroughly pat the surface dry with a towel or soft cloth when you have finished.
There are several home made cleaning recipes for cleaning heavily oxidised copper jewellery such as ketchup, salt and vinegar, or baking soda and lemon juice. These all work wonderfully on copper, but can also be harsh on soft and porous gemstones, so take care to avoid touching the gemstone directly and cleanse with water immediately if you do get any of these cleaning products on the gemstones.
Once you have removed any oxidisation and have dried the copper surface sufficiently, you can paint over the area where the oxidisation occurred with a clear coat of nail polish. This will prevent further oxidisation from occurring in future.
You may notice that some parts of the copper that were originally darker may become shinier as they are polished by contact with the skin. This is part of copper’s natural process of changing over time depending on what it is exposed to.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the enquiry form if you have any questions or concerns about caring for your jewellery.