Caring for Your Jewelry
Most natural gemstones have some degree of fragility to them and silver, while beautiful is a soft metal. Taking good care of your Shanti pieces will ensure they last a lifetime.
Storage
When not wearing your pieces we recommend storing them individually in their envelopes. Although they make for great display pieces in your home, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight or heat can damage many of our natural stones over time. Storing various pieces of gemstone jewelry together without anything between them can result in scratches.
Cleaning
We always recommend bringing your pieces to a qualified jeweler for cleaning. Most will offer this at reasonable pricing while doing the absolute best job at both preserving and enhancing gemstones, settings and metals. Always inform the jeweler of the stones to prevent any mistakes.
When cleaning at home, please follow these do’s & don'ts:
Do:
Use soft fabrics such as microfiber whenever cleaning your pieces.
Clean with simple soap and water along with a soft brush such as a paintbrush or makeup brush.
Immediately after cleaning, dry your pieces with a soft, lint-free cloth and then air dry with a cold hair dryer or a fan.
Use cleaning as an opportunity to inspect your piece. If stones look loose or scratched a professional jeweler will likely be able to take care of that before any more damage occurs!
Don’t:
Use abrasives or harsh chemical cleaners.
Don’t use ultrasonic cleaners or mechanical polishing equipment.
Store gemstone jewelry loose and together, the gems can scratch each other!
Everyday
Avoid wearing your jewelry while swimming, bathing, doing the dishes…you get it. This should be fine once or twice but with repeated or extended exposure, minerals found in water, even clean tap water can cause gemstones to cloud, soften or dull. Gems damaged in this was can often be restored but it’s a long, expensive process that often involves removing some of the stone.
If you follow these instructions your handmade Balinese jewelry can last a lifetime!