CARING FOR YOUR JEWELLERY
BASIC CARE
KSJ'S JEWELLERY CARE GUIDE 01
Sterling silver (hallmarked 925 only when the item is over 7.7g in weight) is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. There is no nickel in silver. Treat your pieces well; avoid contact with chlorine, chemicals and soaps etc, and remove before hand washing to help them remain untarnished, and to keep the gold plating and black oxidisation intact (if any) and in good condition.
Your jewellery is well made but not indestructible! Silver can become brittle when stretched and squeezed, which could cause it to eventually break. So it should go without saying, that you should not wear whilst doing strenuous activities such as heavy DIY, various exercising such as weights and martial arts, anything that could warp or catch and break your jewellery. If you do accidentally damage your jewellery, don’t worry, we will take a look to see about repairing it, all costs for this will fall with the customer.
Items that are plated or coated, such as our 9ct gold plated silver pieces or our oxidised black silver pieces, will gradually wear over time unfortunately. To ensure your finish lives its longest possible life, remove your jewellery when bathing, swimming and partaking in any strenuous activities causing friction to your jewellery. Do not apply creams, spray perfumes or chemicals near your jewellery.
If you need our re-plating service for your 9ct gold plated items, please get in touch to arrange this via our contact page. For re oxidising your silver items black, we will do this free of charge for the first 3 times, after which, this will incur a small fee. You can arrange this via our contact page.
Silver can and often tarnishes. To prevent this, follow the guidelines above. Also you can store your piece in its Kit Swing Jewellery box when not being worn. Polishing with a soft polishing cloth once a week, also helps to prevent this.
KSJ'S JEWELLERY CARE GUIDE 02
GETTING A GREEN OR BLACK MARK
FROM YOUR JEWELLERY?
Don’t panic – this is very rare, but can happen. This “green finger effect” happens to about 2-3% of people and this percentage is growing due to the increasing amounts of chemicals in our environment and the food we eat. These reactions can be occasional, and can even be triggered by eating something with high acidity like tomatoes. It can also be triggered by certain medications or due to excitement and adrenalin….crazy but true!
A green mark on the finger can also be a reaction between the ring and another substance on your hand, such as a lotion/cleaning product.
Acids in cleaning products/soaps cause the silver to oxidise which produces tarnish. This tarnish then leaves a dark or green ring on your finger. Even sterling silver and 9 carat gold jewellery can produce a discolouration.
You’ll reduce the chance of any ring turning your finger green if you take care to keep soap, lotions and other chemicals away from it. You should also remove your rings before bathing or swimming- especially in saltwater or chlorine. Just be sure to keep track of where they are at the pool/beach- losing gorgeous jewellery is devastating.
Silver generally tends to react differently with each individual’s body chemistry. Some people find that the silver itself turns black when it touches their skin. Others will find it’s their skin that turns black where it touches the silver. This happens with rings regularly and to add to the confusion, it can vary from ring to ring.
The important point we’re making is that it isn’t a sign of inferior metal – it’s just basic chemistry between you and the metal. The best thing to do in this situation is keep your jewellery and your skin as clean as possible.
KSJ'S JEWELLERY CARE GUIDE 03
DON'T WEAR YOUR JEWELLERY IN POOLS & HOT TUBS!
Chemicals in pools and hot tubs often react with silver and can potentially do more than just tarnish the jewellery- they can literally turn it black. This usually can’t be removed by hand and would need to be professionally restored, costs charged to the customer, so please play it safe, not sorry and take it off.
KSJ'S JEWELLERY CARE GUIDE 04
AN EASY WAY TO REMOVE TARNISH
FROM STERLING SILVER AT HOME
01
GLASS DISH &
TIN FOIL
Get a glass baking dish and cover the bottom with tin foil.
02
STEAMING
HOT WATER
Pour steaming hot water (about an inch or however high you need to cover the jewellery) into the dish.
03
ADD
SALT &
BICARB
Add about a 1tbsp of salt and 1tbsp bicarbonate soda to the mixture.
04
DROP IN
YOUR
SILVER
Drop the silver pieces into the dish. Make sure they are touching the foil and not touching each other.
05
WATCH THE MAGIC!
The tarnish will begin to disappear instantly (Heavily tarnished items might require a few extra minutes). Watch the pieces, and when they look clean you can take them out. Rinse them off with water and dry thoroughly.