Jewellery Care

 

How to care for your jewellery

Lucent Studios items are made using either raw brass or plated metals (unless otherwise stated, i.e. the Sterling Silver/ gold range which is created using gold fill, Vermeil or Sterling Silver). Please be aware that they will tarnish over time and do need to be cared for. To prolong the life of your piece, here are a few tips!

- Avoid wearing perfume at the same time and in the same place as your piece of jewellery. The chemicals in the perfume react with the plating which will cause it to tarnish. Strong body lotions can have the same effect.
- Goes without saying, but please, no showering/ sleeping in your jewellery!
- Avoid using household chemicals whilst wearing bracelets or rings. Simply put, someone else will have to do the housework for you.
- When it comes to storing, it really is best to keep your Lucent Studios jewellery in its box or wrapped away in a drawer.
- Give them a little clean occasionally and they will love you that much more. For plated materials, a light wipe with a mild soap works wonders. Rather than towel drying which may scratch the metal, give them a gentle breeze down with a hair dryer.
- Raw brass will patina with wear; if you prefer your brass pieces to look sparkly new, apply a tiny bit of Brasso, rub in very gently and polish up with a soft cloth. For Sterling Silver items, use a Silver cloth available from most supermarkets.

Let's talk about Green fingers.

'Will it turn my finger green?'

Do your fingers tend to go green when you wear jewellery? Worry not! It's simply the alloys in the metal reacting to your skin; every person has a unique skin pH level. The average is 5.5 but for some their skin is more alkaline, others are more acidic. This means that for each body, it will produce more or less moisture and acid dependant upon this pH level. This, combined with external factors such as washing your hands, applying lotions or perfumes etc, can react with your jewellery so it's important to clean your pieces regularly. In short, there's nothing wrong with your jewellery and you're not turning into something from the black lagoon. Just follow the tips above and you're golden (not green.)

Nickel Content

All plated items comply with compulsory EU regulations restricting the amount of nickel in jewellery. This states that only a teeny tiny amount of nickel may be present in the final piece (mass of nickel to total mass must be under 0.05%).

For further information, please see The European Directive restricting the use of Nickel.