Jewelry Care

Magical Care for Your Sylvan Smith Jewelry

Your Sylvan Smith jewelry is not just an adornment—it's a work of art, crafted with care and imbued with a touch of enchantment. To preserve its beauty and magic, it requires a gentle touch and mindful care. Here’s how to keep your treasures radiant and timeless:

  1. Shield from Everyday Elements
    Your jewelry is sensitive to the world around it. Avoid wearing it while showering, swimming, or while engaging in activities like exercising, doing dishes, or handling strong chemicals. These can tarnish its glow or alter its essence. Likewise, avoid applying lotions, hairspray, or perfumes while wearing your pieces—these magical creations prefer to remain untouched by such potions.

  2. Store in a Safe Haven
    When not adorning you, your jewelry deserves a sanctuary. Store it in a dry, cool place, away from harsh elements. To preserve its enchantment, keep it in a ziplock bag with anti-tarnish strips or a specially designed anti-tarnish pouch—these can be found in many fine jewelry stores or online. These little guardians will protect your jewelry’s charm and shine, ensuring it retains its sparkle over time.

Treat your Sylvan Smith jewelry with reverence, and it will continue to shine with ethereal beauty for many years to come.

Patina: The Art of Aging with Grace

The blackened accents on your Sylvan Smith jewelry are not a flaw, but a deliberate artistic choice. This oxidized effect, known as patina, adds depth, contrast, and a sense of history to each piece, making it as unique as the wearer.

What is Patina?
Patina is the natural process of oxidation, where metal darkens over time due to exposure to air and moisture. Artists and jewelers often speed up this process using substances like liver of sulfur to intentionally darken metal, creating a striking contrast between the bright polished areas and the deeper, more shadowed tones. This darkening gives each piece character and enhances its depth.

With wear, the raised areas of the jewelry may gradually take on a dull brown or black hue. This is part of the piece’s natural aging process and adds to its charm.

How to Maintain the Shine
To keep the raised areas of your jewelry looking bright and polished, you can use the small white Pro-Polish cloths included with each order to buff away any oxidation. If you'd like a more thorough clean, you can use slightly more abrasive materials, such as dry polishing paper (available in assorted colors like white, blue, pink, grey, and green). I recommend the green polishing paper—it's coarse enough to remove oxidization but fine enough to preserve the shine of the areas you want to keep silver or white.

This attention to detail will keep your jewelry glowing, allowing the patina to evolve gracefully with time, while maintaining its radiant contrast and depth.

A Note on Patina Care

While the patina adds a unique and mystical touch to your jewelry, it is important to remember that the darkened areas are intentionally crafted. If you polish too vigorously, you may remove these treasured accents. So, take care not to rub the oxidized sections, as doing so could diminish the contrast that gives your piece its depth and character.

Accidentally Removed the Patina?
If you happen to remove the patina from those specially darkened areas, don’t worry! I can restore it for you, breathing life back into the piece with a touch of magic. For a small fee, I’ll reapply the patina, bringing back the contrast and depth that make your jewelry so unique.

With a little care, your Sylvan Smith jewelry will continue to age gracefully, keeping its enchantment intact.

Magical Tips for Cleaning Your Jewelry

Your Sylvan Smith jewelry is a treasure that deserves gentle care. Here are some enchanted steps to keep it looking its best:

  1. Gentle Cleaning
    To keep your jewelry shining, gently clean it with mild soap, warm water, and a soft-bristled toothbrush. This will help remove dirt and oils without damaging the delicate details or altering the magic within.

  2. Avoid Harsh Cleaners
    Never use silver dips, harsh commercial jewelry cleaners, or "silver baths" as these can be too strong for the intricate craftsmanship of your jewelry. These cleaners can also damage more porous stones, dulling their natural radiance.

 

Gemstone Care Tips:

Your gemstones are as sensitive as they are beautiful. Long-term exposure to direct sunlight can cause some stones to lose their vibrant color, especially amethyst, turquoise, opal, citrine, and others. To protect their magic, store your jewelry in a dry, shaded area when not in use.

Need Assistance? I’m Here for You!

If you have any questions or need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me directly via email at thesylvansmithstore@gmail.com—I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. If you haven’t heard from me within a couple of days, feel free to send a gentle reminder via Instagram, and I’ll be sure to assist you as soon as possible.

Your satisfaction is my top priority, and I’m always here to help!