~Taking Care of Your Jewelry~

Hello Everyone! I'm back, sorry for the inconsistent posting, school and medical issues have sadly taken up so much of my time, but I refuse to quit making the jewelry I love! haha.

Today I thought I'd talk about how to take care of your silver and Swarovski jewelry... there are many options that different places list as the best way, but I'm here to break it down as to what really works, and what doesn't.

Like I said in my last post about silver, it does tarnish over time. However, one of the best things about silver is that this is not a permanent affect ~ simply rub over the jewelry with a polishing cloth and the tarnish will be removed (I can include a 4x6 polishing cloth in your order for just $4 ~ they will help to keep your jewelry looking shiny and new). Also like I mentioned in my silver post, make sure you know what kind of jewelry you are buying, silver plated items are not able to be polished, they actually loose their silver coating over time and it can't be repaired. (and yes, all of my jewelry is still made with Sterling Silver ~ nothing is ever just silver plated.) So that's the best, fastest, and easiest way to polish your silver jewelry; now onto how/where to store your jewelry...

Some people recommend that the jewelry be stored in tiny plastic bags to prevent tarnishing... this actually does more harm than good. Tarnishing is a natural process, that is easy to reverse, so you should not be overly afraid of this happening to your jewelry. Even if you keep it in a completely humid free environment (or in a plastic bag) when you are not wearing it, it will still eventually tarnish just from the wear. The plastic bag actually puts your silver chain at a higher risk of becoming so tangled that there is no getting it straightened, AND it also allows the Swarovski crystals to rub up against the silver, which can quickly lead to scratches on your once perfectly shiny crystal jewelry. My advice, is to still keep your jewelry away from highly humid places (such as the bathroom) in order to reduce how often you polish your jewelry (this is really just for convenience) and enjoy the jewelry! Do not be scared of a little tarnish that can be removed; what matters most is that you are able to see and use the piece as much as you like. After all, where is the fun in buying cute things if you hide them away in bags? Go ahead and display it on a necklace stand in your room~

Hope that helped to answer some questions about how to take care of your jewelry; keep sending me your questions! I love to hear from you~