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Handcrafted one at a time, cherished for a lifetime.

Care + Materials

 

Your jewelry should be worn often, loved deeply, and cared for to keep it looking its best. Different materials can require different care, so read carefully to find out what is best for your piece.

 

GOOD PRACTICES FOR ALL OF YOUR MOLLY DINGLEDINE JEWELRY

 
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Store your jewelry inside a jewelry box or a small plastic bag. If left out, especially in a humid area, it has a tendency to tarnish more quickly. Keep jewelry with pearls separated from other pieces that can scratch or damage them.

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“Last on, first off.” This is a good practice for wearing any jewelry. Chemicals in lotions, makeup, perfume, etc. can interact with metals in jewelry and ruin their look. Avoid wearing it to the gym, beach, shower, or anywhere it could come in contact with chemicals or salt.

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Occasionally clean your jewelry with an old soft toothbrush, mild soap, and warm water. This will remove any buildup from your daily activities. After washing, dry the piece with a soft cloth. Oils from our skin are actually good for pearls, whereas washing them too much can cause pearls to lose their luster. I recommend using African black soap. It is gentle and fine to use on all of my pieces. It also makes an excellent face soap!

 

Caring for your oxidized silver Jewelry

1

If your silver jewelry’s oxidation becomes darker or dull over time, gently rub the surface of the silver in a circular motion with a soft polishing cloth. Then wash your piece with warm soapy water to remove any gradu and dry it with a clean cotton cloth. Polishing cloths are fine to use around pearls, just be gentle.

2

Do not use silver polish. Silver polish will ruin pearl luster and may affect the oxidation of the darkened pieces.

3

Follow my Good Practices recommendations at the top of this page.

Caring for your Jewelry with gold vermeil or mixed metals

1

Use a soft polishing cloth to gently clean away any tarnish that may build up over time, or to simply brighten the gold vermeil. Then wash your piece with warm soapy water to remove any gradu and dry it with a clean cotton cloth. Soft polishing cloths are fine to use around pearls, just be gentle.

2

You may use Tarn X tarnish remover and follow those directions if your jewelry meets all of these conditions:

entirely gold vermeil, or a mix of gold vermeil and bright silver

without pearls or stones

does not have any oxidized components

 
Illustration of 3 stacked ginkgo leaves in gold, pink, and gray
 

I stand by the quality of my jewelry. I will always be glad to refinish your jewelry free of charge at your request.

About the Materials

 

Sterling Silver

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. Pure silver is very soft, making it a poor choice for everyday jewelry. The addition of copper makes silver strong. Sometimes the number “925” is used to specify that a metal is sterling silver.

Oxidized Silver

Oxidized silver is sterling silver that has been exposed to a chemical (liver of sulphur) to speed up the tarnishing effect. Liver of sulfur is a mixture of potassium sulfides which has traditionally been used to darken or ‘antique’ silver and bronzes. This involves a chemical reaction that oxidizes the metal surface and forms sulfide compounds. When you use liver of sulfur on these metals, the sulfur reacts with the surface and the atmosphere to produce the grays and blacks.

After the silver piece is blackened with this chemical, I put it into a tumbler for several hours. This gives a uniform finish, polishing the high spots and leaving the recesses black. While the layer of sulfide is superficial, it is very durable and does not rub or flake off easily. It can be removed with an abrasive polishing cloth or silver polish.

An interesting article on why silver tarnishes

Gold Vermeil (18k yellow and 18k rose)

Gold vermeil is a thick coating of gold over sterling silver. To be legally called "vermeil" internationally, the jewelry piece must be sterling silver as its base material, be plated in gold that is at least 10 karats (41.7% gold content), and have gold plating that is at least 2.5 microns thick. A micron is 1/1000th of a millimeter. 18k yellow gold is 75% 24k gold, 12.5% copper, 12.5% silver. Rose gold is 75% 24k gold, 22.2% copper and 2.8% silver. Rose gold vermeil has a tendency to tarnish more because of the copper content.

Vermeil jewelry can be a great and durable alternative to solid gold pieces. Although gold vermeil will not tarnish like silver, it may become dirty and fade slightly with wear.

Tarnish or darkening of the metal, especially in recesses of the piece, is caused by oxidation of the surface layer of metal. Tarnish can be cleaned with a polishing cloth or tarnish remover. If the gold layer wears away over time, the jewelry can be re-plated.

Gold vermeil is similar to gold-plated jewelry but the difference is that the layer of gold is thicker and the metal underneath is sterling silver. It will last longer than gold-plated jewelry, but can still tarnish if exposed to water, sweat, or perfume, or the gold may eventually scratch and rub off with wear. Harsh chemicals might even ruin the gold plate right away.

Good article on differences between gold vermeil and gold filled

Cultured Pearls

Cultured pearls are real pearls—but they are formed with human intervention. Most pearls available on the market today are cultured pearls, and can be grown in freshwater or saltwater. Each mollusk produces dozens of pearls, unlike natural pearls, which only grow one pearl per shell. Natural pearls are much rarer and, therefore, much more valuable.

Here is a detailed article on cultured pearls