How to Care for Your Jewelry

Humans of all genders have been in love with adornment since time immemorial. As an expression of self and identity, our values and ideals, our cultures, symbols of our travels and relationships, superstitions, and any number of things, jewelry is a huge way with which we state our place in the world, to ourselves and to each other. A good piece of jewelry is something to be loved for a lifetime, and to be taken care of like the dear thing that it is. We want to promote the longevity of your favorite pieces for as long as possible. Whoever you are, beauty-beholder, we hope this helps you!

At Kindred Post, the majority of our jewelry is sterling silver, brass or copper. (By the way, we keep an index on all our jewelry materials specifically for those with sensitive ears-- If you have a metal allergy, we’d be more than happy to help find a pair that’s appropriate for you.)

Regardless of the material of the jewelry, there are some base rules:

• Don’t bathe or swim in them.
• Be careful when applying anything to your hair or skin. Make sure to take them off before your skincare routine, and to put them on last after makeup, perfume or hair care. You can even take a cloth to them at the end of the day to wipe away any product buildup the piece might have accumulated throughout the day. 
• Avoid other daily tasks like cooking, gardening or cleaning in your jewelry. We’ve all been guilty of not taking our rings off before getting our hands dirty, so we could use a reminder from time to time. If you do get something wet, don’t fear-- just try to dry it off as soon as possible.

Because jewelry becomes tarnished through chemical reactions, whether from exposure to air, skin chemistry, water, or other chemicals, it’s important to do our best to keep them safe. Storing your pieces in a jewelry box or similar container isn’t just convenient or visually satisfying, it actually helps protect from tarnishing. Even long term exposure to sunlight can darken some metals.

When a piece has become tarnished, there are a few ways to clean it. If it’s appropriate for the jewelry materials (it’s all metal, with no cloth component) you can soak it in a mixture of water and gentle, unscented dish soap for a few minutes to remove grime buildup. Dry with a cloth immediately. The most effective way we’ve found to remove tarnish and patina has been personally tested by our team-- the Sunshine Cloth! This small but mighty cloth is capable of removing even some of the toughest oxidation. It makes everything look super shiny and new, just like a ray of sunshine.

We should also mention that it's natural for metals to tarnish, and some jewelry styles develop more character and depth as it ages this way. So if you choose not to remove the tarnish, that's jewelry care too! 

We hope that these tips are useful to our jewelry wearers everywhere. As always, we appreciate you and sharing beauty with you! If you have any questions about materials or care, we’re ready to help-- just reach out to us!