Care for your Jewelry

Jewelry made from precious metals can last a lifetime if they are well-taking care of.

Silver jewelry requires closer care than gold jewelry as it tends to oxidize over time. Pure silver (999) does not oxidize, but because it is too soft to be used for jewelry purposes, our jewelry uses sterling silver (925) which is made from an alloy of pure silver (92.5%) and copper (7.5%). Copper is actually the material that oxidizes.

This is why we cover our silver jewelry with rhodium or plate them with gold where the design allows us.

To preserve the beauty and quality of your Ioana Enache Jewelry wearable art pieces, we recommend the following:

  • Avoid contact with perfumes, cosmetics, and cleaning substances as they can accelerate the oxidation process of silver jewelry.
  • We recommend that you always make sure to take off your jewelry before house and garden work or cooking.
  • Avoid prolonged contact with water (bath, sea, and swimming pools). We also recommend that you avoid contact with sand to avoid micro-scratches.
  • We advise against wearing your jewelry during exercise, as it may scratch, break or deform due to the mechanical shock.
  • Do not put heavy objects on top of jewelry items or next to them as this may cause damage or wring them out of shape. Colliers and chains must be closed and put in a flat position, hung or wrought around a soft element to avoid tangling and remaining ready for use.
  • When not wearing your Ioana Enache Jewelry, we recommend putting it back in its original packaging for safekeeping.

Important facts:

  • Please be aware that a patina of age and use on handcrafted surfaces is part of the natural beauty of a piece of gold or silver jewelry.
  • Oxidized silver jewelry must not be exposed to jewelry detergents, which will only destroy the oxidized surface. An oxidized silver surface must only be cleaned with water.
  • Please note that rings are more exposed than other pieces of jewelry. In the course of a day, the human hands are in close contact with several hard objects. Consequently, the part of the ring that faces the palm will be particularly exposed to wear.
  • White and black rhodium plating – Rhodium plating is a final treatment of the gold or silver surface. Numerous layers of rhodium make the gold surface appear white or black – creating white gold or entirely black gold. Over time, depending on how frequently the jewelry is used, the delicate rhodium plating will wear off naturally. White gold will get a yellowish look, but can at any time have new rhodium plating to restore the white appearance of the gold.
  • Oxidized silver – Oxidizing is a treatment of the precious metal surface making the silver appear greyish black. Oxidized silver jewelry used daily becomes polished in exposed areas – grooves and dents are better protected – and will in time wear off entirely on smooth surfaces. Oxidized silver jewelry must not be exposed to jewelry detergents, which will only destroy the oxidized surface. An oxidized silver surface must only be cleaned with water.
  • Precious and semiprecious stones are natural products excavated from the Earth’s interior. Impurities and variations to individual stones may occur. This is by no means a fault to the stone, but an exceptional characteristic of a natural product. Two stones may share color tone and shape, but they will never be entirely identical. Hence every precious and semiprecious stone is unique. Colored gemstones and pearls are more fragile and do not possess the durability of diamonds.
  • Pearls, precious and semiprecious stones risk losing their shine when exposed to oils, lotions, perfume, detergents, etc. Any kind of blow or contact with hard surfaces should be avoided in order not to scratch or knock off one or several layers of pearls.

How you can clean your jewelry:

  • We recommend that silver and gold jewelry without gemstone stones should be cleaned frequently using jewelry care products without abrasives. This is the safest way to clean them without any risk of damage. All gold and silver jewelry from Ioana Enache Jewelry are 100 % nickel-free.
  • If you do not have access to jewelry care products you can use the following method: immerse the jewelry for 2-3 minutes in a bowl of warm water with a solution for cleaning dishes without abrasive particles. Then gently clean the jewelry with a soft brush. Finally, rinse the pieces with clean water and wipe them well with a cotton cloth. If splashes remain, unwanted oxides may also appear, so please make sure they are properly dried.
  • If the jewelry has pearls or other gemstones, we recommend that you clean them using only a soft toothbrush and tepid water. Rinse them with clean water and wipe them well with a soft cloth.
  • Oxidized silver (patina) jewelry must not be exposed to jewelry detergents, which will only destroy the oxidized surface. An oxidized silver surface must only be cleaned with water.
  • Gemstones are natural materials and some of them are more fragile than others (depending on their hardness – Mohs scale), so they can be more easily scratched and affected by chemicals. For this reason, gemstone jewelry should be gently cleaned using only a soft toothbrush and tepid water.
  • For a deeper cleaning regarding your jewelry and removing scratches and restoring the original gloss, it is best to turn to a jeweler.

 

We hope that you find these recommendations for jewelry care useful and that you will make good use of them. Thank you for purchasing our Ioana Enache Jewelry.

 

All our jewelry has a year-long guarantee from the day they were purchased. For more details see our Terms and Conditions.