Jewelry Care

All jewelry made by Big Island Gems is mindfully hand crafted and should be treated with care. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals(copper), copper the metal that causes your sterling silver may tarnish. It tarnishes due to moisture and sulfur in the air so you may notice your jewelry tarnish faster in a more humid climate with higher air pollution.

Pure silver does not tarnish but it is too soft to use in jewelry which is why other metals are added to it. PLEASE NOTE ** Tarnishing does not mean your jewelry is of low purity** Here I will show you tips on how protect your jewelry from tarnishing.

• Humidity: keep your jewelry away from any unnecessary humidity remove when showering, exercising, swimming in pools/hot tube
• For jewelry that’s already showing signs of tarnish, or if you want to give your jewelry an extra shine, a silver polishing cloth can be used to clean up your piece. For example, I use the yellow “sunshine cloths” available online

Most of my jewelry pieces have patina which is a method used to darken areas of the silver. This may start to fade or discolor if it repeatedly comes in contact with water or chemicals (chorine from pools, perfumes/lotions)

Gemstones

Some stones are naturally softer than others, and because of this they are at risk for scratches and cracking. Although I try my best to source high quality stones they should be treated with extra care to avoid any unwanted damage.

Stones are porous and will absorb liquids which can potentially discolor the stone over time. Try to avoid contact with anything that can cause staining (fruit juices, turmeric, ect..)