Jewelry Facts & General Care
Ladybugfeet Jewelry Designs makes use of many materials to make our one-of-a-kind, quality designs. Here are some facts and care recommendations to keep your pieces as beautiful as the day you bought them.
Although it sounds all too easy, soap and water are the most versatile and effective jewelry cleaner combo. This method of jewelry cleaning works for all types of jewelry and metals--from diamond earrings to a gold necklace. The simpler the concoction, the safer your jewelry. No matter what piece of jewelry you’re cleaning, we recommend that you try soap and water before resorting to chemicals or more abrasive materials. Store your LBF Jewelry in its pouch, plastic bag or lined box for safe keeping.
Gold-plated stainless steel is a popular choice for jewelry because it's strong, durable, and doesn't tarnish as easily as other metals. We carry both gold and silver rhodium plated stainless steel designs.
PVD Plated Jewelry
What is PVD plated jewelry?
Physical Vapor Deposition, or PVD, is a vacuum coating process that is the newest and most effective Gold (and Silver) Plating Option. It uses a titanium nitride that provides an extremely durable coating. PVD coatings are more resistant to corrosion from sweat and regular wear than gold plating. It is also suitable for sensitive skin. The PVD coating allows our jewelry to be waterproof, tarnish resistant, sweat and regular wear resistant compared with standard gold plating.
Yes, you can wear all of our PVD jewelry pieces in the pool, shower or the ocean. If you swim or bathe with your pieces, we suggest rinsing them afterwards with clean freshwater to remove any chlorine, salt or hard water deposits that could potentially build up on the surface and damage or dull the PVD coating over time.
How do you care for PVD Plated jewelry?
Never use abrasive cleaners, including steel wool and polish. A jewelry polishing cloth works great to keep it looking bright and shiny. You can wash PVD plated jewelry with gentle soap, rinse well and dry completely with a soft cloth. Store your LBF Jewelry in its pouch, plastic bag or lined box for safe keeping.
Gold Filled Jewelry
What is Gold Filled jewelry? Unlike solid gold jewelry, gold-filled jewelry is composed of a solid layer of gold that is bonded to a base of another metal, such as sterling silver, copper or stainless steel. Gold filled jewelry is made through a process of fusing a gold layer and a core metal together. Because of the more intensive gold bonding process than gold plated jewelry, gold filled pieces have up to 100x more gold alloy than gold-plated pieces. While gold-filled jewelry is typically less expensive than solid gold jewelry, it is actually more durable, looking shiny and new even with decades of wear.
How do you care for Gold-Filled jewelry?
Wipe your jewelry with a soft cloth or jewelry polishing cloth. For deep cleaning: Soak in a bowl of lukewarm water with a touch of mild soap. Let your jewelry soak in the water for about a minute. Dry with a soft cloth. Always keep your jewelry in a dry or air-tight place. The dryer you store it, the longer the sheen will last! Store your LBF Jewelry in its pouch, plastic bag or lined box for safe keeping.
Standard Plated Jewelry
How do you care for standard Plated jewelry?
Our jewelry holds up very well if cared for properly. When jewelry does not hold up well, it often has to do with our skin chemistry or the piece of jewelry reacting with another substance or metal in a way that degrades the finish.
Standard Gold or Silver plated jewelry can fade over time from continuous wear. This is unavoidable over the lifetime of any plated jewelry. Because of this, we do recommend that our customers are cautious when washing their hands, swimming, exercising, cleaning, or styling their hair, as soaps, chlorine, detergents, cleaning agents, and hair products can remove the plating. Our jewelry is protected with an anti-tarnish solution, but may wear with time and improper care. A jewelry polishing cloth works great to keep it looking bright and shiny. You can wash plated metal jewelry with gentle soap, rinse well and dry completely with a soft cloth. Using jewelry cleaner, dips or polishes is not recommended as they may contain harsh abrasives. Store your LBF Jewelry in its pouch, plastic bag or lined box for safe keeping.
Sterling Silver is delicate and may be damaged if not handled with care. Remove jewelry when washing your body, swimming, exercising, or cleaning. Avoid contact with soaps, perfume, lotion, makeup, hair, and cleaning products. Sterling silver does tarnish when gaseous compounds in the air containing sulfur contact the sterling silver and react creating silver sulfate, which leaves a dark coating or tarnish on the silver. Humidity, chlorine, make-up, cleaning products, and even the acid in your skin can all contribute to tarnishing. But tarnish isn’t permanent or a cause for concern. Give your sterling silver a simple polish, and it’s as good as new.
A silver cleaner can be used on pure Sterling Silver pieces. A toothbrush with soap is a good option for occasional deep cleanings, but wiping with a polishing cloth is best for regular cleanings because it’s gentler. Regular wear actually prevents tarnishing as long as you don’t wear it when you’re sweaty. Store your LBF Jewelry in its pouch, plastic bag or lined box for safe keeping.
Why is my Gold and Gold-filled or Sterling Silver jewelry turning my skin green?
Metallic abrasion occurs when tiny metal particles rub off your gold ring, necklace, watch, or bracelet to form a black substance on your skin. Lotions and oils are often responsible for metallic abrasion. There are certain cases where peoples body chemistry reacts to gold, oxidizing it and leaving a green residue on your skin. It may be because of hormonal changes, pH of the body being off or a chemical reaction with your skin chemistry, or it may indicate a sensitivity to the gold ring or earrings (which is never 100% gold ring), or it could indicate iron deficiency.
Cord
To clean your cord bracelet or necklace, occasionally hand wash it, wiping it with a soft sponge and mild soap in lukewarm water. Pat with soft cloth. Let air dry. Store your LBF Jewelry in its pouch, plastic bag or lined box for safe keeping.
*Please email ladybugfeet@live.com with questions on the care of any of our designs.
