Jewellery Care Guide

Your jewelry becomes a part of your story over time. This guide, prepared to preserve their shine as on the first day and ensure they are passed down through generations, will help you extend the life of your handmade pieces.

1. General Usage Principles

To maintain the form and texture of your jewelry, adopt the "last on, first off" rule:

  • Cosmetic Contact: Avoid direct contact of chemicals such as perfume, lotion, hairspray, and cosmetics with the products. These substances can cause dullness on the metal andマット化 on the enamel.
  • Physical Activities: We recommend removing your jewelry when showering, exercising, or in the sea or pool (due to chlorine and saltwater).
  • Housework: Cleaning products and harsh chemicals can damage the metal; therefore, it is advisable to remove your rings even when washing your hands.

2. Care of Hot Enamel Products

Tanti Jewellery's enameled products are produced using a traditional technique where glass powder is fired onto metal at high temperatures. Enamel is essentially glass and therefore requires special care:

  • Impact Protection: Due to its glass structure, enamel can crack or break if subjected to hard impacts or collisions with metal surfaces. Take care not to drop your jewelry.
  • Temperature Changes: Avoid sudden and extreme temperature changes (such as placing it from very hot water into ice-cold water); this can cause differential expansion in the enamel, leading to cracks.
  • Cleaning: To clean enameled surfaces, use only lukewarm water and a soft cloth. Chemical polishes can dull the glass shine on the enamel surface.

3. Gold Plated Jewelry Care

Some Tanti Jewellery designs are plated with micron gold of the stated carat on silver, as indicated in the product descriptions.

  • Time Factor: Although the quality of gold plating is high, slight changes in color may occur over time due to friction and moisture.
  • Cleaning: To avoid damaging the plating, keep it away from abrasive surfaces. When cleaning is necessary, use only lukewarm water, a very mild dish detergent, and a soft-bristled toothbrush. Then rinse with clean water and gently polish dry with a cotton or microfiber cloth.

4. About Silver Jewelry and Tarnishing

Silver, by its nature, reacts with sulfur in the air and can tarnish over time (oxidation). This is not a defect but proof of the metal's naturalness.

  • Preventing Oxidation: The more often you wear your silver jewelry, the more the natural oils on your skin protect the metal and delay tarnishing.
  • Storage: When not in use, store your jewelry in a moisture-free, light-protected, and airtight box or fabric pouch.

5. Jewelry Cleaning Tips

  • Soft Touch: Use a microfiber or soft cotton cloth for drying after cleaning. Paper towels or harsh fabrics can create micro-scratches on the surface.
  • Silver Polishing Liquids: You can clean and polish silver products with commercially available silver polishing liquids/pastes. (*)

(*)Warning: Silver polishing liquids or pastes can rapidly erode the gold layer on gold-plated products. Use these products only on your unplated silver pieces.

  • Professional Support: As Tanti Jewellery, we stand behind every handmade product. For your gold-plated products that fade over time, jewelry requiring deep cleaning, or needs such as enamel repair, you can contact us to benefit from our professional "Repair and Restoration" service.

Warning / Some Methods and Their Results You May Frequently Encounter in Unreliable Sources

1. Brushing with Toothpaste

  • Result: Polishes instantly.
  • Does it harm? YES. Toothpastes contain microscopic abrasive particles. When you brush silver, thousands of invisible scratches form on the surface. These scratches cause the silver to tarnish faster and the mirror-like shine to dull over time.
  • Rating: ❌ (Not recommended)

2. Rubbing with Salt + Lemon

  • Result: Chemically removes tarnish.
  • Does it harm? YES. The acid in lemon and the crystalline structure of salt, when combined, "etch" the silver surface. Especially in stone-set silver, it can dull the stone, distort the metal's structure, and leave a rough texture on the surface.
  • Rating: ❌ (Not recommended)

3. Vinegar + Baking Soda

  • Result: The reaction is strong; it cleans.
  • Does it harm? While it does not directly harm the silver itself, you must rinse the silver very well after the fizzing stops. Acid residue can cause staining on the metal.
  • Rating: ⚠️ (Proceed with caution)

4. Boiling Water + Baking Soda + Aluminum Foil

  • This is not a rubbing method, but an ion exchange (chemical reaction) method, and it is the most scientific and harmless way at home.
  • How to do it? Lay aluminum foil in a bowl (shiny side up). Place the silver on top. Sprinkle baking soda and add boiling water.
  • Why is it reliable? The tarnish on silver (silver sulfide) transfers the sulfur to aluminum when it comes into contact with aluminum. Since no physical friction is applied to the silver, there is no risk of scratching.
  • Rating: ✅ (Most reliable home method)

Critical Warnings for Tanti Jewellery Products

If the products you want to clean are not just "silver", the following rules are vitally important:

  • Gold Plated Products: DO NOT try ANY of the above methods on gold-plated products. Baking soda or vinegar can strip off the thin gold layer in seconds. Plated products should only be cleaned with lukewarm water and a soft cloth.
  • Hot Enamel Products: The boiling water method is risky for enamel (glass). Sudden temperature changes can cause the enamel to crack.
  • Stone-Set Products: Porous stones such as pearls, turquoise, and coral will irreversibly fade and dull if they come into contact with vinegar or baking soda.

The Best, Most Reliable, and Gentlest Homemade Alternative: "Jewelry Bath"

  • Mix warm water and a few drops of pH-neutral dish soap in a bowl.
  • Soak the jewelry in it for 5-10 minutes.
  • Clean the details with a soft-bristled baby toothbrush (without pressing hard).
  • Dry thoroughly with a microfiber cloth.

Tanti Jewellery Note:

Each of our jewelry pieces is completely handmade, and therefore each piece has a unique texture. By following the steps in this guide, you can preserve the uniqueness of your jewelry for years to come.

Each of our pieces prepared with the hot enamel technique is a unique fusion of fire and glass. By treating them with the care you would a work of art, you can maintain their brilliance for a lifetime.