Posh Jewelry Care
At Posh by TOSH we pride ourselves on using the highest quality materials to yield beautiful jewelry that's truly made to last. Besides some basic common sense, the following are a few main things to remember when wearing and storing your custom piece, to ensure that you will be able to enjoy it for many moons to come...
14 Karat Gold Filled Metal/ Argentium & Sterling Silver
Most Posh creations use 14 Karat Gold Filled Metal and Argentium Sterling Silver. Gold Filled Metal contains one hundred times more gold content than plated metal. This factor alone explains why Gold Filled is the perfect alternative to solid gold as the weight is added to the value of the piecel and not removed from your wallet. The heavier and thicker Gold Filled pieces will last just as long as its equal in solid gold metal, and is of course far more durable than gold plate. While this metal is considered superior to work with, special care and precautions still must be observed in order to ensure your Gold Filled jewelry will last for years if not a lifetime.
Argentium Silver contains approximately 1.8% more pure silver content than Standard Sterling. It also contains slightly less zinc, which allows an even brighter lustre, especially after polishing.
14K Gold Filled
While wearing, take care not to expose the metal to excess moisture (especially thinner delicate chain) as this can cause tarnishing. Should tarnish arise you may use any jewelry polishing cloth to gently massage the metal and remove discoloration. Remember we live amongst many natural elements that just aren't metal's friend, especially water and carbon. So to avoid exposure to excess moisture, do remove pieces prior to sleeping, swimming and showering, or if you should happen to find yourself around a fabulous bonfire- sounds fantastic, but excess carbon and heat will reak havoc on your glistening gold filled metal. NEVER attempt to submerse delicate chain in water as well as any solution for cleaning or use any heavy cleaning solvents. Normal wear is to be expected as the skin with its sodium content and varied pH balance will naturally cause metal to deepen in color and wear over time while typically maintaining its beauty and natural lustre. Store pieces separately whenever possible in an airtight bag or natural fiber cloth. This will also lessen reaction to elements and minimize oxidation and thus tarnishing greatly.
Argentium Sterling Silver
Sterling and Argentium Silver are fine to submerse in most any silver cleaning solution product, just make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions closely to avoid mishandling of the metal. A jewelers cloth is also quite handy for quick, spot polishing and will keep your Silver pieces gleaming for many years to come. Otherwise, practice the same common sense; as with Gold Filled, the more you can prevent excess tarnishing from occurring in the first place the more you can maintain the original beauty and longevity of your Posh creation.
24 Karat Electro-Gold Plate
While gold plate is more susceptible to the elements than gold filled metal, our electro-gold plating process allows the strongest adhesion of gold particles to chemically bond with base metal; typically a steel or brass alloy and always 100% nickel and cadmium free. It's also a higher gold weight/content (24K as opposed to 14K Gold) and is electrically bonded as opposed to 'steam plated'- the method still used by many fashion (costume) jewelry makers. Please take care to especially avoid moisture including excess perspiration as this can cause the plating to prematurely erode. Also depending on your skin's pH/acid content, make sure to keep skin free from excess impurities and irritants such as alcohol (i.e. hand sanitizers) or heavy perfume and lotions. Otherwise, your electro-plated pieces should bring many ensembles to life with endless style. When these pieces do begin to age, the Metal should fade very gradually and even look a bit richer as time goes on.
Genuine Leather/Suede
As with any other leather or suede items, please have your pieces professionally cleaned. If this is not possible:
Hard Leather
(As used in the cuffs) Besides the natural and unique markings of the hide itself, you may spot clean any additional blemishes with a slightly damp, soft cloth. NEVER submerse leather in water. In addition, you may gently and sparingly use any professional product, meant to clean and condition ashy hide, careful to avoid any gemstones or metal accents on the piece. This should revive the leather and prevent cracking.
Suede/Nubuck/Lambskin/Soft Leather
Again, spot cleaning with a very slightly damp cloth and/or gently agitate with a soft brush. We also recommend you initially 'Scotch-Guard' soft/suede leather items for an extra layer of fabric protection, enhanced durability and to avoid excess soiling. However, normal wear is to be expected and actually adds to the unique character of your leather piece over time.
Wood Beads/Accents
For the longest wear possible please take care not to submerse wood beads, such as our Aromatic Sandalwood Beads, in water (especially ocean/salt or pool/chlorinated) as this can cause the wood to crack and weaken the naturally occurring Sandalwood aroma. Should your wood beads become affected, you may revive them with any natural, preferably organic oil (orange, coconut) by gently massaging into each bead. You can also refresh diluted aroma with any high quality Sandalwood or other essential oil.
Gemstones/Crystals
GypsyPosh is proud to use handselected AA to AAA gemstones wherever possible. These stones are more valuable than standard ranked, are higher quality and require just a bit more TLC.
Many semiprecious stones and 'druzy' agates are susceptible to direct sunlight, thus prolonged exposure is discouraged to help maintain their color and clarity. While wearing pieces that contain any gemstones please make sure to avoid any high impact activities (contact sports for example) and/or to be cognizant of your piece if you should encounter a risk-prone area. We make custom creations that are built to withstand reasonable contact but most certainly can't guarantee your piece won't shatter or crack if hit with another hard item, if a necklace is tugged at by a sweet but rambunctious toddler or if an item is repeatedly dropped on the ground. Again, common sense is key so please take care when donning your gemstones: Be good to them and they will most certainly be good to you!
If you should have any additional questions about the materials we use as well as any care instructions not covered here, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are happy to demystify any concerns you may have. We think asking for help is far better than not when it comes to investing in high quality custom jewelry creations.
xx- Team Posh