Jewelry Care Guide

A complete guide to how to take care of your gold-filled, vermeil and gemstone products. 

Seren and Skye uses only the highest qualities of materials, including genuine gold-filled findings, gold-vermeil and rhodium plated sterling silver, genuine freshwater pearls and gemstones. The focus of our brand is to bring you the best without the high big-brand markup.

 

Gold-Filled

Gold-filled is generally 14k gold-filled and due to its manufacturing process (a mechanical bonding of sheets of gold to a base metal), is limited in its designs. If it does not have a stamp on it, then it is not gold-filled. If it has an intricate design, then it is not gold-filled, but rather a high-quality plating. There are a lot of international wholesalers and even designers labelling their products as gold-filled, when they are not. We use only American-standard gold-filled products, purchased in North America. Anything else is a plated piece.

The best qualities of gold-filled are that they are:

  • Hypoallergenic (unless you are one of the rare few who are allergic to gold)
  • Tarnish-resistant and won’t turn your skin colours
  • Waterproof and fade proof
  • Built to last a lifetime
  • Considered a demi-fine jewelry
  • The highest quality and durability in jewelry, after solid gold/metal.

To take care of gold-filled products:

  • Do not expose to any chemicals, including perfumes, lotions, cleaning products, disinfectants, etc.
  • Clean with mild soapy water and a soft toothbrush with gentle strokes.
  • Use a soft cloth to wipe down your jewelry after use. This ensures that any skin or environmental residues are removed and acts as a polish to your pieces. Do not use pre-prepared cleaning cloths.
  • You can use an ultrasonic machine if you have a lot of jewelry and are cleaning frequently. Be sure to check that the solution is ok to use with gold-filled.

Vermeil & Rhodium Plated Sterling Silver

Gold-vermeil pieces are sterling silver base products with a thick coating of 14k or 18k gold on top. This is the same process for Rhodium, which is a hard and brilliant white metal. We source our vermeil products from North-American wholesalers.

The best qualities of vermeil/sterling silver are that they are:

  • Hypoallergenic (unless you are one of the rare few who are allergic to gold)
  • Tarnish-resistant and won’t turn your skin colours
  • Base is sterling-silver and is considered a demi-fine piece

To take care of vermeil/sterling silver products:

  • Silver will tarnish, but is easy to clean with a little bit of diluted baking soda and a toothbrush. If your vermeil or rhodium plated piece has a chip, it may start to tarnish as the silver underneath oxidizes.
  • Do not expose to any chemicals, including perfumes, lotions, cleaning products, disinfectants, etc.
  • Do not wear while swimming, showering, or sweating intensely.
  • Clean with mild soapy water and a soft toothbrush with gentle strokes.
  • Use a soft cloth to wipe down your jewelry after use. This ensures that any skin or environmental residues are removed and acts as a polish to your pieces. Do not use pre-prepared cleaning cloths.
  • Store in airtight containers/bags and separately from other pieces of jewelry.

Gemstones and Pearls

We use genuine gemstones and pearls, purchased from around the world, but prefer to shop local when possible. We inspect every gemstone that ends up on a piece of jewelry and use only the best. Our gemstones are selected for their overall beauty and elegance, which adds to our designs. However, gemstones are a gift from Gaia (mother earth) and we use her gifts to honour her, ourselves and take from her abundance and healing powers. Each gemstone carries a special significance, healing power and intention (you can read more about this in our gemstone meaning guide). Pearls are also a Gaia-given gemstone from the seas.

The best qualities of gemstones are that they are:

  • Allergies are rare. If you are allergic to metals such as nickel and chrome, you may be sensitives to gemstones if they have significant impurities and are naturally tainted with these metals.
  • Tarnish-resistant and won’t turn your skin colours
  • Many people believe that gemstones have healing powers and are intention setting. Beyond that, they are just beautiful and worth wearing.

To take care of gemstones products:

  • Gemstones and pearls are natural, earth-made stones. They are naturally susceptible to erosion, so it is imperative to keep them away from chemicals or prolonged water submersion.
  • Do not expose to any chemicals, including perfumes, lotions, cleaning products, disinfectants, etc.
  • Do not wear while swimming, showering, or sweating intensely.
  • Clean with a soft, damp cloth.
  • Keep away from heat.
  • Use a soft cloth to wipe down your jewelry after use. This ensures that any skin or environmental residues are removed and acts as a polish to your pieces. Do not use pre-prepared cleaning cloths.
  • Store in airtight containers/bags and separately from other pieces of jewelry.

 

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