All of my jewelry pieces are handmade with the exceptions of some findings, stringing materials etc. I use a variety of media- some of which are more delicate than others. My pieces are generally designed to be more of a statement piece than a regular, every day piece of jewelry. Most of my items are not designed for wearing in the shower, swimming, wearing during workouts, etc. Using cleaners and alcohol or any abrasive cleaner is not advised. The only exception is using a polishing cloth on metals like brass, copper and silver.

My newer work utilizes impression dies rescued from now defunct jewelry houses. Impression dies can create deep designs in metal and are one of the tools I have recently added to my arsenal. I tend to collect designs that are Gothic, Celtic or Victorian in nature- designs with scrolls, beautiful women, flowers, and even gargoyles 😊. Some designs date back to the late 1800’s and come from shops that were located in places like Rhode Island, Paris and Germany. If you are interested in hearing more about how Kevin Potter of Potter USA has rescued millions of these designs, watch here.

I have started to work more with pewter. It is a lovely metal. It can be shined like silver, but pewter patinas to, in my opinion, a beautiful gray. However, pewter is soft and more easily bent and scratched, so care should be taken with these pieces. Fine silver is a little more sturdy, and a lot more expensive 😉, so care should also be taken with those pieces. Copper and Sterling a bit tougher, but can also be scratched. Any metal if banged or hooked on something or if, for example with rings, jump rings, and bracelets, are opened and closed repeatedly can bend even to the point of breaking. Most of my designs would be hard pressed to have scratches removed or parts fixed because of the hand-made manner in which they are created.

Some items are very fragile (stones, glass, ceramic, crystal, fossils) and care should be taken with them. I do protect any paint I use in my processes with a sealer, but this can wear off and scrubbing or rubbing or getting wet will accelerate the process.

I do not protect patinas with any sort of sealant so cleaning the jewelry may remove any patina. Also all patinas will continue to age and darken and so the patina may change over time.

I do not seal metals to prevent patina. The metals I use-copper, brass, Sterling Silver and, to a much lesser extent, Fine Silver- will naturally patina. It is your choice to let it darken with use and age, or to use a polishing cloth to clean. However, if you choose to clean, please be aware that could change the patina and alter the look of the piece as it was originally.

More jewelry designs can be found on my Square site, and more about my jewelry making process can be found there.

I hope you have fun wearing this jewelry and bringing out the art and beauty in your soul!

All sales are final.