Wild & Arrow Jewelry
JEWELRY INFO
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We love to use solid silver / brass / bronze in Wild & Arrow pieces; mostly recycled or vintage. All brass / bronze chains are new with protective coating unless otherwise stated. Your jewelry is made to be beautiful for years to come. The solid metal in our jewelry is recyclable.
We avoid gold-plating because of the harmful chemicals that needs to be used and because the solid silver/bronze/brass metal can be polished over and over if you want your jewelry to shine.
Golden raw brass / bronze
The Wild & Arrow golden pieces are made of raw solid brass / bronze, unless other stated. The metal will change it´s color over time, fade or darken. We really love this natural result which will make your Wild & Arrow jewelry truly unique. If you prefer a golden look it´s easy to clean and polish brass and bronze.
Ring that are used frequently will remain golden and shiny and darken in corners.
Brass and Bronze pendants will usually darken over time.
Bronze & Brass // Rings & Earrings
Does your skin darken by the copper in brass/bronze?
Avoid wearing rings/earwires with moisturizer or around water. Also a layer of clear nail polish works nicely inside of a ring and on the back of an earring.
If you want us to add a protective layer on your piece, or change earwire to silver/gold just get in touch!
Silver
Wild & Arrow silver pieces are made with solid sterling silver 925. This is the most common silver used in jewelry around the world. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper.
Pure silver is mostly too soft to use in jewelry, therefore silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength.
We use recycled silver because of all ethical and environmental problems in the mining industry. We also buy locally recycled silver and locally made chains as much as possible.
Matte/shiny silver usually needs a little cleaning after frequent use. See our tips further down to get your silver polished.
Oxidized Dark Silver
Wild & Arrow oxidized jewelry is also made with solid 925. sterling silver.
The copper in the silver alloy darkens when it comes in contact with oxygen/humidity. This creates the finish which sometimes is unwanted. Of course we want the silver to be dark!
Oxidizing is a treatment that basically speeds up the natural oxidization process that would occur on silver over time.
Your dark jewelry will evolve/fade with wear, resulting in a patina that is unique to your piece. Especially on frequently used rings the oxidization will fade to a more shiny silver appearance.
We can reapply the oxidized finish and add a protective layer if you wish to keep it dark.
Just get in touch!
JEWELRY CARE
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Store your Wild & Arrow jewelry in a cool dry place. Most jewelry can be gently rinsed with soap and water if needed. Make sure to dry completely before storing your jewelry.
If you want your bronze/brass pieces to darken and oxidize you can speed up the process and do the opposite; if you store them in your bathroom around humidity they will darken faster. But be aware of any fingerprints. They don´t look pretty in our opinion..
Polishing // Brass / Bronze / Copper cleaning // Eco friendly
Golden brass/bronze is easy to polish back to it´s original shiny state. Ketchup is a great cleaner, yes really! Apply a thick layer. Let your Wild & Arrow piece soak for a few minutes. Rinse with water. Voila!
A kitchen sponge with some dish washing detergent will help if you want a matte brushed finish or if the jewelry was in really bad shape.
We can also clean the jewelry for you, just get in touch!
Avoid using harsh cleansers (don´t rub with any cleanser) on our brass chain as this may cause the protective coating to wear off.
Polishing // Silver / Gold cleaning // Eco friendly
Sterling Silver and Gold is easy to clean back to it´s shiny state with a bath of hot water, salt and a piece of aluminium foil.
Add a tablespoon salt above a small piece of foil. Pour in hot water and let your silver jewelry soak for a minute! Rinse with water.
This will probably not work on our dark oxidized pieces.
Another way of polishing your silver is to use baking soda (bikarbonat in Swedish) and water.
Add enough baking soda so you get a paste. Then use a toothbrush or a piece of cloth and rub your silver. Rinse with water and always dry your silver throughly.
A kitchen sponge will help if you want a matte brushed finish or if the jewelry was in really bad shape. Also a small rinse with dish-washing liquid and a tooth brush can be helpful.
If you don´t want to be bothered, we can clean your Wild & Arrow jewelry for you. Get in touch with us!
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