Aftercare
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Resin jewellery is reasonably hard wearing and durable but also requires a gentle hand when it comes to cleaning and some simple aftercare points should be followed to keep your jewellery looking it's best. The jewellery I make is not designed for constant everyday wear, it should be treated with care. This page gives you some pointers on how to best look after your jewellery and what to avoid exposing it to.
Please be aware that due to the nature of resin and breastmilk it is possible that your milk stone will change colour slightly over time. Each piece of jewellery is as unique as the milk it is made from and therefore no guarantees can be made about how the jewellery will wear or age. If you have any concerns about your jewellery or queries about how best to care for it, please feel free to contact me!
What to Avoid
Moisture
Resin is porous, it isn't waterproof. Your jewellery should be removed for any activities whereby it may be submerged in water including for hand washing, showering, bathing, swimming and washing up. Also avoid storing your jewellery in moist environments such as in a bathroom.
Sleeping
As with all jewellery, you should remove your breastmilk jewellery before bed.
Chemicals
As with any jewellery, you should avoid it coming into contact with chemicals that may cause a reaction or cause the resin to break down. For best care, avoid contact with cleaning chemicals, hand sanitiser, nail polish remover, perfume etc.
Bumps and Scrapes
Remove your jewellery if doing any manual work. The breastmilk stone can scratch and scrape and any hard knocks may loosen the stone or the setting.
Sunlight and Temperature
Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight could cause discolouration of the stone, to prevent this store your jewellery in a clean, dry and dark place when you're not wearing it. Also, avoid exposure to extreme temperature (hot or cold) as this may cause the resin to expand/contract causing it to become soft/brittle/loose in the setting.
How to Clean
The Metal
To clean the metal of your jewellery use a silver/gold polishing cloth. I highly recommend 'Town Talk' polishing cloths which can be purchased from Amazon, Argos etc (Amazon link for Silver here and gold here) for around £3. These cloths contain a polish/anti tarnish agent which should bring the metal back up to a high shine. Avoid the stone coming into contact with the cloth when cleaning. I would recommend avoiding liquid or paste metal cleaners due to there being a higher chance of these coming into contact with the stone.
The Breastmilk Stone
To clean the breastmilk element of your jewellery use a soft brush (a baby toothbrush is perfect) and some warm soapy water. Gently brush the stone to lift any surface dirt. You may notice some 'speckling' on the surface of your stone in time, this is usually due to some dirt or dust catching in tiny imperfections in the surface and a light brush should release this. Do not use any chemicals on the stone or fully submerge in water.
Wear and Tear
Resin, like all plastics, may yellow over time. The resin I use is high quality and has high UV stability so your piece should not discolour or yellow rapidly, more likely over a long period of time you may notice your stone becoming 'creamier' in appearance.
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If your jewellery becomes damaged due to wear and tear or an accident (e.g. it gets scratched, broken, stained) it is possible I may be able to repair it but this will be chargeable if the damage is due to improper aftercare and not guaranteed.
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Any spare preserved milk from your jewellery will be kept for a minimum of 12 months and can be used to make repairs during this time if needed.