Care Guidance
Nica Brac jewellery is a type of specialist collector's art jewellery that is made by hand using very finely detailed and intricate silver wire work, along with rare collector's gemstones that you don't often see set into mainstream jewellery.
The best way to clean your jewellery is to use diluted hand soap in lukewarm water, gently cleansing it with a very soft small make-up brush. Then rinse with plain water and gently pat dry with a soft non-abrasive cloth or soft tissue. It's best to avoid leaving jewellery that contains gemstones to soak in water - some stones (such as calcite, fluorite, celestine and selenite) can react poorly with prolonged water contact and may even begin to slightly dissolve.
General gemstone care:
Avoid storing your gemstones in direct sunlight, as many naturally begin to fade or change colour over time with prolonged sun/ UV exposure. This is a natural occurrence and caused by how UV light interacts with the chemical structure of the stone. Types of gem that can be affected by sunlight fading or colour change include: amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, brown topaz, aquamarine, morganite, kunzite, sodalite, some colours of diamond, fluorite, amber and opal. When not being worn, store your gemstone jewellery in its box and in a dark place away from direct light.
Ultrasonic cleaners are unsuitable for cleaning jewellery that contains gemstones - they have been known to loosen stones from certain types of jewellery settings, and can badly damage many types of gemstones.
Try not to store gemstone in a way that they'll end up touching each other. Gemstones all have a different 'hardness', which means that a hard gemstone (such as a sapphire, topaz or diamond) is able to scratch a softer gemstone (such as fluorite or calcite) if they rub against each other.
The old saying "jewellery should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off" is true, as this protects it from excess handling. It's also best to avoid letting your jewellery come into contact with make-up, hairspray, gel, aftershave or perfume - some gemstones can become stained by make up pigments or permanently tainted by perfume smells.
Some types of gemstones can suffer from what is called thermal shock when exposed to sudden extreme temperature changes. To avoid this, it's best to steer clear of steam-cleaning gemstones, or exposing them to sudden below freezing temperatures, or boiling heat. Also keep all your jewellery and gemstones away from strong cleaners such as bleach.
If you have any further questions or need some advice, please do to get in touch at care@nicabrac.com.