Jewelry Care
Like you, our jewelry is made to be loved and cherished.
You deserve the very best, which means high-quality pieces that don't eat up all your savings. At Ptera, our goal is to provide you with high-quality materials befitting to leading luxury brands at half the price. That's why we make our jewelry using sterling silver and gold vermeil. These precious metals are hypoallergenic, durable, and affordable, and can last a long time with the proper maintenance and care.
To learn more about our materials, click here
To help keep your jewelry looking shiny and new, follow our helpful tips provided below.
Jewelry Care
Preventative Care
Put Your Jewelry On Last. Put your jewelry on last, after you have done your hair and applied your makeup, perfume, and lotions.
Take Your Jewelry Off Before Bed. Remove your jewelry before sleep to prevent wear.
Avoid Unnecessary Abrasion. To prolong the longevity of your pieces, limit their exposure to environmental factors (i.e. while swimming, showering, bathing, washing your hands, exercising, or doing household chores).
Cleaning Gold Vermeil
Our gold vermeil is sterling silver plated with 2.5-3 microns of 18K gold. This thick layer of gold allows us to provide you with beautiful, luxurious pieces that last you 5-100x longer than standard gold-plated jewelry (and that are water and tarnish resistant). However, since gold vermeil is still a type of gold-plated jewelry, you should avoid using cleaning solutions with harsh ingredients to clean your vermeil pieces. To polish/clean your vermeil jewelry, we recommend the following:
An Un-treated Cloth. The best and most simple way to clean your vermeil jewelry is by gently rubbing and polishing your piece with a soft, lint-free cloth or microfiber cloth. Avoid using a polishing cloth or silver cloth unless they specifically say "un-treated". These types of polishing cloths usually have polishing agents or chemicals that can cause premature wear-down.
Lukewarm Water & Soft Liquid Soap. If your piece needs a deeper clean, mix a small amount of soft liquid soap into a lukewarm bowl of water and dip a soft cloth into the bowl. Wring the cloth and use it to gently rub and polish your piece until it is clean. Avoid using a brush (even if it is soft-bristled). It can be too abrasive and cause scratches. Once your piece has been cleaned, rinse it off with a new soft cloth that has been wet with clean water. Then carefully dry it with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth or microfiber cloth.
Do Not Use Abrasives, Acids, Or Other Harsh Cleaning Agents. Baking soda and other abrasives can break down the gold plating. Likewise, acids (vinegar, lemon juice, etc.) and other harsh cleaning agents can cause premature wear-down.
Cleaning Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is an alloyed metal made of 92.5% silver and 7.5% alloy. It is a popular metal due to its affordability and malleability, but over time, it may tarnish and lose its shine. To combat this, we utilize an advanced rhodium plating technique that is followed by polishing and protective coating, enhancing the durability and beauty of our sterling silver pieces. However, If your sterling silver has worn down and begun to tarnish, try cleaning it with one of these jeweler-approved home remedies:
Polishing Cloth. Gently rub the polishing cloth on your sterling silver piece, switching to different areas on the cloth.
Soap & Water. The first cleaning solution you should use when cleaning your sterling silver is soap and water. These two gentle cleansers will be the least corrosive to your jewelry and should be considered your linemen when it comes to cleaning sterling silver.
Baking Soda. If soap and water doesn't do the trick, try using baking soda. Mix two parts baking soda with one part water and use a clean cloth to apply the paste and polish your jewelry. When trying to get into small crevices, we recommend using a soft-bristled toothbrush.
Note. If your piece is engraved, etched, or has detailing, add more water to make the paste less taxing on these elements.
Lemon Juice & Olive Oil. Another option is to use lemon juice and olive oil to clean your sterling silver. Due to its citric acid content, lemon juice works wonders at targeting oxidation and removing tarnish from your jewelry. Mix 1/2 cup of lemon juice with 1 teaspoon of olive oil into a glass bowl and place a small non-abrasive cloth in the bowl to absorb the solution. Then wring out the cloth and use it to polish your jewelry. Repeat as needed, then rinse the piece with water and dry it with a clean cloth.
Baking Soda & White Vinegar. If you need something a little stronger, try mixing 4 parts white vinegar with 1 part baking soda in a glass bowl. This will result in a chemical reaction that causes bubbles to form. While the paste is still in this active state, use a clean cloth to coat your sterling silver in the paste and leave your jewelry to soak for 2-3 hours. Then rinse the paste off and dry the piece with a clean cloth.
Storing Your jewelry
To increase your jewelry’s longevity, store your jewelry in a jewelry box lined with felt or in your Ptera box/pouch that was included in your purchase.
