Care and sizing

The stone

Petrified wood is microcrystalline quartz — about 7 on the Mohs scale, the same hardness as the quartz in beach sand. It will not scratch from normal wear, it does not fade in sunlight, and water does nothing to it.

Clean it with warm water, a drop of dish soap and a soft toothbrush. Dry it properly. That is genuinely the whole procedure.

Avoid:

• Ultrasonic cleaners. Fine for solid stones, risky for anything with a healed fracture or a silica-filled vein — which is most of this material.
• Hard knocks on a hard edge. Quartz is hard but brittle. It resists scratches and does not resist a concrete floor.
• Steam and sudden temperature change. Do not take a cabochon from hot water to cold.

Sterling silver

Sterling tarnishes. That is a chemical reaction with sulfur compounds in the air, not a defect, and it comes off with a polishing cloth in about thirty seconds. Store pieces in the bag they arrived in, with the air pushed out.

Pieces marked Argentium are alloyed differently and tarnish far more slowly — worth knowing if you leave jewelry on a dresser rather than in a drawer.

Take jewelry off before swimming. Chlorine attacks silver alloys, and salt water is worse.

Raw brass

The brass we use is sealed with microcrystalline wax, which holds its warm color for six months to a year of regular wear. When it starts to dull, a soft cloth with a little wax brings it back.

Some people's skin chemistry turns brass green where it makes contact. It is harmless and it washes off, but if you know that happens to you, choose a sterling piece — our ear posts are sterling on every style for exactly this reason.