Jewelry Care & Info

All of our chains and clasps are either sterling silver or 14kt gold-filled. Please visit individual product pages for full details on the metals/materials used to construct each piece of handmade jewelry.

All of our gemstones are natural and as such, are unique unto themselves. All of our photos are stock photos and each piece of jewelry will vary slightly from the photos used on our website and social media.

To maintain the lustre of your jewelry, and prevent tarnishing and scratching, we recommend storing your Brooklyn Designs jewelry in an airtight plastic bag away from light and heat when it is not being worn. Remove jewelry prior to sleeping, bathing, exercise, cleaning, swimming, gardening and applying cosmetics. Exposure to water, lotions, body oils, cosmetics, perfumes, excessive humidity, or cleaning agents may cause discoloration, alter lengths and deteriorate the quality of the jewelry. Sterling silver and gold-filled jewelry can be cleaned with a mild soap and water solution, and a jeweller's polishing cloth (be gentle with gold-filled!).

Gold-filled metal is constructed in two or three layers, with the core metal being jeweller's brass. A gold alloy is then bonded to the brass core with heat and pressure. The bonded raw material is then sold as sheet or wire to jewelry manufacturers. Gold-filled is a great economical alternative to solid gold jewelry. It is very easy to care for and will keep its golden sheen and lustre for a lifetime if taken care of properly.

Vermeil is 22kt or 24kt gold-plated sterling silver. Vermeil is different from regular gold plated items because the base metal is sterling silver and the plating thickness must be at least 2.5 micrometres of fine gold. Most other gold-plated items are brass or base metals at their core. Vermeil can tarnish due to the sterling silver core. To prevent your vermeil jewelry from tarnishing, keep it in an airtight plastic bag (small Ziploc) and away from light and heat. Do not use polishing cloths on vermeil (or other gold-plated items) because the cloth can remove the plating from the piece and expose the underlying sterling silver core. Note: some people have a higher acidity level in their skin's natural oils, which can cause the vermeil plating to be stripped away when being worn.

 

Because of the handmade nature of the ENGRAVED Collection, it is normal to see tiny lines on your pendant. These are not scratches, but merely a feature of the natural metal components and create a beautiful handmade appearance to your jewelry, and should not be considered a defect. Each piece of jewelry is handmade to order and is not mass-produced or plated. Instead, the gold-filled and sterling silver pendants are created using a more raw metal, creating a beautiful handmade finish to each and every pendant from the ENGRAVED Collection. When you touch your pendant, you may leave fingerprints, which can be removed by using a high-quality micro-fibre cloth (like a cloth to clean your eyeglasses). A polishing cloth can be used on your engraved pendant, but please note that this can leave small, micro-fine lines on your pendant. Because each piece is handmade to order, these are all final sale items due to their custom work. If you have any questions regarding the ENGRAVED Collection please fill out the contact form on the contact page.