Jewelry Care

Jewelry is delicate by nature so you should wear it and store it with this in mind. Precious metals should always be kept away from harsh chemicals, detergents, lotions, sunscreen, chlorine, hairspray, perfume, and even salt water, amongst many other things. We recommend putting on perfume before you put your jewelry on. Our sterling silver jewelry should not be worn in the shower, hot tubs, pool, ocean, or while doing dishes. Chlorine from hot tubs and pools will cause irreversible damage over time. Your jewelry pieces will tarnish very quickly if they come in contact with any of these substances.

If your Salty Girl jewelry pieces need cleaning you can use mild hand soap and dish detergent and rub with your fingertips under running water to remove surface dirt and buildup. Sterling silver pieces can be polished with a jewelry polishing cloth. A jewelry specific brass brush like we sell can be used for textured sterling silver or 14k gold pieces, not smooth high polished surfaces. Gemstones, shells and seaglass are best cleaned using an old soft toothbrush and mild hand soap or dish detergent gently brushed under running water. Rinse your jewelry piece thoroughly with clean water and pat dry.

For oxidized silver pieces we suggest that you don’t clean them unless absolutely necessary. The black oxidation is only a surface patina and can rub off quite easily. The color of the oxidized metal may lighten a little bit with wear- this is a natural occurrence. If you must clean your oxidized silver piece, try to clean it first with mild hand soap and rub gently with your fingertips under running water. You can also try rubbing gently with a soft and dry 100% cotton cloth or microfiber cloth until the metal is slightly shiny again.