JEWELRY CARE
Never use silver dip, polish or ultrasonic cleaners.
They permanently strip the oxidized recess. This is the one thing that cannot be undone.
RyKier pieces are designed to be worn. A few simple habits will keep the surface reading the way it was designed.
EVERYDAY CARE
-
Last on, first off: put your jewelry on after skincare, perfume and hair products.
-
Keep it dry: remove pieces before showering, swimming or cleaning.
-
The gym rule: remove rings and bracelets before working out. Impact and friction against equipment cause immediate scratches.
SOLID STERLING SILVER .925
The recess is oxidized dark, the rim and high points are polished. The contrast is the design.
-
How to clean: the Selvyt cloth for daily wear. The Sunshine cloth on the polished rim and the high points of the relief only — never in the recess.
-
What to avoid: liquid silver dips, chemical cleaners and ultrasonic cleaning. They strip the oxidized recess permanently.
-
Silver darkens with wear. That is normal and does not affect the recess.
PLATED PIECES
Do not use polishing cloths of any kind on plated surfaces.
Not the Sunshine cloth. Not a silver cloth from a drugstore. Not the cloth that came with another brand's piece. Polishing cloths are abrasive by design: they remove metal. On a plated piece they remove the plating.
Do not use chemical dips or ultrasonic cleaners.
Silver dips attack the bond between the plating and the silver underneath. Ultrasonic cleaners loosen set stones and knots.
How to clean: wipe with the Selvyt cloth. Dry, light pressure, no rubbing. That is the whole routine.
Chlorine and salt water shorten the life of any plating faster than anything else.
WHAT THE PIECE IS
18K gold vermeil over .925 sterling silver · 2.5 microns.
Rhodium — a white metal from the platinum group, plated over .925 sterling silver. Rhodium is not gold and is not vermeil. It is named separately wherever it appears.
Both are surface layers. Both are thin. Neither is permanent. Worn often, they thin at the points that meet fabric and skin first — edges, high points, the underside of a ring. This is how plating behaves; it is not a defect.
STORAGE
Store each piece dry, away from direct light, in its own pouch or box. Loose in a bag, chains tangle and surfaces scuff against one another. Plated surfaces scratch against harder metal.
SILK-STRUNG PIECES
Some pieces are knotted on silk between each bead. Silk absorbs water and does not dry inside the knots.
-
Do not submerge the strand. Do not wash it.
-
Wipe beads with a dry cloth only.
-
Lay the strand flat to store it, not hanging — hanging stretches the silk over time.
-
Silk stretches and darkens with wear. Restringing is normal maintenance and can be done by any bench jeweler.
WHEN THE PLATING WEARS
Replating is standard bench work and any jeweler can do it. The piece is replated, not repaired — the original surface is stripped and a new layer applied.
Local refinishing reimbursement does not apply to plated pieces. That program covers oxidized silver, which is restored by a different process.
STONES & SETTINGS
Settings are secure, but daily wear and impact can shift prongs over time. If a stone ever feels loose, stop wearing the piece and email us — we will help you get it tightened by a jeweler you trust.
IF THE PATINA IS DAMAGED
Solid silver pieces only. Restoration is done with liver of sulfur and is available at any jeweler. We reimburse up to $40 USD, once, with no time limit — see Repairs & Resizing.
QUESTIONS
info@rykierjewelry.com. Answered within the day, weekends included.