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Valkyrie jewelry is specifically designed to be durable and easy to wear every day. The thickness of the metal, the tolerances of the design elements, and the way the stones are set all contribute to long-term durability.
However, precious metals are softer than many of the substances we handle in daily life, and many colored stones can be somewhat delicate. You may have noticed emerald is not one of the listed stone options, and this is because emeralds are too soft for most daily wear!
To keep your fine jewelry in good shape, here are a few guidelines to follow:
1. Please don't wear your rings at the gym, working in the garage, or doing any kind of outdoor manual labor. Handling equipment and tools causes premature wear and tear. Generally speaking, most necklaces and earrings aren't going to come in contact with rough materials unless you're doing front squats or cleans in the gym.
2. Please don't wear your jewelry at the pool. Chlorinated water damages precious metals and causes pitting and brittleness. Once a piece starts cracking from repeated pool exposure, there is absolutely no way to repair the metal. It's toast.
3. It's best if you don't wear your jewelry while using lotions, soaps, and other skin-care products. They tend to leave residues that accumulate and take more effort to clean, and some products have ingredients that tarnish silver rapidly and can even tarnish 14k gold! With the pandemic, I also noticed some strange chemical effects on fine jewelry from repeated hand-sanitizer use. It's ok to wear your earrings and necklaces in the shower; I do that too.
4. It's a good idea to clean your jewelry every now and then. It's the perfect opportunity to check for any wear-and-tear concerns before they become potential repairs (it can happen to anyone). The easiest way to clean your jewelry at home is to fill a small bowl with dish soap and water. You can soak your pieces a bit if they're looking pretty dingy, and then you can use a very soft toothbrush to gently scrub. If you want to get fancy, you can use a polishing cloth to brighten up the luster a bit. This works particularly well on silver. Here is an example of one of my favorite cloths: [Fabulustre Jewelry Polishing Cloths]. If you want to get REALLY fancy, you can buy a small ultrasonic jewelry cleaning machine. This is similar to the industrial machines I use in my shop. Reach out if you have any questions about cleaning your jewelry at home.
