Wire Care
Unless otherwise noted, the jewellery handcrafted by Wire Expressions is made with .925 sterling silver wire and findings. Sterling silver is a durable, holds it's value and is hypo-allergenic. Your Wire Expressions™ Sterling Silver jewellery will be in your collection for years to come!
Gift items are made with various types of base wire. Wire Expressions takes great care to make a durable product, however, proper care should be taken to ensure wire is not pulled on or bent, as this could affect your product.
Caring for your Sterling Silver Jewellery
Put your jewellery on after applying your cosmetics and perfume. Do not wear it when bathing, sleeping, playing sports or swimming.
All sterling silver jewellery pieces by Wire Expressions come in their own mini resealable bag for easy storage when you are not wearing it. Storing your jewellery in a sealed bag will keep it from tangling with other jewellery in your box and also help prevent the silver from tarnishing over time.
If your jewellery does tarnish you can polish it with the non-toxic silver polish recipe or a jewellery cleaner designed for silver. A 'Sunshine Cloth' or similar treated polishing cloth is also recommended for gentle use. Pretty much all of Wire Expressions designs can cleaned using the Silver Polish Recipe on this page.
Keep jewellery out of reach of young children (especially grabby baby hands!!!)
Caring for your other wire creations
Wire Expressions prides itself in using quality materials and processes that make a sturdy product for it's intended use. Some wire is so strong, bolt cutters and heavy duty tools are used to work with it, other wire is quite soft. Regardless of what wire is used, care should be taken not to bend the design.
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Use the item for it's intended use.
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When using a polishing cloth, be gentle and clean small areas at a time.
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Don't let children (or cats) play with it. Experience says that this tiny individuals can be quite destructive without even really trying!
Designs that use Sterling Silver, Brass or Copper wire will develop a natural aged patina over time. This occurs as alloys in the metals react with gases in the air. This will occur quicker in more humid environments and environments with a higher Sulphur content.
Copper - Use the silver cleaning method found on this page.
Brass - Soak brass pieces in a solution of warm water and lemon juice for a few minutes, or gently rub with a cloth that has be soaked with lemon juice. Rinse with water and pat dry with a dry towel
Aluminum & Stainless Steel wire will not tarnish and should remain shiny for years. A polish cloth will refresh the shine if exposed to dirt or skin oils! Do not re-bend aluminum wire, it's incredibly strong wire, but it has a fragile emotional side to it.
Colored wire will not tarnish, and has beautiful vibrant colors! However, this is the most flexible of all wires used by Wire Expressions. Use it only for it's intended purpose, and as directed to preserve the wire shape. Minimal handling on the wire design itself should be the practice.
Multi Strand Wire
Some pieces use a fine Multi strand wire that is drawn with .925 sterling silver, and coated with nylon. This wire has a high kink resistance. All findings and additional wire used on these pieces are .925 Sterling Silver.
Jewellery pieces with the multi-strand wire should be stored by gently wrapping it in a double coil, placed in the ziploc bag and stored flat so it does not bend. Even though it is kink resistant, it is not indestructible.
Silver Polish Recipe
What you need:
Shallow Glass Dish
Aluminum Foil
1-2 Tbsp Baking Soda
Boiling Water
Line your dish with tin foil. Arrange silver so it is touching the tin foil in at least one place. Sprinkle with baking soda. Pour boiling water over baking soda and silver - just enough to cover the silver. Let soak for 3-5 minutes.
If the silver is not touching the foil, gently press it down with a plastic object till it connects with the foil, or cover a plastic object with tin foil and touch it to the silver.
Rinse well with warm water and gentry rub dry with a clean soft cotton cloth.
Wear right away or air dry for another 2-3 hours before placing in a sealed bag.
Store your silver in a sealed bag or anti-tarnish pouch.
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*DO NOT use this method on jewellery that has been intentionally oxidized or contains semi-precious stones*
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***This recipe will also work to clean Copper.
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***This cleaning method is not recommended for items that contains precious gems or porous stones (your stones may crack).
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***Do not use this recipe to clean items such as Bali Silver where parts of the metal have been intentionally darkened. This cleaning process will remove the intentional oxidation as well as any tarnish you wish to remove.
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***Coated beads may fade or peel using this cleaning method.
If you are unsure about cleaning your Wire Expressions jewellery, please contact us.
Adjustable Chains
Here is a video about how to adjust the Adjustable Wheat Chains that Wire Expressions sells to hang pendants on.