Caring for Your Piece

Silver is a living material. It reacts with the air, and over time it darkens. That's not damage — it's oxidation on the surface, and it comes off completely. Some people polish their pieces back to a mirror every few weeks. Others let the patina settle into the recesses, which is how a lot of old Taxco silver looks and part of why it looks good. We like it both ways.

Everyday care

• Polish with a silver cloth. That's all it takes for ordinary tarnish
• Take your piece off before swimming, showering or exercising
• Put it on last, after perfume, lotion and hairspray
• Store it dry, ideally in the box or pouch it came in
• Keep pieces from rubbing against each other in storage

Natural stones

Every stone we set is natural, which means it's more porous and more delicate than the silver around it.

• Keep stones away from perfume, household cleaners and solvents
• Never soak a set piece — water works its way behind the stone
• Wipe stones with a soft dry cloth. Skip the silver polish on the stone itself
• Pyrite is iron-based. Keep it dry. Moisture is the one thing that will dull its flash
• Lapis lazuli and malachite are soft. Store them where they won't be scratched by harder pieces

Gold vermeil

Our Lengua Silver and Gold Bracelet has 24k gold vermeil links — 2.5 microns of gold over sterling silver.

• Wipe the gold links with a soft dry cloth only
• Never use silver polish or an abrasive cloth on vermeil. Polish removes gold
• Take it off before swimming and keep it away from chlorine

If something goes wrong

Write to us at hola@carolinaspratling.com. Every piece was made by hand in our workshop, which means it can usually be repaired there too. Tell us what happened and we'll tell you what's possible.