materials & care
Elise Moran's designs are made of solid sterling silver, oxidized silver, 14k gold or 18k gold, also natural precious and semi-precious (and some man-made) gembeads and gemstones. Her jewelry can be special ordered in other materials such as white gold, rose gold and platinum and other gems. Please note, earwires and posts are made of solid sterling silver or 14k/18k gold and can be substituted on any designs if allergies require certain metals, please inquire. Silver screwback and clip-on findings are available for many earrings. While Elise does not offer custom design work (in other words, she does not recreate other's designs), she can customize her designs to your preference. Please call or email for pricing and availability.
Materials glossary:
SS-sterling silver
OX-oxidized sterling silver, does not require tarnish maintenance.
14kt-14kt yellow gold (can be special ordered in pink/rose or white gold)
18kt-18kt yellow gold (can be special ordered in pink/rose or white gold)
VML-vermeil, this is gold-plate over sterling silver, no nickel
GP-gold-plate, this is gold-plate over brass, usually with nickel
GF-gold-filled, this is a thin layer of 14kt gold bonded to brass, thicker than gold-plate or vermeil, no nickel
Most pieces are finished with a satin texture and therefore should not be cleaned with a polishing cloth. Please refer to jewelry care (below) to maintain the bright luster of the metal.
jewelry care
Method #1/Dip Tarnish Remover
-Start by cleaning jewelry with warm water and a mild soap to remove dirt and oils. An old toothbrush can be great to get into nooks and crevices. Rinse-off soap. Or let silver piece sit in rubbing alcohol for a few moments, dry-off, rinse and dry-off again. It's important to clean the silver surface so that the dip can work.
-Using tweezers (if you have them), dip your piece in a liquid tarnish remover such as Hagerty Instant Silver Dip or Goddard's Silver Dip.
-Please note: Most dip tarnish removers are designed to remove tarnish with a quick dip, leaving your silver piece in for an extended time may actually impart a discoloration on the surface that may need to be professionally removed.
-Also note: Do not dip pearls or other soft, porous stones. Use a small craft brush or cotton Q-tip to dab tarnish remove around pearls or stones and rinse immediately. Do not use a polishing cloth on satin-finished jewelry.
-Wash jewelry again (with mild soap) to thoroughly remove tarnish remover and/or rinse with warm water.
-Dry thoroughly with cotton cloth or paper towel. To finish drying use a blowdryer.
Method #2/Toothpaste & Toothbrush
-Use a toothbrush and toothpaste with a little water (or make a paste with baking soda and a little water) to clean and brighten silver, brush in small circles like you would do to clean teeth.
-Please note: An electronic toothbrush works great with this method, I recommend designating an old toothbrush tip for this process.
-Rinse with water and dry thoroughly with cotton cloth and/or paper towel. To finish drying use a blowdryer.
Method #3/Baking Soda Bath
This is good for batch cleaning several pieces at a time or getting into deep crevices, but perhaps not safe for pearls or other soft, porous stones (turquoise, opals, etc.):
-Lay out the silver pieces in a small aluminum baking pan (plain aluminum/no coating) or you can line any shallow dish with aluminum foil.
-Sprinkle dry baking soda over the pieces, doesn't take too much, may be a tablespoon or 2.
-Toss in a pinch of salt.
-Bring some water to a boil and pour the boiling water over the pieces, enough to cover/submerge. This should clean off all oxidation.
-Rinse with water and dry thoroughly with cotton cloth and/or paper towel. To finish drying use a blowdryer.
Notes:
-A soft-bristle brass brush is an excellent tool for cleaning metal (alternative to toothbrush) as long as it is used with plenty of water and sudsy soap, such as dishwashing soap. This is available through a jewelry supplier or EAM.
-Do not use a polishing cloth on EAM jewelry. Most EAM designs are finished with a satin-luster, which will collect the fine particles of a polishing cloth and darken the metal rather than brighten it.
-Always use a liquid, dip-type of tarnish remover, rather than a paste.
-Do not submerge hollow jewelry. Use Q-tip, small craft brush (nylon or plastic) or a paper towel to apply tarnish remover.
-Do not dip pearls or other porous stones in tarnish remover, it can permanently damage the luster of the stone (follow all instructions on the bottle). Use Q-tips or a small craft brush to apply and clean around delicate stones.
-To maintain soft satiny luster of the metal, try rubbing Scotch-brite or medium course steel wool on surface using small circular motions.
-Store your silver jewelry in small airtight plastic baggies for extended periods of non-use. Keeping silver away from air can help slow down oxidation/tarnish.
-The chlorine in pool water can be damaging to silver, recommended to take jewelry off before swimming/bathing.