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JEWELRY CARE SHEET

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Below are some Not-To-Dos and To-Dos

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Avoid contact with perfume, lotion and other chemicals. Avoid contact with perspiration and water, especially chlorinated pools.

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Be gentle with the jewelry pieces to extend the life span of these precious pieces.

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Store in a cool, dry place such as in a pouch or air tight bags. Add a silica gel for extra protection and keep it clean with polishing cloth regularly.

MORE TIPS & CARE

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Oxidation may occur with the contact of the listed “Not-To-Dos” for certain jewelry pieces. Chlorinated pools, perspiration, water and sea salt will cause the corrosion process to start or speed up for certain metals.

You may apply a coating of metal wax to the entire surface to prevent oxidation. However, they will wear off over time, so reapplying them will provide good maintenance.

You can also easily clean your silver jewelry using a polishing cloth and dip it into silver polishing agent to remove any dark / black spots.

For longer-lasting jewelry, choose gold vermeil pieces that can last for years. Minimally, opt for at LEAST 1 micron thick of gold plating or 0.075 micron thick of rhodium plating over genuine S925 silver.

Look out for non-tarnish jewelry that are made with stainless or titanium steel too! They are more affordable, however, the thickness of the plating is still the key to defining the longevity of the jewelry pieces.

METALS

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Certain metals may tarnish. This means that a thin layer of corrosion that forms over some metals as their outermost layer undergoes a chemical reaction. It often appears as a dull, gray or black film or coating over the metal.

Below are some of the common metals used for our jewelry.

S925 STERLING SILVER

Sterling silver may tarnish according to it silver content. S999 Silver is non-tarnish while S925 will tarnish after a long time as it is an alloy that is typically 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals.

The other metals, usually copper, will oxidize which will cause the sterling silver to tarnish.

However, silver is very easy to maintain and can last for years at an affordable price.

For longer lasting jewelry, opt for at LEAST 1 micron thick of real gold plating or 0.075 micron thick of rhodium plating over genuine S925 silver that will last for years. This is also the minimum standard at Dear Diary.

GOLD VERMEIL

Gold vermeil simply means that there is a very thick gold plating of on top of the base metal, sterling silver. In US standard, at least 2.5 microns thick of gold plating is needed to considered as gold vermeil. However, usually the higher quality gold plating pieces start from 1 micron thick. This is the next best affordable option than buying a solid gold jewelry. However, usually the price of gold vermeil jewelry starts from $100.

The gold plating must be at least 10 karats which also means it will have at least 41.7% of gold content. 14k has 58.3% gold content, 18k has 75% and 24k has 99.9%. Higher karatage does not means it is the best option too because pure gold is very malleable and has a strong yellow tone as compared to lesser gold content pieces. Not only that, because of how soft gold is, it can get scratches easily.

Basically, vermeil jewelry is the best value pieces you can have that last long and is the next best option to high-end fine jewelry. Look out for more vermeil pieces at Dear Diary soon!

GOLD-FILLED / BRASS

Gold-filled is not solid gold. It means that the layer around the base metal, usually brass, is a thick layer of gold bonded to the base metal. The gold content is 5% of the weight of the jewelry.

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Copper very commonly oxidizes with exposure to the air and will cause the jewelry to tarnish and your skin to turn green. However, brass jewelry is very affordable as compared to others.

Although brass can tarnish, the gold layer is thick enough to the jewelry to be worn in the shower safely without tarnishing for many years. This also means that the price for gold-filled can be higher too. Usually these pieces start from hundreds of dollars.

GOLD / RHODIUM PLATED

Gold / rhodium plated over base metal may tarnish depending on the base metal.

Usually the jewelry pieces are plated with Rhodium (platinum) or 14K / 18K Gold. This means that there is a layer of real gold or platinum on top of the base metal, usually less than 2.5 microns thick.

When the plating wears away after a long time (depending on the thickness of the plating), the base metal (which is typically brass or copper, unless stated 'steel') will be exposed and the jewelry will most likely tarnish over time. This is the same as S925 sterling silver, but silver itself is a precious metal, it can be maintained easily.

However, gold / rhodium plated jewelry is more affordable as compared to vermeil or fine jewelry and has a longer lifespan as compared to copper or brass jewelry.

At Dear Diary, our silver jewelry has a plating of at LEAST 1 micron gold plating or 0.075 micron rhodium. 

RHODIUM (PLATINUM)

Rhodium is a metal under the platinum family. It is commonly used to plate over a metal base in jewelry. Many high-end jewelry brands also use rhodium to plate over white gold to achieve a white silver look, especially for wedding bands.

Rhodium itself is twice as expensive as gold, a thin layer of rhodium plating will have the same longevity as a thick layer of gold.

This is because it is a hard metal, it is very durable and resistant to scratches as compared to gold. There is also a limit as to how thick rhodium can be plated over a base metal. If it is too thick, it can appear "crumpled" on the jewelry.

A common misconception is rhodium is the same as white gold. Hence, some people may think that silver colour pieces are "white-gold plated". However, it is actually rhodium plated.

White gold itself is gold mixed with other metals to achieve a near-white silver colour. However, white gold itself will have a slight yellowish colour. On the other hand, rhodium is the metal that gives a white silver colour to almost all the silver colour jewelry in the market.

STAINLESS STEEL

Stainless and titanium steel jewelry does not tarnish. It can be worn into shower.

The chromium in stainless steel forms an invisible protective layer that prevents stainless steel from rusting, tarnishing, or changing colors. 

However, stainless jewelry may lose its colour over time for plated gold pieces. Hence, choose a stainless steel jewelry with at LEAST 0.1 micron thick of 

Repair & MaintenancE

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Dear Diary offers a limited time period guarantee for selected pieces, and free repair as well as maintenance service for all the jewelry purchased from our store. Maintenance service includes cleaning and polishing.

We will do our best to bring back the shine in your jewelry, however we cannot guarantee that your jewelry will be 100% back to the original condition.

CONDITIONS FOR REPAIR SERVICE

– Items returned for repair must be in the original packaging with the proof of purchase within 90 days from the date of purchase.

– Items that are heavily damaged due to other reasons excluding faults in workmanship / manufacturing will be rejected.

– Shipping costs from online purchases are non-refundable. You (the customer) will bear all the shipping costs incurred during the return process for repair.

– You may be asked to provide personal details for returns for verification purposes.

CONDITIONS FOR MAINTENANCE SERVICE

– Items returned for cleaning must be in the original packaging with the proof of purchase within 365 days from the date of purchase.

– Items that are heavily tarnish due to poor / zero maintenance will be rejected.

– Shipping costs from online purchases are non-refundable. You (the customer) will bear all the shipping costs incurred during the return process for maintenance.

– You may be asked to provide personal details for returns for verification purposes.

STEPS FOR REPAIR & MAINTENANCE

1. Please email us your name, date of purchase, order number, items & the product condition with photo proof within the stipulated time period from the date of purchase to obtain an authorization for the repair / maintenance service below.

2. If we authorize a return for the repair / maintenance service, we will send an email with a set of instructions for sending your item(s) to us.

The item(s) must be returned to us securely packaged and wrapped in the original packaging.

*Please note that unauthorized returns may be refused or disregarded. The original item will be shipped back to you in 7 days by normal mail via Singpost (untraceable) which, we are NOT responsible for any lost mail.

*No compensation for shipping costs will be provided for all methods of shipment for the returning process.

3. After we have received the item, we will examine the condition of the item. We will then proceed to repair, clean, polish, and/or replace certain jewelry parts.

*Note that certain replacements may have extra charges. We will only replace the parts after obtaining a confirmation from you.

Once you have made the payment for any top-ups and shipping fee, we will proceed to ship your repaired / cleaned item(s).

NOTES

– No compensation for shipping costs will be provided for all methods of shipment for returning the products.

– Shipping and handling charges for the order will not be refunded.

– It generally takes about 1 ~ 2 week(s) to process the repair / maintenance of your jewelry. Unless, there is a need to place a custom order, it may take up to a month or more.

– We recommend that you send your return via a reliable postage courier as we are NOT responsible for any lost returns.

CANDLE CARE SHEET

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