Types of finishes and maintenance of the pieces:
All materials are affected in some way by the liquids/environments with which they are in contact. Thus, our sweat, the creams and/or colognes we use, the cleaning products, whether we bathe with them on or not ... are conditions that will end up affecting the appearance of the piece.
They are also affected by any rubbing; for example, rings are always much more susceptible to change than other pieces, as we constantly use our hands (and wash them very often).
Another factor that affects the appearance of the piece is the hardness of the material. Silver is scratched/crushed before brass, for example.
If we want to stop/delay the change, it would be best not to always wear the pieces: take off our rings to wash our hands, avoid bathing/going to the beach with them, avoid contact with creams ... like all things, the greater the use, the greater the wear.
That said, if we want to always carry the jewel with us, the variation in the look of the jewel does not have to be bad, it is its hallmark and it is natural. On the other hand, if we do good maintenance and be careful, these pieces will have a long life.
Basically I work with 5 different finishes. Here is their response to the passage of time and how to maintain them:
First of all, I must mention that the finishes can vary slightly in each piece, as they are handcrafted and not an exact formula. Also remember that the colors in your photos may vary slightly from screen to screen.
-PLATA
It is the finish that suffers less variation as in itself it is not a finish but the material itself. There are many ways to clean silver. The use of baking soda (the stuff you can find in any supermarket) works very well for me: we put baking soda in the palm of our hand and rub the piece, using our fingers and/or a soft brush. If we moisten it with a little with water it will work even better (although it can be done dry). When it seems enough, we rinse the piece with water and it will be very clean and shiny.
The specific liquids they sell can also be used to clean silver. They are very fast and leave the perfect piece, but it gives me the feeling that these liquids "eat" the material more and that the gloss lasts less, so I'm more of a baking soda fan.
As for the cloth that comes for cleaning silver, that works great too, but for the non-porous pieces (e.g., the ring hoop). Since most of my pieces are molded and have porosity, it’s best to use another option, one that reaches every nook and cranny.
Sure there are many other “grandma’s tricks”, but baking soda is my first choice. A neutral soap and warm water also works.
However, to prevent the silver from darkening, it is best to wear it.
-OXIDATE SILVER
It is a finish that is done to the silver with old silver patina, which penetrates the silver and gives it that dark/blackened tone. It is very resistant, but since oxidation occurs in the top layer of silver, the biggest problem it has is friction. So basically the piece that can change the most is the ring. With friction, the particles of the upper layer leave and the natural color of the silver emerges, so it will gradually lighten, without doing so at all.
It can also happen that if we do not wear the piece, it will darken/oxidize even more. In this case it can also be cleaned with baking soda but very carefully, very superficially, as we could remove the finish.
-GOLD PLATED BRASS
Brass is a gold-colored material, but darker than gold, of a more toasty tone. It is the material I use to make the gold finish. All the pieces carry a bath of one micron of 18K gold (minus the rings, which carry three because, as I said, it is the piece that usually suffers the most wear and tear).
I use brass as the base of the veneered finish - not silver - to prevent the piece from fading to pieces, in case the veneer is lost. Thus, if the plating disappears, the piece will still look golden and not with silver patches.
To avoid allergy issues, all brass earrings are welded to a silver base and have a silver bolt and clasp. Thus, if the friction is lost from rubbing, there will be no allergy problems and it will not leave the skin a greenish tone (brass has this effect on many people, if it is always worn).
The chains or fences of the necklaces on the plated pieces are also silver plated with gold (and not brass).
As for rayon bracelets, gold-plated brass bracelets carry brass donuts, instead of silver balls. If desired, they can also be mounted with gold balls, with the corresponding price increase. * Before placing the order you should contact me at info@pitiua.com, or via WhatsApp on (+34)661099784.
Since the plating would be a "painted" cover, you have to be careful. It is best if stored protected, separately, to prevent scratches. You should also be careful with the alcohol/liquids you come in contact with as they affect it.
To clean these pieces we can use a clean soap with warm water and a soft brush (or also make use of baking soda), but we must not abuse them, so as not to remove the coating.
That said, the base of the piece is made of brass and can always be plated again, so if we take care of the piece, the better, but we should not ignore this issue.
-BRASS WITH GREEN PATINA
The green patina does not work with silver, so it must be made with other materials, such as brass or bronze. This is not a coating/paint, as the application of this patina makes a reaction in the metal, but the finish it gives is not as resistant as the oxidation of silver, so it is fixed with a special varnish.
The brass with green patina is close to the light green tone of the skeleton of the stumps, which is why I make this finish. In these pieces only the engarota is of brass (the ring of the ring, the fences of the earrings, the balls of the bracelet, etc., are of silver), so if the green finish is lost, the garota would be a golden hue in contrast to silver.
In the case of the green patina + varnish, it is especially advisable to remove the article to wash your hands, go to the beach, etc., as the finish is more delicate and is more easily lost. Already with normal use, from the small blows that the piece receives to the dots that protrude from the garota, the color of the metal will emerge, making a beautiful contrast with the green tone. What must be avoided is constant rubbing because then the whole patina will disappear.
As for the silver part it can be cleaned with wipes or the other methods mentioned above to clean silver. The garota, at most, with neutral soap and water, but better to avoid doing anything to it.
If you are one of those people who never remove the piece and you have the patina left "in half" and you want to finish removing it, you can use a brush or a scrubber, with care and patience.
-BONZE WITH GREEN PATINA
It is exactly the same process as with the green patina brass, but the resulting tone is darker, a pine/emerald green and the bronze, the base, has a rather pinkish hue.