Care

Care Instructions

cloisonne piece

 

Here are a few simple care instructions which will help keep your purchase in its original condition.

Pearls, Druzy Quartz and Opals

  • Keep them dry as moisture or excessive sweat can affect the stone.
  • Never apply hair spray or perfume while wearing and never use harsh chemicals such as gold or silver polish to clean them.

Enamels

  • Always put on or take off over a soft surface - enamels are glass and while they are quite robust they don't take kindly to being dropped onto a hard surface.
  • Wrap in acid-free tissue paper and store inside a soft pouch and away from other jewelry which may accidentally be dropped onto it.

Married metal

  • Clean with polishing cloth. Some pieces have had a sealant applied to ensure that the finish is permanent.

Keum Boo

  • Clean with a polishing cloth only.

All jewelry should be stored separately in a soft bag or acid-free tissue paper and cleaned with a polishing cloth.

 

Materials

keum boo piece

 

Robin uses many different types of materials including stones from all over the world.

Metals

  • Gold: pure is 24k hallmarked 1000, 18k is hallmarked 750, 9k is hallmarked 375
  • 22k foil used for Keum Boo is not hallmarked
  • Sterling Silver is  92.5% silver & 7.5% copper, hallmarked 925
  • Fine Silver is pure silver with no copper content and therefore does not tarnish. I use this for enamelling, hallmarked 999FS
  • Bi-metal is a thin layer of 22 or 18ct gold permanently bonded on to sterling silver, hallmarked: 916 925 (for 22k) or 750 925 (for 18k)
  • Titanium is a very hard metal which can be coloured by using an electric current or an open flame (I use a flame). This metal cannot be soldered and is not hallmarked.
  • Brass and Copper are base metals, not hallmarked.
  • Stainless Steel: I use this for the pins of the brooches because it is far stronger than sterling silver.

Enamels

  • Vitreous Enamel: high temperature, transparent enamel. I use transparent enamels because I love the way the silver shines through the enamel.

 

 

All jewelry and photographs are by Robin Phillips and may not be used without written permission