TAKING CARE OF THE JEWELRY
Each piece is handmade in Valencia, Spain with the utmost care and with the intention of making it a piece that will last for many years, which is why we have certain recommendations that will help you maintain it as well as possible.
- It is important that you apply any cosmetic products BEFORE using the jewelry, including hydroalcoholic gel, sunscreen, body or facial creams, perfumes, hairspray, etc.
- Do not use any cleaning products or household chemicals with the jewels on.
- It is advisable not to bathe in the sea or swimming pool, do gardening or any high impact physical exercise with the jewelry, so that they maintain their original shine. The golden pieces have a gold plating of 5 microns, so they can maintain their good condition for many years, it will depend on the care we give them the duration of this period.
- Silver is a metal that tends to oxidize and turn black over time, that is why our silver plated pieces have a rhodium plating that helps prevent this natural effect; even so, it is possible that it may happen over the years, in these cases we advise to use a special cloth for cleaning silver jewelry.
- Exposing the parts to direct sunlight for a prolonged period of time may cause color alterations.
- Keep your pieces in their original packaging and separated from each other to avoid scratches, humidity or unexpected falls; the stones and shells used can break if they receive a blow or any direct impact.
- Regularly use a soft, dry cloth to clean your pieces and keep them in perfect condition, but REMEMBER, jewelry lives our history and that history leaves a mark. Enjoy them every day, because they are created to make you SHINE.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Silver
Silver is a very malleable metal of natural origin of greyish color and has been used for many years for the production of jewelry, coins, objects, etc.
In jewelry, it is important that the metal has a special hardness that makes it more resistant to scratches or deformations and at the same time is malleable at the time of working it. For this purpose, it is mixed in a percentage with another metal, generally copper, which adds hardness without losing its whitish silver color.
Mariana Arroyo works with 950 Silver alloys, which means that the metal is composed of 95% pure silver and 5% of other metals or 925 Silver, which means that it is composed of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of other metals.
Gold Plating
To give a different color to a silver piece, an electrolytic bath of the metal corresponding to the desired tone is made.
At Mariana Arroyo we use 24 karat gold for gold-plated pieces, and rhodium for silver-plated pieces, thus avoiding the sulfation of the silver (black color) that occurs naturally.
Gold plating can have different qualities depending on the thickness, and therefore, the amount of gold that the piece has acquired. Durability and wear resistance will depend on this.
Differences between gold plating and gold coating:
Gold plating is a very thin layer of gold 0.1 – 0.3 microns thick on top of the metal part, which provides the golden color but less resistance over time.
GOLD COATING is thicker layers of gold on top of the piece, with a thickness above 1 micron.
The durability of the gold coating and the resistance to rubbing, color changes and scratches will depend on this thickness. That is why Mariana Arroyo makes a 24K GOLD coating of 5 MICRONS thick, providing a very thick layer and therefore, very durable.
