Care and Cleaning

Care and cleaning of your sterling silver and yellow brass jewelry and handmade leather belt straps.

If you have any questions about caring for your sterling silver, yellow brass or genuine leather items that are not covered in the section below, or your item needs repair please contact us and we will see if we can help.

Sterling Silver Care and Cleaning

All fine sterling silver does tarnish. We recommend that you do not wear it in the shower, hot tub, sauna, ocean, and swimming pool. All of this exposure will only quicken the tarnishing process. One of the best ways to slow down the tarnishing process is to store your item in a dry sealed zip lock bag when not in use. If you are one who does not mind the darkened tarnish look of sterling silver, you can just leave it alone. If you prefer a bright and shiny look for your sterling silver, use a polish cloth to restore the jewelry to its original appearance and read below for general care and cleaning tips.

Caring for your sterling silver buckles and jewelry

After each use, wipe the surface with the polishing cloth we have provided before storing your sterling silver item to remove any body oils and dirt.

Store your items in a cool, dry place. The soft bag provided will slow tarnishing and prevent scratching by other pieces in your jewelry collection but for even more protection, place your item in a dry sealed zip lock bag. We also provide an anti-tarnish tab that should be placed with your item in its storage bag or container. (anti-tarnish tabs will help to protect your item from tarnishing for 6 to 12 months)

To keep your sterling silver buckles and jewelry looking their best:
-Never shower, swim or bath with sterling silver items on.
-Keep your sterling silver items in a dry non-humid place
-Don't keep sterling silver items in the bathroom
-Keep your sterling silver items away from household chemicals & cleaners

Cleaning your sterling silver buckles and jewelry

Use the jewelry polishing cloth that was provided to clean your sterling silver items. Never use paper towels or tissue to clean or dry your item as they contain fibers that can scratch the surface.

If your sterling silver buckle or jewelry is dirtier than normal, or has begun to tarnish, you can clean the item by using your polishing cloth while providing more rubbing power. By hand polishing your sterling silver piece with more force your item will return to its original polished luster. The reason we do not recommend other cleaning methods like motorized buffing, commercial cleaners or even the natural baking soda and hot water method is that these processes can end up removing the oxidized dark details that were applied by hand. If you find that your item needs a deeper cleaning, consult a professional or contact us and we would be happy to recondition your sterling silver buckle or jewelry piece.

Yellow Brass Care and Cleaning

Yellow brass can become tarnished or change color over time, and while this change can be seen as desirable to some, others may like a more high polished look. To keep your yellow brass item looking its best follow the simple steps below.

Caring for your yellow brass buckle

To slow the tarnishing process of your yellow brass items you can wipe the surface with the polishing cloth we have provided or a soft cloth before storing it to remove any body oils and dirt.

Store your items in a cool, dry place. The soft bag provided will slow tarnishing and prevent scratching by other pieces in your jewelry collection but for even more protection, place your item in a dry sealed zip lock bag. We also provide an anti-tarnish tab that should be placed with your item in its storage bag or container. (anti-tarnish tabs will help to protect your item from tarnishing for 6 to 12 months)

As with sterling silver, to keep your yellow brass buckles and jewelry looking their best:
-Never shower, swim or bath with brass items on.
-Keep your brass items in a dry non-humid place
-Don't keep brass items in the bathroom
-Keep your brass items away from household chemicals & cleaners

Cleaning your yellow brass buckle

Using the polishing cloth provided, a soft cloth or old t-shirt, gently wipe your brass item free of any dust or debris. Never use paper towels or tissue to clean or dry your item as they contain fibers that can scratch the surface

If your brass buckle is dirtier than normal, or has begun to tarnish, you can clean the item by using a soft cloth or polishing cloth while providing more rubbing power. By hand polishing your brass piece with more force your item will return to its original polished luster. The reason we do not recommend other cleaning methods like motorized buffing or commercial cleaners is that these processes can end up removing the oxidized dark details that were applied by hand. Also if you happen to have a gemstone set in your buckle some commercial cleaners may harm the stone. If you find that your item needs a deeper cleaning, consult a professional or contact us and we would be happy to recondition your yellow brass buckle.

Genuine Leather Belt Strap Care and Cleaning

Our handmade genuine leather belt straps need very little care. Each leather strap is conditioned with neatsfoot oil before being dyed and then sealed with a final clear finish coat. Once the strap has completely dried it is again sealed with two to three coats of hand buffed natural wax. Because of the added oil that is sealed into the finished strap it should be many years before you would need to oil or recondition the strap.

Caring for your genuine leather belt strap

You can occasionally wipe the surface with a soft cloth before storing it to remove any body oils and dirt.

Store your belt straps in a cool, dry place. It is not a must, but the optimal way to store a belt strap is flat with no bends or kinks. One way to do this is to hang your strap from a coat hanger in your closet, not draped over the hanger from it's middle but hung from its top, keeping it straight from tip to end.

Cleaning your genuine leather belt strap

If your belt strap is dirtier than normal and a wipe down from a dry soft cloth does not do the trick, you can use a damp soft cloth to clean your strap. Once you have cleaned the strap with a damp cloth, go back over the strap with a dry soft cloth to remove any moisture.

If you ever feel your leather belt strap is drying out and may be prone to cracking you can use a natural commercial leather conditioning cream or oil following the products directions. Do not use a conditioner very often (wait at least a year between conditioning and only if the strap is truly in need of conditioning) as an over conditioned or saturated leather strap can cause leather strap failure just as a dried out strap can cause cracking.