Wild & Arrow Jewelry
JEWELRY INFO
Wild & Arrow jewelry is made in our studio at Södermalm in Stockholm, sometimes with the help of our casting partner.
We love to use solid silver / brass / bronze in Wild & Arrow pieces; recycled as much as possible or repurposed vintage. Your jewelry is made to be beautiful for years to come. The solid metal in our jewelry is recyclable.
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Golden raw brass / bronze
The Wild & Arrow bronze/brass pieces are made of raw solid brass / bronze, unless otherwise stated. A solid bronze / brass piece is made to last for years to come. It can be polished over and over to its original sheen.
The metal will change it´s color over time, fade or darken depending on wear. Rings that are used frequently will remain golden and shiny but might darken in corners. Brass and Bronze pendants will usually darken over time. We really love this natural result which will make your Wild & Arrow jewelry truly unique. If you prefer a golden look it´s easy to clean and polish brass and bronze.
Learn how to clean your bronze jewelry here >>
Bronze & Brass // Rings & Earrings
Does your skin darken by the copper in brass/bronze?
Avoid wearing rings/earwires with moisturizer or around water. Also a layer of clear nail polish works nicely inside of a ring and on the back of an earring.
If you want us to add a protective layer on your piece, or change earwire to silver/gold just get in touch!
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Silver
Wild & Arrow silver pieces are made with solid sterling silver 925. This is the most common silver used in jewelry around the world. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper.
Pure silver is mostly too soft to use in jewelry, therefore silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength.
We use recycled silver because of all ethical and environmental problems in the mining industry. We use chains that are made with a minimum of 90% recycled silver, everything else is 100% recycled silver. Our chains are made in Italy.
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Oxidized Dark Silver
Wild & Arrow oxidized jewelry is also made with solid 925. sterling silver.
We use chains that are made with a minimum of 90% recycled silver, everything else is 100% recycled silver.
Oxidizing is a treatment that basically speeds up the natural oxidization process that would occur on silver over time.
The copper in the silver alloy darkens when it comes in contact with oxygen/humidity. This creates the finish which sometimes is unwanted.
Your dark jewelry will evolve/fade with wear, resulting in a patina that is unique to your piece. Especially on frequently used rings the oxidization will fade to a more shiny silver appearance.
Clean your dark oxidized jewelry gently only with soap and water. The dark patina can otherwise be polished off.
We can reapply the oxidized finish and add a protective layer if you wish to keep it dark.
Just get in touch!
Gold Plated / Vermeil Chain and Ear Hoops
Wild & Arrow gold vermeil /plated jewelry chain / ear hoops are made with 925. sterling silver, with a thin layer of 18K Gold on top. The chains have a 1,5 micron thick gold coating (1μm micron = 0,001 mm).
We use chains that are made with 100% recycled silver and 100% recycled gold. The gold is collected in Sweden and the chains are made in Italy.
The gold plating will fade with wear, and finally showing the silver underneath when worn heavily.
Clean your gold plated jewelry gently only with soap and water, dry carefully with a towel. The gold plating can otherwise be polished off.
Gold Filled / Gold Doublé Chain has a thicker layer of gold
Gold Filled/Doublé has a thicker a layer of 18K Gold on top of brass. This gold layer will last longer and stand up to wear and tear better than gold plated than gold plated since it is thicker and it is also manufactured in another way.
As long as the piece is well cared for, gold-filled jewelry chain can last a lifetime. We have gold doublé chain as an option to our bronze pendants, our gold doublé chains have a gold thickness of 10 microns (1μm micron = 0,001 mm). Ask us for these chains, as they are not up in our webshop yet.
JEWELRY CARE
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Store your Wild & Arrow jewelry in a cool dry place. Most jewelry can be gently rinsed with soap and water if needed. Make sure to dry completely before storing your jewelry.
If you want your bronze/brass pieces to darken and oxidize you can speed up the process and do the opposite; if you store them in your bathroom around humidity they will darken faster. But be aware of any fingerprints. They don´t look pretty in our opinion..
Polishing // Brass / Bronze / Copper cleaning // Eco friendly
Golden brass/bronze is easy to polish back to it´s original shiny state. Ketchup is a great cleaner, yes really! Apply a thick layer. Let your Wild & Arrow piece soak for a few minutes. Rinse with water. Voila!
A kitchen sponge with some dish washing detergent will help if you want a matte brushed finish or if the jewelry was in really bad shape.
We can also clean the jewelry for you, just get in touch!
Avoid using harsh cleansers (don´t rub with any cleanser) if you have a brass chain or a gold-plated chain as this may cause the protective coating to wear off.
Polishing // Silver / Gold // Eco Friendly Cleaning
Sterling Silver and Gold is easy to clean back to it´s shiny state with a bath of hot water, salt and a piece of aluminium foil.
Add a tablespoon salt above a small piece of foil. Pour in hot water and let your silver jewelry soak for a minute! Rinse with water.
This will probably not work on our dark oxidized pieces.
Another way of polishing your silver is to use baking soda (bikarbonat in Swedish) and water.
Add enough baking soda so you get a paste. Then use a toothbrush or a piece of cloth and rub your silver. Rinse with water and always dry your silver throughly.
A kitchen sponge will help if you want a matte brushed finish or if the jewelry was in really bad shape. Also a small rinse with dish-washing liquid and a tooth brush can be helpful.
If you don´t want to be bothered, we can clean your Wild & Arrow jewelry for you. Get in touch with us!
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