Jewellery and Crystal Care

JEWELLERY CARE

Blackwood Ave Jewellery is made with quality materials such as 925 Stirling Silver with 24 Carat Gold Plating, 2 micron thick as well as some Brass with 18 Carat Gold Plating.

Your Blackwood Ave jewels were lovingly handmade for you and will love you for years to come if you take appropriate care of them. Some pieces require more care than others so it is important that you follow the care instructions on this page.

To care for your Blackwood Ave jewels please store them in a safe and secure place (not in your wallet!) to avoid dust, moisture and direct light that can cause tarnishing and damage. The bag or box that your jewels were delivered in is a perfect home for them, provided they are not stored with other pieces that could put them under pressure.

We recommend you invest in a good quality polishing cloth to keep your jewellery clean and sparkling. Silver and Brass will naturally tarnish and oxidise as the metals react to heat, body oils and other chemicals during wear but a regular polish with a polishing cloth will help restore the shine. Please note that tarnishing is not considered a fault of the product, just a sign it needs a good clean.

Please don’t wear your Blackwood Ave while swimming, showering, washing your hands or while doing household chores. Contact with sunscreens, creams, hairsprays, perfume, salt/chlorinated water, soaps and chemicals can cause damage to the stones and metals we use in our pieces.

Please remove your Blackwood Ave jewels before sleeping, working out at the gym or carrying heavy items. Silver is a soft metal and can bend, warp and break under force. Necklaces can kink, stretch and snap during sleep or if tugged on and rings, cuffs and earrings can bend, snap and warp under pressure. Please ensure you unclasp necklaces and avoid trying to take off over your head and remember to clasp your necklaces and bracelets when you're not wearing them to prevent them getting tangled.

Please avoid dropping your jewels or allowing them to come into contact with hard abrasive surfaces. Gemstones, crystals and silver can scratch, chip and crack if they are dropped or come into contact with rough surfaces like concrete.

We do offer a 3-month warranty on all our products for manufacturing fault however we do not cover damage due to wear and tear over time or negligence against our recommended care instructions on this page.

SPECIAL CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Pieces that feature brass will develop a natural petina through everyday wear. This is a natural tarnishing and is not considered a fault. We recommend polishing with a brass polish to restore the shine.
Please keep crystals and stone set jewellery away from water. Water may affect the stone settings and can impact the integrity of the stones.
Gold plated pieces are best suited to occasional wear as the plating will wear to expose the silver underneath if worn on a daily basis. Exposure to water and polishing will also cause gold plating to wear more quickly. Please clean gold-plated pieces with a soft cloth only.
Please avoid stretching open cuffs to take them on and off or tightening cuffs on the wrist. Cuffs should be slid on and off the wrist from the thinnest part of the side of the wrist. Stretching cuffs open and closed can cause a weakness in the band and cause cuffs to crack. This can also weaken the stone settings over time.
Due to the oxidisation process that all our pieces go through, customers with very acidic skin may find that this oxidisation transfers to the skin during the first initial wears (particularly with brass pieces). This is due to a chemical reaction between your skin (or another substance eg lotion, cream, soap) and the metal. In these cases we recommend giving your piece a light polish.

CRYSTAL CARE

At an atomic level, our universe is in a constant state of vibration. Crystals are extremely good at holding a stable vibration due to their crystalline lattice structure. We, on the other hand are a very complex mix of vibrations that can easily be disturbed and become unbalanced which makes us sick and unwell. All kinds of things can affect our vibration, from external influences such as electromagnetic and geopathic stress, to internal ones such as constant negative thought patterns and suppressing emotions.

Crystals emit steady vibrations that help to create Balance within oneself and Zen into the spaces around us. It is for this reason that for thousands of years crystals have been used for their powerful healing properties.

In order to maintain positive energy for our crystals to perform at their best, it is important to follow these 3 steps:

CLEANSE

Crystals can pick up negative energies very quickly so it is important when you first obtain a crystal and even after you have been using it for some time that it is cleansed. Before it arrives in your at your home, crystals pass through many hands absorbing different energies that could affect your own balance. There are a number of cleansing methods, our top 6 are listed below. Depending on whether your crystal is raw or polished and also which type of crystal you should be careful and choose an appropriate cleansing method. For example, cleansing some crystals in water if they are metal may cause them to erode or for delicate crystals, they may disintegrate.

Salt Water

Leave your crystal to soak in seawater or water mixed with salt.
Fill a glass bowl and leave the crystal for anywhere between 1-24 hours, then rinse.

Smudging

Pass your crystal through the rising smoke of sacred herbs such as sage, cedar and lavender or insense sticks.

Dry Salt

Half-fill a bowl with sea salt/cooking salt.
Place your crystals directly into the salt for between 1-2 hours.
Rinse.

Running Water

Hold your crystal under a stream of water such as a river, waterfall, or from the tap for a few minutes.

Non-Contact Salt

Half-fill a bowl with sea salt/cooking salt.
Place a smaller container/shallow glass and half-bury this glass into the salt.
Then place your crystals directly into the empty glass for 1-2 hours. (You can also pour water over the crystals.)

Sound Vibrations

Play a tuning fork, chime or a Tibetan singing bowl near your crystals, to cleanse your crystal through soft sound vibrations.

CHARGE

It is important that the crystals you use are charged when you first buy them and regularly for them to perform at their best. With experience, you’ll be able to feel whether or not your crystals need charging. Some crystals once cleansed feel ‘raring to go’, others still feel ‘flat’, like they need something else.

Leave them to recharge in the sunlight or moonlight.
For best results put your crystals out overnight during the solstice, the equinox, the full moon or the new moon.
You can also place your crystals on a larger crystal cluster to charge.

When buying your Blackwood Ave crystal check each crystal’s product description to find out which charging method is best for each crystal.

ACTIVATE

Sit quietly holding your crystal, relax and initiate circular breathing.
Set an intention for your crystal silently or aloud (eg. I am grounded to mother earth and divinely connected’)
By setting our crystals with positive intentions, we are manifesting the world to return to us the positive life experiences that we seek.
And remember– what we think or believe about ourselves and the world, becomes our reality.

CHAKRAS

Chakras are energy centers that are located down the midline of the body each related to an acupressure point. Ideally the upper chakras and the lower chakras should be balanced to ensure optimum health of those bodily parts. Each of your seven chakras is strongly connected with specific crystals which produce vibrations to help balance, align and cleanse your chakras. Check each crystal’s product description to find out which chakra it corresponds to.