Quality:
Designs are crafted from either 925 sterling, fine silver, 18k golden on occasion brass
All of the semi precious turquoise gemstones used, Desert Drifter personally sources for designs are handcrafted by USA lapidaries and may contain deposits of quartz, pyrite, calcite, or various other minerals.
These turquoise stones used may also have an uneven shape, natural pits or texture, thus adding to their rare beauty - no gem will ever be the same. Because the stones used in Desert Drifter are natural they are highly delicate and should be treated as such.
Care:
Desert Drifter jewellery that contains cabochons and stones do require a little extra care to maintain, however it is well worth the small amount of effort required to ensure the longevity of your piece. The most common dangers to Desert Drifter designs with stone work is:
- Direct damage - which will cause scratches, chips and breakages - this type of damage cannot be repaired. The cabochons/stones used in Desert Drifter designs are relatively soft in the scale of hardness - so, with thoughtfulness and caution on assessing what tasks you are about to do, it is very easy to prevent this type of damage by asking yourself would this task be suitable for me to wear these fine jewels?
The second is:
- Colour changes - which can be caused by water, oils, soaps, lotions, and other household chemicals. Because some of the gems we use are natural e.g. turquoise & opal - they are porous - oils, soaps, water etc can be absorbed by the stone and cause a colour change. Therefore, care should be taken to protect your Desert Drifter peices from situations where they may be exposed to the above. Once your stone changes colour it is changed for good.
Care for all Desert Drifter pieces:
It is highly recommended to remove jewellery when doing any tasks involving water or liquids and any tasks where your jewellery could be scratched. Lotions, cosmetics, hair spray, performs etc are also not friends of your jewels and will accelerate tarnishing. There is a reason generations of people have been getting dressed with their precious jewels last - it is the finishing touch.
Again, it is very important to avoid any sort of task where your pieces containing stones can get wet. The backing used in the setting process located behind your gemstone to help keep it secure will swell and lead to loosening and possibly the loss of your stone.
To assist with the maintenance of your peices we recommended in investing in a cleaning cloth. We use and recommend the Sunshine cleaning cloth. This is a lightly abrasive cloth that, if used reguarly will assist in the reduction of tarnish and assist in keeping that shine. Avoid using this cloth on any stone work.
Storage:
While tarnish to sterling silver is a natural occurrence, if you do not enjoy your pieces going through the natural darkening process (tarnish) - a good preventative measure is to store your pecies in a airtight zip lock bag in an area that has low humidity. We also recommend storing your pieces separately to avoid scratching