Jewelry & Clothing Care
When you wear your Akoya Company pieces :
- Your Akoya Company adornments should be the very last things you put when getting ready, and the very first ones you remove when you are undressing. Wait until your cream or lotion is completely absorbed by your skin before you wear your pieces. Always spray your perfume before wearing your jewelry, and wait for it to be completely dry.
- We recommend you to remove your jewelry before going to bed or participating in physical activity. Our dainty chains, delicate soldering and refined gems do not like to be pulled, entangled, or strongly manipulated.
- Avoid any contact with water (shower, doing the dishes, any cleaning activity, swimming in pool, jacuzzi, sea, river…). Remove your rings when you wash your hands. Chlorine, salt water and fresh water can damage metals and gemstones by dulling or eroding them.
- We do recommend removing your jewelry when driving a bike, moving heavy objects, or for any other activity that might bend and damage your pieces.
Substances that may damage your jewelry :
Perspiration, salt water, oil, nail polish, nail polish remover, chlorine, perfume, cleaning agents, silver polish, lotions, hairspray, sun tan lotion, deodorant and other cosmetics. This list is not limited and we are giving here only a few products example.
When you are not wearing your Akoya Company pieces :
- Keep your jewelry away from hard surfaces. Bumps and scratches will damage your favorite piece.
- To avoid scratches and tarnishing, seal your jewelry in the plastic pouch provided, and store it preferably in the box or fabric pouch we offered you with your purchase, so that your jewelry don’t rub together, scratch, or tangle, especially when you are traveling.
- Please avoid extreme humidity or heat, as this may cause tarnishing. Your gold-plated & silver jewelry should be kept in a dark, cool, dry place. With time and wear, sterling silver and brass gold-plated items will naturally become oxidized and eventually tarnish.
- Do not keep jewelry in direct sunlight, as prolonged exposure to the sun can cause many gemstones to fade and lose their color.
Care instructions to clean your Akoya Company Jewelry :
- Clean your jewelry often. Wash it carefully in warm water with a mild washing up liquid, and dry it promptly with a soft cloth.
- Do not use jewelry cleaners and anti bacterial soaps, as these contain chemicals that can tarnish your jewelry very quickly.
- Use a polishing cloth to brighten your piece of jewelry.
MATERIALS & PRODUCTION
Our entire production is handmade. Each jewel is going through several steps of production process. Due to the nature of our production, our jewelry may vary slightly.
Using selected materials, natural products as much as we can: hand-carved gemstones, gold plated, sterling silver and brass, dainty chains, delicate soldering.. We aspire to offer you unique and refined pieces that need care and to be handled with attention.
Metals :
Sterling Silver : 925
Gold plating : 1 micron gold, 22 carat, coating
Gold plated jewelry is not gold jewelry. Gold plated jewelry is jewelry made of a sterling silver that has a layer of gold applied to the top. When buying gold plated jewelry, you should consider the gold plating as an aesthetic attribute, not as a value to the piece you are buying.
Gemstones :
Each gemstone is unique with a special color, birthplace and story. Gemstones come in every color of the rainbow and are gathered from all corners of the world, with each colored gemstone possessing a unique creation of beautiful color. Akoya Company is not responsible for the uniqueness of each stone... mother nature is, so please do not expect the exact same piece of jewelry than the one we’ve photographed for our website, as it won’t be, each stone is unique, just like you.
Care instructions to clean your Clothing :
- Please hand wash your silks and swimwear in cold water only. Use a delicate soap and wash gently without scrubbing. Do not wash by machine nor use hot water.
- Avoid using detergent with bleach, as your pieces may become yellow.
- Do not wring or twist your pieces.
- We recommend you to dry your delicates flat on a towel. Avoid laying them under the sun.
Bone detailing on bikinis
Once the bone has been carved in its final shape, it is polished, and left in its natural condition. The natural evolution of bone is to darken, and we cannot stop this effect.