TAONGA CARE
Taonga by Timoti are all handmade, unique pieces and need to be looked after carefully to ensure they enjoy a long life. Your Pounamu is incredibly strong and durable, however it is also very dense and does not absorb shock very well. The following instructions will help your jewellery to last a lifetime:
- Always protect your jewellery from sharp blows, scratching, chemicals, sunlight and heat/cold.
- Avoid wearing your jewellery while cleaning, gardening, labouring mahi or performing sports activities.
- Take your Pounamu Jewellery off and put it on over a soft surface. We are often fixing taonga that slipped from a hand when they are being put on or taken off. Earrings are particularly susceptible to this. We recommend you take off, put on your earrings over a bed or couch – not over the bathroom sink or tile floor!
- Store your jewellery in a soft lined box or pouch. Try to keep pieces apart so they don’t rub together.
- Never go swimming wearing your jewellery and take it off while showering. Water will cause the cord to erode more quickly and chlorine in swimming pools can cause damage to all metals and will erode gold jewellery.
- If your pounamu looks dry, rub it against your skin so it can absorb the oils from your body. Alternatively you can rub a very small amount of natural oil (such as olive or coconut) into it.
RING CARE
Pounamu is a very strong stone but it can be chipped and shattered if not treated with care. Moreover, if your pounamu is set in gold, this is a relatively soft metal and damaging the setting can compromise the safety of the stones.
- For this reason, it is important to remove your pounamu ring when undertaking activities where it may be damaged. We recommend that you avoid wearing your jewellery during activities such as cooking, cleaning, gardening, swimming/showering, particularly sporting and gym activities.
- Please pay careful attention to the care of your pounamu when picking up metal or stone objects.
- Put on and remove your ring over a soft surface such as a bed or couc
- Keep your rings away from harsh chemicals like household cleaning fluid as they create abrasions and reduce the lustre of the metal
METAL CLEANING AND CARE
Metals will age and tarnish naturally, if you want to keep your pieces in pristine condition clean your jewellery regularly.
- For a light clean, wipe jewellery with a soft lint free cloth. Use soft fabrics such as velvet and cotton, as rougher materials like paper and polyester will impart fine scratches.
- To clean jewellery more thoroughly, soak it in a diluted solution of detergent free soap and warm water for five minutes. Use a soft brush (a soft toothbrush is ideal) to remove any dirt and then rinse thoroughly in clean warm water. Dry your jewellery thoroughly using a soft lint free cloth or a hairdryer.
- To remove tarnishing we recommend using a professional jewellery cleaning product. Always read the manufacturers instructions.
