Looking after your bracelet

Every day

Put the bracelet on after perfume and lotion, take it off before washing up or sleeping, and wipe it with a dry soft cloth now and then. That covers almost everything.

Elastic is a consumable. It relaxes with wear, and a strand that has grown noticeably loose or shows cord between the beads is telling you it is due to be restrung — better done deliberately than on a pavement.

Keep out of water

Take these off before washing, swimming or bathing. Water works into the cord and, on porous or dyed stones, dulls the surface over time.

105 of the pieces we carry, including Gold-Plated Bead Cap, Rose-Gold Rhinestone Bead Cap, Half-Moon Bead Cap, Filigree Lotus Cap, Silver Bead Cap, and others.

Keep out of direct sun

Long exposure fades the colour. Amethyst and other purple quartz are the classic case — a summer of daily wear in strong light visibly lightens them.

6 of the pieces we carry, including Amazonite Spacer, Amethyst Bell Flower, Clear Quartz Peace Buckle, Larimar Cabochon, Amethyst Bamboo Bead, and others.

Avoid chemicals

Perfume, hairspray, lotion, cleaning products. Put the bracelet on last when getting ready, and take it off first.

162 of the pieces we carry, including Coin Bead Cap, Phoenix-Tail Bead Cap, Small Bead Cap, Gold-Plated Bead Cap, Rose-Gold Rhinestone Bead Cap, and others.

Avoid knocks

Stone is hard but brittle. A sharp knock against a desk edge or a door frame chips a bead far more easily than gradual wear ever would.

44 of the pieces we carry, including Large Rhinestone Bead Cap, Amazonite Spacer, Large Rhinestone Bow, Amazonite Spacer (Small), Rhinestone Spacer (Small), and others.

The softest pieces we carry

Hardness is measured on the Mohs scale, where a fingernail is about 2.5 and window glass about 5.5. Anything below 5 will mark if it is treated like quartz.