Luminosity Fashions

How do I clean my jewelry?
I clean and polish all jewelry with stainless steel shot with some liquid Dawn in a rock tumbler. This burnishes and hardens the metal, and gives a brilliant finish. This isn't necessary to
maintain the shine, however: Aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel are the easiest to care for, as they will not tarnish like copper-based metals. Simply give them a good scrubbing with your
hands in mild soap and water, and dry with a soft cloth.

Commercial cleaners work well for their respective metals, but generally should not be used if your piece has bronze, brass, or copper with silver. Never use a commercial cleaner on
anodized aluminum, niobium or titanium - they will strip the color right off! There are many home-brew methods you can use as an alternative – some swear by lemon juice, vinegar, dish
soap, even ketchup! Personally, I think these methods are the best choices as they don't use noxious and environmentally damaging chemicals. If I need to spruce up a piece quickly I rely on
hand soap to restore the shine.

You can also send me your jewelry and a return envelope with pre-paid postage and I'll tumble it for free. Just contact me via e-mail so I'll know it's coming.

What is Etsy, and why don't you use e-Bay?
For one, I already use Paypal and the idea of paying the same company twice bothers me, especially considering the extremely high fees they charge.    In particular, the clothing and jewelry
sections are glutted with thousands of listings, many of which are mass-produced junk. The relatively small percentage of quality goods isn't even seen because they are buried behind
sometimes hundreds of new listings daily. Etsy is geared more toward the small-time artisan and provides a place for artists to sell their goods for minimum fees.

Membership is the same as e-Bay, in that it is free to register, easy to use, and secure. Most importantly they care about promoting talented artists, and take steps to do so.

If all your ear wires are made from different metals, what happens if I want a set of copper earrings? Won't my ears turn green?
  My first priority is towards the visual appeal of my jewelry. In the case of metals that cause skin reactions like copper and nickel, I first try to work in a different metal that will still be
aesthetically pleasing. If that's not possible, I apply a thin coat of varnish to the metal which seals it and eliminates any reactions. I do this as a last resort simply because I don't like the feel of
the metal once varnished - it seems like plastic to me. Other people however don't notice the difference or don't mind it at all. I am happy to do this to your jewelry upon request. This
generally applies only to ear wires - I don't coat the entire piece.

I'm prone to metal allergies, is your jewelry hypo-allergenic?
  It depends entirely on the metal.   Some metals such as niobium and titanium are completely hypoallergenic. Others, such as silver and 14k (and higher) gold are generally so, but some
people still react to them.   I can't say there is no chance that you'll react to one metal or another, because everyone is different. Your best bet is to go by past precedent. If you've never had
any reaction in the past, chances are you won't be allergic to my jewelry. That doesn't mean you can't develop allergies in the future though!

  The most common metal people are allergic to is nickel. Nickel is used as an alloy to whiten other metals. It is frequently used in white gold, sterling silver, stainless steel (including surgical
stainless!), and of course nickel silver. That doesn't mean that it's used all the time in these metals however - sterling silver and white gold are often alloyed with other metals for this very reason.

  If you are prone to metal allergies you definitely should not wear jewelry made of nickel silver (18% nickel) You should be careful of sterling silver as well, especially in mass-produced
jewelry.   Fine silver (99.9% pure) makes a great alternative to this and I can make something for you upon request. It's slightly softer than sterling and a bit more expensive, but not by a
significant amount if it's not a large piece. When in doubt, ask.

I want to have a custom piece made, but I have no idea what the weave is called!
  There are hundreds of different maille weaves and variations, and the list just continues to grow. Your best bet is to check the resources page where you can find pictures of most of my most
frequently used weaves.   Clicking one of the weaves will take you to a page with detailed information about its different sizes, density, and other properties. I primarily made this page as a
resource for other maillers, but you may find the information useful as well. If the weave you're looking for isn't on this page, check the Mail Artisans International League site. There is an
archive of nearly every weave made here - if you're looking for ideas for something unique, this is a good place to start!