Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions not answered here, please contact me!
Why Ceramic?
Clay bodies, like stoneware and porcelain, are truly wonderful materials!
Once fired, clay vitrifies into ceramic which never tarnishes, melts or degrades in any way. It does not need special care beyond being mindful of drops or overly harsh treatment.
Above all, clay’s amazing malleability allow for unique and highly detailed creations, limited nearly only by the artist’s own knowledge, skills and imagination. The uniqueness of glazes and their capricious reactions to the extreme heat of the kiln, allow for unpredictable arrays of coloration which are sometimes impossible to re-create on any other material.
Are the Stone beads real? Dyed?
Fake gemstones made of glass and polymers, and misleading labels, are all over in the world of jewelry, and are a personal pet peeve of mine. For this reason I only use genuine stones which have not been enhanced through the addition of artificial dyes. I also only order from reliable providers, and test the products to the best of my ability in order to make sure they are genuine and devoid of dyes. If in ANY doubt, I don’t use the stones and ban the provider from my list.
My promise to you is that you will not find a single unsightly dye spot on these stones, nor will you have any reason to doubt their authenticity upon close inspection.
I also label and explain every stone type clearly so that you know what you are purchasing. For example, Canadian ‘‘Jade’’ is truly Serpentine, which is nearly indistinguishable from genuine (high quality) Jade… only much hardier!
Are your earrings safe for sensitive ears?
All my earrings are from hypoallergenic stainless steel, meaning they contain a lower percentage than average of the components which people are most often allergic to, like nickel. People with low to moderate sensitivities to earring metals in general should do fine, though I do not recommend them to be worn by people with very high sensitivities! If you, or the person you intend to gift them to, are known to only be able to wear a very specific metal (like gold or silver), then even hypoallergenic stainless steel might cause an allergic reaction!
I cannot guarantee that my earrings will be 100% compatible with anyone’s ears, as everyone is different and may be more or less sensitive to any one particular component. No metal is 100% allergen free, even gold can trigger reactions in some people, but too much nickel is more often what triggers reactions in people.