Product Care
Caring for your handmade pieces
Noonday Collection jewelry and accessories are crafted by Artisans all over the world! Every piece is unique and made by hand. Wondering how to care for your handmade pieces? We've put together tips to help you care for your Noonday favorites.
To preserve the beauty of your Noonday accessories:
Remove jewelry before showering, swimming, or exercising, and avoid storing it in the bathroom. Remove jewelry before applying hairspray or perfume, or working with household cleaners. Soap and lotion usually won't harm gold or silver, but can cause a film residue to form, making them appear dull and dingy.
Wipe pieces down with a soft cloth and store in a sealed bag with an anti-tarnish strip.
For all Noonday product care and cleaning recommendations, please test a small portion of your piece first before treating the entire piece.
Gold or Silver Plated Jewelry
Storage
Metal is particularly reactive in moist or wet conditions. The best way to store your plated pieces is to wrap them in soft fabric and store in an airtight container with a tarnish strip. Keep all of your pieces separate from one another to prevent scratching.
Take off jewelry before applying perfumes, hairsprays, lotions or make-up. Avoid contact with household cleaning products. Soap and lotion usually won't harm gold or silver, but can cause a film residue to form, making them appear dull and dingy.
Cleaning
To clean your gold or silver plated jewelry at home, use a non-abrasive jewelry cleanser that is safe for plated pieces or mild soap and water. Use a soft cloth to carefully clean the item. After cleaning, rinse with lukewarm water and allow it to dry completely.
Buffing your plated jewelry with a soft cloth is an effective and inexpensive way to keep your pieces lustrous.
Note: Do not use a jewelry polishing cloth, as this can damage the finish of your piece.
Brass Jewelry
Storage
Natural brass will oxidize over time, turning a darker, more muted color. To maintain a shiny, bright finish for as long as possible, store your brass in a sealed plastic bag with an anti-tarnish strip and keep it dry. Do not wear in the shower or store in a humid environment.
Take off jewelry before showering and before applying perfumes, hairsprays, lotions or make-up. Avoid contact with household cleaning products. These can speed up the tarnishing process.
Cleaning
To return brass to its original shine, make a paste of baking soda, water and lemon juice and gently rub it onto the piece with a soft cloth. Wash the mixture off using running water, then dry and buff with a clean cloth.
Upcycled Artillery or Mixed Metal Jewelry
Storage
Many of our Indian and Ethiopian jewelry pieces contain mixed metals, including nickel. They are lead and cadmium free. Metal is particularly reactive in moist or wet conditions. The best way to store your plated pieces is to wrap them in soft fabric and store in an airtight container with an anti-tarnish strip. Keep all of your pieces separate from one another to prevent scratching.
Take off jewelry before showering and before applying perfumes, hairsprays, lotions or make-up. Avoid contact with household cleaning products.
Note: Do not scrub the pieces or use a jewelry polishing cloth, as this can strip their finish, resulting in a rosy look.
Cleaning
To clean, dilute lemon juice with water, dip the piece into lemon bath, and gently swish the piece in the water. Remove the piece, rinse it in clean water, and pat dry. This should remove dullness caused by body oils.
Paper Bead Jewelry
Our paper beads are water resistant, but not waterproof. They have been shellacked or glossed several times with varnish to give them a wonderful high gloss shine and to make them water resistant. Take off paper bead jewelry before showering or swimming.
Paper Bead Jewelry can be cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth.
Tagua & Acai Seed Jewelry
Tagua and Acai Seeds are very hard and durable, but they are sensitive to water. Water will not destroy the beads, but it can cause the beads to warp or crack. Take off jewelry before showering and before applying perfumes, hairsprays, lotions or make-up.
Natural seed jewelry can be polished by hand with a natural wax like beeswax and buffed to a shine. Generally, you only need to do this once a year at most.
Sterling Silver Jewelry
Storage
To prevent tarnishing, store clean, dry sterling silver in a dry, airtight container like a Ziploc bag. Placing an anti-tarnish strip in the bag will also help prevent tarnishing. Keep all of your pieces separate from one another to prevent scratching.
Don't leave silver jewelry in the bathroom, as humidity can speed up the oxidation process that produces tarnish. Minimize sterling silver's contact with chemicals such as hairspray, body lotion, and cleaning products and do not wear it in the water. After taking it off, clean it with a dry, soft cloth before putting it back into an airtight container.
Cleaning
To clean your solid sterling silver pieces, use a jewelry polishing cloth. Ours is designed with a treated interior cloth for cleaning and an exterior cloth for polishing. Clean your jewelry with the inside cloth first. Moisten the cloth slightly for extremely tarnished pieces. After your jewelry is cleaned, lightly buff it with the outer cloth to create a rich luster.
If your silver jewelry needs a little more attention, immerse it in warm water with a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid and gently hand wash. A soft toothbrush can be used for more abrasive cleaning when needed. Thoroughly rinse and completely dry the silver before storing, as moisture is one of the factors that contribute to tarnishing. Never clean your jewelry in bleach, as this will break down the metal in your jewelry.
If the jewelry contains gemstones or pearls, do not submerge the whole piece into the water. Instead, use a cotton swab with mild dishwasher liquid to wash only the sliver.
Note: do not use a polishing cloth on silver plated pieces, as this can damage the finish of your piece.
Velvet & Grass Jewelry
Avoid getting velvet or grass jewelry wet. Take off jewelry before showering or swimming. Jewelry can be cleaned by wiping with a dry soft cloth.
Leather & Suede Items
For colorfastness and protection of leather and suede pieces, use a stain and water resistant spray safe for leather. Please follow directions closely to prevent any damage to your piece. As with any fabric, test a small, unseen patch first. Brands such as Scotch Guard, Kiwi, and Fiebing work well.
Leather
To spot clean unfinished leather, use a damp cloth or sponge to rub saddle soap into the leather and work soap into a light lather. Wipe away lather and allow to air dry. Then, oil leather with a leather preservative such as mink oil.
Suede
Store suede items so that they can breathe. Avoid plastic bags, which prevent air circulation, and opt for a pillowcase instead to protect from dust. Keep suede away from light, which will fade the color, and damp conditions, which can encourage growth of damaging mold and mildew. If suede gets wet, soak up excess moisture with a clean towel and allow the suede to dry naturally; do not use a heat source to speed up the process. After the item dries, restore the nap (the raised fibers typical of suede) with a suede brush.
Keep in mind that major stains will probably require professional care. Take your item to someone who specializes in leather and suede.
Knits & Woven Items
All our knitted and woven items are delicate and can snag, tear or stain. Please handle all items with care. Reference the specific item care on the product tag for specific washing, cleaning and care instructions.
Many of our knitted items are made of animal fiber like wool and alpaca, which means that agitation while washing can cause the fabric to "felt," or merge together to form a stiff, tight fabric. DO NOT machine wash these pieces. In general, you should gently hand wash the piece in cool, soapy water using a mild detergent or baby shampoo. Carefully swirl the knitted piece around in the water – never wring, twist or pull on the wet item. To dry, carefully lay the item out flat on a towel and blot to remove excess water, being careful not to stretch.
Dutch Wax Cotton Fabric
The best way to clean waxed cotton is to use room temperature water and a sponge, lightly brushing away any debris. For stubborn stains, use a soft bristled brush, then let the piece air dry. Never apply heat to dry, use soap, or scrub with abrasive materials, as this could damage the garment and compromise the waxy sheen.
For all Noonday product care and cleaning recommendations, please test a small portion of your piece first before treating the entire piece.
Product Materials FAQs
Does Noonday test its products for lead?
Yes. Each season, we test all of our new metal pieces for lead and cadmium content through a recognized International Testing Lab. We follow the highest standards for maximum lead content traces in the US. This means that you can be sure our jewelry contains no more than 6% lead and 0.03% cadmium for plated piece and less than 1.5% lead and 0.03% cadmium in un-plated metal pieces.
Is your jewelry nickel free?
We estimate that our mixed metal products contain less than 2% nickel. However, to avoid placing an unnecessary burden on our Artisan Partners, we are unable to test for every known allergen. As a result, we do not test specifically for nickel and cannot guarantee that there are no traces of nickel in our products.
For women who are sensitive to nickel we recommend avoiding upcycled artillery or mixed metal jewelry. Products composed of paper, horn, tagua, and sterling silver or gold plated pieces are the best options for women with sensitivities to nickel.
What metals do Noonday’s mixed metal pieces contain?
“Mixed metals” is a term used for jewelry that are not crafted of precious metals such as 18k gold or pure silver. These pieces may include brass, iron, copper, silver, steel, aluminum, and bronze. As mentioned above, mixed metal styles may also contain traces of nickel and are not recommended for women with sensitivities to metal.
Are Noonday’s products tested on animals?
No. We never test any of our products on animals. Members of the Noonday team wear-test our products to test for structural and material quality.
Is there a risk of radiation in the upcycled artillery pieces, or any other pieces?
No. There is no risk of radiation from artillery jewelry. It is doubtful that the simple bullet casings used to make our upcycled artillery products ever contained any radioactivity—but if they did ever contain traces, the metals would not maintain radiation after having been melted down.
What are Noonday’s earring backs and earring hooks made of? Can I wear them if I have sensitive ears? Are they hypoallergenic?
Our metal earring backs are of the same quality as all of our metal posts and chains, which have been wear-tested as well as lab-tested for lead and cadmium. As with other metal components, they are not guaranteed to be nickel-free or specifically hypoallergenic.
Our staff personally wear-tests our jewelry before full production to screen for any obvious irritants. However, different skin types will react to certain metals differently based on their unique chemistries. We encourage you to try our pieces on and wear them for a day or two, and if they are not completely comfortable, return them within 90 days of purchase at no cost to you.
Are the animal products your Artisan Partners use ethically sourced?
Yes, all of our horn, bone, and leather products are ethically sourced, which means that you can be confident that these pieces are handcrafted using the finest post-consumer materials. That means that no animals have been killed for their horn, bone, or leather. Our Artisan Partners use as many parts of the animal as possible in a spirit of respect and resourcefulness, and many have been using these materials in their cultures for generations.