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Following the blog post dedicated to cleaning silver jewelry, let’s now move on to how to take care of pearls. It is a question my clients often ask me, one that often clashes with many bad habits and practices. I will therefore try to give you a few little tips so that your jewelry maintains its beauty over time. How to care for authentic pearls For my creations, I choose exclusively authentic pearls, produced naturally by the mollusk. Precisely because they are an organic material, they are more delicate than imitation pearls made of glass, plastic, or resin and require a little extra care to preserve their brightness and color over time. What can ruin pearls? Pearls are most sensitive to prolonged contact with chemical substances and harsh products. Therefore, avoid: perfumes, hairsprays, and cosmetics; ammonia and detergents; acidic substances like lemon and vinegar; chlorine and seawater; intense sweat. A good habit is to put your jewelry on last, after makeup, perfume, and hair products, and to take them off before going to the hairdresser or beautician. Can I shower, bathe, or go in the pool with pearls? It is best not to. Salt and chlorine can damage the pearl's surface over time, while sand can scratch it. For the same reason, avoid wearing pearls during sports, housework, or tasks where they could come into contact with sweat, detergents, or abrasive surfaces. How to clean pearls? After wearing them, gently wipe the surface with a soft, clean cloth, perhaps slightly dampened, to remove any traces of sebum, makeup, or perfume. Avoid jewelry cleaners, abrasive products, and chemical solutions not specifically indicated for pearls. For the maintenance of the silver parts, you can consult the guide dedicated to caring for silver jewelry. How to store them? Pearls should be stored away from heat sources, extreme temperature changes, and excessively dry environments. Preferably store them in a soft fabric or velvet pouch, avoiding airtight containers and plastic bags for long periods. Above all, keep them separate from harder jewelry, stones, brooches, or other metal elements that could scratch their surface. One last tip: pearls love to be worn. With a little care and proper maintenance, they can retain all their natural beauty for a long time. Treat your pearls with care and wear them every chance you get, without waiting for a wedding, a graduation, or a special occasion. This way, they will get air, light, and be able to “breathe.” For me, every occasion is a good one! And remember that fortunately, things can be fixed, so even if with some minor precautions, enjoy your jewelry carefreely. An expression of elegance and refinement, I adore them so much that I created an entire collection dedicated solely to them. For any questions or curiosities, feel free to leave me a comment below, I will gladly answer you!

How to take care of silver jewelry One of the questions I receive most often is: how can I clean my silver jewelry? Before talking about cleaning, however, it is useful to understand why silver tends to darken over time. 925 silver is an alloy composed of 92.5% silver and the remainder of other metals, mainly copper, which are necessary to make it more resistant and suitable for crafting. Over time and with exposure to the environment, the typical dark patina commonly called tarnish can form on the surface. It is a natural phenomenon and does not mean that the jewelry is of poor quality. How to prevent tarnishing? A few simple precautions can significantly slow it down: store your jewelry separately and away from air and humidity; avoid contact with perfumes, creams, detergents, and cosmetics; remove your jewelry before exercising, showering, or swimming in a pool or spa; be particularly careful at the beach: salt air and humidity can accelerate the alteration of the silver and wear down plating more quickly; after wearing them, wipe the surface with a soft microfiber cloth before putting them away. Even skin pH and perspiration can influence the speed at which a piece of jewelry tends to darken: this is why the behavior of silver can be different from person to person. How to clean tarnished silver jewelry? After years of testing, I have chosen two types of cloths with different functions. MAGIC silver cleaning clothsThese are suitable when the first signs of tarnish begin to appear or when the silver is already darker. They are gentle on surfaces and can also be used on plated jewelry, always without applying excessive pressure. You can find them here: MAGIC cloths for cleaning silver Microfiber maintenance clothsThey do not remove existing tarnish: instead, they are for daily care and prevention, removing residues of skin, sweat, and substances that can deposit on the surface. You can find them here: Microfiber maintenance cloths What if the tarnishing is very severe? Only when the cloth is not enough should you consider a specific product for silver cleaning. Use it, however, very sparingly, especially on jewelry that is plated or treated with anti-tarnish coatings: more aggressive products, if used frequently, can wear away the plating or alter the protective treatment. Also, avoid any contact of the product with pearls, stones, corals, and cameos. If you need to reach a small metal part near these materials, apply the product precisely using a cotton swab, without touching the other elements. After cleaning, when required by the product used, rinse and dry the jewelry thoroughly before storing it. A simple rule to remember Jewelry is the last thing to put on when getting ready and the first thing to take off when you get home. Small daily precautions can make a big difference and help you preserve their shine and beauty for longer. Melania

I have always been torn in two. On one side, a love for study, especially for all (or almost all) scientific subjects; on the other, however, a love for all things handmade. My passion for study was a natural process, born at school and nurtured over the years, right up to university.   My love for craftsmanship, on the other hand, was born by chance but was intentionally and ardently cultivated over time. In a country like ours, as we know, it is spontaneous to follow what one thinks will open as many "doors" as possible, work-wise.   Unfortunately, or perhaps not, I have always preferred to (pursue) my passions. Regardless of how difficult it would be to find a job, and driven by the enthusiasm typical of one's twenties, I ventured into a real obstacle course: the world of scientific research. I graduated in Biotechnology in Florence and then continued my studies in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, and, after years of paying my dues in university labs—without a shred of a salary or hope of permanent placement, with funds that were never there and equipment that reminded me of the Middle Ages, and then after a year of desperate job hunting that yielded nothing—I also obtained a Second Level Master's degree in "Drug Design and Synthesis" in Siena. The Master's, fortunately, opened a career path for me within a large pharmaceutical multinational, in the Quality Assurance department. And so, you who are reading will say at this point, hold on, hold on, what does craftsmanship have to do with this? How did you go from reviewing vaccine batches to designing and producing handmade jewelry? The two paths have actually always run parallel; craftsmanship has been a hobby of mine since I was 15, and the world of accessories and jewelry in particular has always fascinated me. I have continued to study, test, and experiment in this field as well. Let's just say that, from a very specific moment on, these two paths followed completely opposite directions. While the confidence and enthusiasm for my studies and the path I had mapped out were slowly fading after disappointing work experiences, my passion for craftsmanship was growing out of all proportion.   The end of my contract brought me straight to a crossroads. On one side, a secure job, which might have eventually led to the much-coveted "permanent position," but which had to do with my degree only on paper and which, for me, was not exciting. On the other, an uncertain job. Without a fixed salary to cling to, but one that smelled of freedom, of starting over, of enthusiasm, after a long time of not feeling any. And after saying "no" several times, hoping for an ever-better job offer that, in fact, was never going to come because I was the first one who wasn't convinced by that path, after hours and hours of reflection, after the despair of thinking I had disappointed the people who believed in me, I decided to try to be happy, to try to build something of my own, with my own strength and determination alone. I took my hobby, the only thing that still managed to bring me joy and that I was still passionate about, if not more than before, and I bet everything on it.  I chose to tell you about my journey in the first article of this blog, to help you understand a little better who is behind what you will find on this site, but also for another reason, just as important: a message of encouragement to those who have been, are, or will be in a situation similar to mine, given the very particular period, from a professional point of view, that our country is going through. Simply because changing paths, not meeting the expectations of others, and deciding to be something different from what we had set out to be, does not mean failing. It can be painful to do so, the choice is not easy, but if life takes a turn we do not expect, we must discern new possibilities in this turn, not disappointments or failures, but opportunities for renewal, for happiness, for new challenges and new knowledge, and for new satisfaction. My motto is “He who does not sow, does not reap.” And what is more beautiful than sowing something that is completely our own? It is worth all the effort, and then some!   Thank you for reading this far ❤️ Melania