The ancient kauri wood that goes into cremation jewelry is fallen wood, and no live or standing trees are affected by the kauri wood’s removal. While large machinery must be used to pull the ancient kauri from the swamp, harvesters take great pains to leave the environment in the same condition they found it. People who strive to practice “green” living in every aspect of their lives can rest assured, knowing the ancient kauri in their cremation jewelry was harvested by environmentally sound methods.
Each urn pendant made from ancient kauri is a unique creation, turned and polished by hand. The three-dimensional appearance of the wood’s grain is truly stunning, but perhaps the most appealing quality of cremation necklaces made from ancient kauri is the wood’s chatoyance. Chatoyance causes the wood’s shimmering appearance to change according to lighting and the angle from which the cremation jewelry is viewed.
Skilled craftsmen, who value ancient kauri for its lustrous beauty and extreme workability, today use ancient kauri to make furniture, boats - and some of the finest cremation jewelry found anywhere. Like cremation jewelry made from other materials, cremation keepsakes made from ancient kauri wood contain a hollow chamber to hold a bit of cremated remains, dried flowers, or earth from a burial site - even a lock of hair.
Cremation jewelry made from ancient kauri wood holds the secrets of a natural phenomenon that occurred 50,000 years ago in the kauri forests of New Zealand - tens of thousands of years after wooly mammoths roamed the earth, and tens of thousands of years before the glaciers formed what are known today as the Great Lakes. No one knows exactly how it happened, but something in nature caused the ancient forest where 2,000 year-old kauri trees grew to be buried beneath a peat bog. There, the wood was mysteriously and perfectly preserved until it was discovered and harvested by modern excavators.
Do NOT store pearls in this type of bag or box, however, as you will damage the pearl. You can also buy a more expensive alloy of silver and platinum which will not tarnish. When you are going to swimming, be sure to take down your jewelry first, the chlorine in seawater will pit the metal, and harm some types of gemstones.
Silver tends to tarnish due to the metals it is alloyed with copper. Someone maybe had instructed you to clean your sterling jewelry with toothpaste, it’s really wrong, as one kind of cleanser toothpaste it is abrasive and it will dull the finish over time with tiny scratches. You’d best use silver polish, and a no phosphate type detergent is also OK, or simply storing them in anti-tarnish bags or anti-tarnish jewelry boxes.
Both gold metal and platinum metal can be cleaned in warm sudsy water, or take the jewelry to a jewelry store for a steam cleaning. Then wipe the jewelry with a chamois or a soft cloth. Gold is weakened and becomes brittle with exposure to chlorine, but platinum can stand up to most chemicals. Your best choice with jewelry is to look for a cleaner that is safe for both the metal and the gemstone-ask your jeweler.
Organic gems such as pearls, corals, amber, shells should be clean and wipe with a soft damp cloth. Do not use chemical detergents. You can use ivory flakes to clean these gems. Opals are also susceptible to extreme high or low temperatures. Too much heat will make them dry out. For example, if you go outside into a freezing weather with an opal jewelry the opal maybe crack. In both cases your opal will turn into a history, so be careful.
Never wear jewelry of any type when you are cleaning around the house. The chemicals in household detergents can damage the metal in your jewelry and will destroy many types of gemstones. Yes, you’d best to remove your rings before wash your hands, as soap can damage porous stones, and hand or body lotion are harmful too.
When dressing, remember to put on your makeup, perfume or hairspray first always and wear your jewelry for last. All of these substances can pile up on your jewelry which will make your jewelry need more frequent cleaning and also dull their appearances. And some of these substances also could damage some types of gems, especially pearls.
Do not put opaque gems such as cat’s eyes, jade, turquoise and opals in an ultrasonic cleaner. It will damage the gems. Opaque gems are porous and will absorb cleansers and soap, which will build up inside the stones and discolor them over time. Be sure to clean your gems that opaque by wiping with a soft damp cloth.
You may clean those clear gems on your jewelry such as diamonds, natural crystals,emeralds, amethyst, rubies, sapphires and all precious stones etc. in an ultrasonic cleaner if you wish. However, if there is any other type of stone in the setting than you should NOT use the ultrasonic cleaner. You can also clean gems with a mild liquid detergent and a soft brush. Dry with a non abrasive lint free cloth.