Care and Feeding of your Artwork

Almost everything that is presented to you on this site is handmade with love and passion, using the finest quality materials that have all been carefully sourced and hand picked by the artists themselves. Even the tshirts, posters, and photographic prints, while not made by us per se, are our original art or photography.  We source from all sorts of places which you can read more about in our Origin Stories section.

But, as far as taking care of your work, we have a few things to say. While some of our work might come off as somewhat indestructible, like some of the glass pieces or the chains, they are in fact not, so there are some things to be considered.

The chains can get yanked and pulled on, as illustrated to us by many an enthusiastic toddler, but that does not mean that over time warping will not occur. You may notice that the wire I use for my chains and wrapwork is not silver or pure copper. I choose to use a coated copper wire that has an antiquated, brassy feeling to it. I adore the aesthetic appeal of the color and it seems to keep better over time as it does not tarnish in quite the same way many of my other options do. There is a product I can use to coat the wire with but I do not always like the effect that has on the gemstones I spend so much time assembling.

All of my earring loops are made with this same wire a well. As far as I know it is not specifically hypoallergenic. WIth that in mind, my mother who is notorious for having extremely sensitive skin, can wear these comfortably all day long. So you should be good. This, of course does not mean that it works for everyone. If this applies to you I will soon have a sterling silver option available.The beaded necklaces, bracelets, and sun catchers are all strung on a woven metal cord covered in a flexible protective plastic coating. Definitely better than the fishing line I used as a teenager before I knew any better. While what I use now may be a much better material, that still does not mean that you should wash your dishes or shower wearing them. You are purchasing works of art after all.

The sun catchers are designed to be placed in regularly sunny areas. With that being said, you need to understand that many stones fade after being in the direct sunshine for extended periods of time, gems like amethyst in particular. Maybe I shouldn’t be using the gems for this purpose, but I can’t help the depth and magic the prisms bring to me and I cannot deny the urge to make it even more beautiful. But as an artisan, consumer, and a person with a rigid moral code I feel the need to inform you, the ultimate owner of the inevitable effect of prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Your stones are going to fade in the sun over time.

If it looks like stone, bone, glass, or wood, it is. I do not like to use imitation materials, so treat it accordingly. Don’t be unnecessarily violent with your art and you will have it to love for many years to come. You may also notice throughout our site that there will be the occasional item that is listed as having been made with somewhat unknown hand-me-down materials, or found items. Not everything is purchased new. Every single guitar string came from a real musicians instrument after lots of use and love. Some items have been found in various driveways or parking lots. Many materials are collected from the natural world around us. I’ve known more than one old lady who needed someone to give a bunch of beads to, so I take some off of their hands and away home with me. For this reason we will always let you know where our materials come from bt we cannot always tell you what it is exactly or how to take care of it. This is in the spirit of recycling and upcycling. We would prefer to breathe new life into something that still has beauty wherever possible.

Our handmade glass is mostly made from borosilicate glass, (Brand name Corning Pyrex or competing manufacturers).  If one of our pieces is not, it will be noted in the product description. Borosilicate glass is stronger, and more impact and fracture resistant than the more common soda/lime glass.  This makes our glass extremely unlikely to break under normal use conditions, and increasing the chance that it will survive minor accidents. With that in mind, they are still made of glass, and should be treated as such.  Impact with hard objects such as other glass, ceramic, or stone will likely shatter even the thickest and strongest of pieces.

Another thing to keep in mind with our glass items is that impact damage may not be immediately visible.  Even our thickest work will develop stresses in the glass after being dropped on even softer materials such as wood floors, and will eventually crack or shatter.

Ornaments and other non-functional glass should be considered extremely delicate.

It is recommended that you clean our glass regularly, as follows;

• Ornaments, pendants, and other decorative glass should be cleaned with Streak-Free Windex and a soft cloth.
• Pipes and other smoking products should be cleaned outside with alcohol, and inside should be cleaned using the alcohol/salt method.
• NEVER scrape glass smoking products with metal tools, as this will cause small scratches that will eventually cause your piece to crack.
• Intimates should be cleaned with soap and water, and are dishwasher safe.