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Frequently Asked Questions
Discover the secrets to working with Skölland Jewelry and get the answers to your most commonly asked silver & gold related jewelry questions.
The Skölland Guild & the Skölland Heroines Guilde
The Skölland Guild is our VIP club, when you sign up you get a 15% off coupon, exclusive early shopping access to new collection launches, special future discounts, behind-the-scenes updates, jewelry care, and styling tips delivered right to your inbox.
Our collection launches have a selection of extremely limited pieces, to get early shopping access you need to be signed up for the Skölland Guild to be notified through email. When early shopping happens, we send an email with an exclusive VIP shopping link directly to your inbox. The link is live for 24 hours before everyone else can shop giving you first dibs on pieces. Sneak peeks from our new collections are posted on Instagram & Facebook (usually in stories) and periodically in emails sent to the Skölland Guild.
The best way to find out when new pieces are arriving is by following our social media channels (Facebook & Instagram). We post sneak peeks of new pieces periodically in our stories, and reminder emails are sent out to Skölland Guild members a few days before each launch to remind you before the collection release happens.
The Skölland Heroines Guild is our exclusive, private Facebook group for romantics, historians, adventurers, and storytellers. The group is united by our imagination, style and an unflinching love of the past- the same values Skölland Jewelry shares. Folks that join the Skölland Heroines Guilde are also subscribed to the Skölland Guild, but signing up for the Skölland Guild does not automatically sign you up for the Skölland Heroines Guilde. The Skölland Guild is our newsletter/ VIP shopping experience.The Skölland Heroines Guild is a small community focused on connecting with other like-minded individuals.
Sign up here, we'd love to have you!
Patina, Antiquing & Rhodium
Yes-there are no permanent patinas or antiquing solutions available for silver or gold jewelry. Your finish will change with time. It is impossible to give an exact time frame of how long it will last because how and when it will change will be impacted by how you handle your jewelry, your unique skin PH, how it is stored, and what elements it is exposed to.
We use 2 different types of patina/antiquing here at Skölland Jewelry:
- Liver of sulfur (aka LOS) it's a traditional patina commonly used among jewelers to create a darkened or old appearance on silver and copper jewelry.
- LP: our proprietary lacquer-like patina that is not available to other jewelers. We developed this to mimic the matte black look of black ruthenium, without having the harsh chemicals involved in plating.
→ LOS patina will have the patina sealed with renaissance wax to help preserve the finish, depending on how you handle your jewelry this patina will likely change over time making it unique to the wearer. Items that receive high levels of wear, or are in frequent contact with skin oils will change or wear faster than areas that are not frequently exposed to skin oils or abrasives. To get the maximum life out of your patina, please reference to the tips listed in the care card included in your order.
→ Our LP finish resembles rhodium/ruthenium plating in terms of longevity. It will gradually wear away revealing the silver beneath. Like LOS, how long this finish last largely depends on how often the piece is worn and what elements it comes in contact with. Our LP finish lasts longer under normal wear conditions than LOS.
Choosing a piece made with our LP finish, or requesting a heavy black rhodium or ruthenium plating will provide you with the longest lasting aged looking finish. Message us to discuss what you're looking for, we can provide suggestions for which finish to choose based on your specific needs.
Yes, antiquing, plating and polishing can always be reapplied to your jewelry at anytime. Just let us know what you need done, and we can make it happen. You can check out our refinishing options here. Please note that plating will require an additional fee-we will reach out to you with estimates once we know what refinishing services you are looking for.
Yes, on a requested basis. We have the capability to plate small parts of a piece with rhodium, gold or black rhodium/ruthenium upon special request here. Due to the capabilities of our plater, the plating we can apply here is used only for providing pops of color in areas that do not require heavy plating for longevity ( ex: earrings & necklaces)
Any item that needs heavy plating for longevity ( rings shanks or bracelets) will need to be sent to our plater to achieve the thickest plating possible to give you the best experience.
Due to the high cost of gold & rhodium plating, plating is billed separately from the cost shown at checkout.
- Heavy gold/rhodium plating usually ranges from $100-300/piece (depending on size/spot price of metals the day plating is requested)
- Lighter plating used for accent pieces ranges from $25-$100 ( depending on size of plating area)
Please message us for a quote if this is something you're interested in.
Jewelry Care
Jewelry with patina should be cared for differently than jewelry without it. To get the longest life out of your antiqued pieces do not subject the darkened areas to cleaners, polishing cloths, abrasive elements (harder metals, sandpaper, matte finish polishing cloths, steel wool etc.), or skin oils. Cleaners, polishing cloths, abrasive elements, and oils will remove the darkened effect.When you’re done wearing these pieces, it’s recommended to place them in their own pouch or box, away from humid areas.
Absolutely, you can find our refinishing options here.
In theory, yes you absolutely can. It is good to periodically clean your jewelry, especially pieces with high shine finishes to help keep tarnish at bay. However, wearing your jewelry 24/7 subjects it to a lot of wear and tear, reducing its life. To get the longest life from your jewelry, we recommend removing all your jewelry before sleeping, bathing, swimming, performing strenuous activities, applying perfume or lotions, and cleaning.
Absolutely, mixing metals is a great look. Just be mindful that gold is technically harder than most sterling silver, and will scratch the softer metal it comes in contact with if both metals are worn together in close proximity. If you plan on frequently wearing gold and silver together, we recommend having your silver pieces be made from continuum sterling silver- it’s hardness is similar to that of gold. It will last longer than Argentium or traditional sterling pieces when frequently worn with gold or platinum pieces.
After wearing, both silver and gold jewelry should be placed in their own individual bags and stored away from humid areas.
→ Sterling silver is more prone to tarnishing than gold, to help keep tarnish at bay store each sterling piece in its own anti-tarnish bag. If you don’t have anti-tarnish bags on hand, small plastic bags are a good substitute. Don’t store multiple pieces in the same bag, as the metals can cause each other to tarnish faster and scratching is possible if both pieces make contact with one another.
The safest way to clean your jewelry at home is with mild, non-abrasive dish soap, warm water and a soft towel. Dawn or Mrs. Meyers work well. Allow your jewelry to soak in warm water for a few minutes to help loosen any dirt build up. After soaking, apply soap with a soft toothbrush and scrub any areas with buildup. Rinse well with more warm water and dry immediately with a soft towel to prevent water spots from forming.
For jewelry without patina or stones, you can clean your pieces in an ultrasonic cleaner.
For folks who work with their hands, we recommend choosing either platinum,10K gold, or continuum sterling silver. We also recommend choosing bands thicker than 2mm for longevity and opting for a brushed or matte finish to hide new scratches. To learn more about the pros and cons for each of these metals, check out this blog post.
Repairs
We stand by the quality of our work, if for any reason there is a fault with our craftsmanship we will repair or replace your piece free of charge-forever.
Please see our repair policy here.
Metals & Sizing Questions
The easiest way to determine your ring size is to either order one of our ring sizers ( available here) or to go into a local jeweler and ask to be sized.Many customers have incorrectly measured their size at home using string “tricks” or ring template print outs, for the best and most accurate results we recommend purchasing a ring sizer directly from us or getting sized at a local jeweler. Check out our page dedicated to finding your ring sizerhere
The main difference between karats of gold is the percentage of gold used in each alloy. 10K gold has the least amount used (around 41%) while 18K has the most amount used (around 75%).
Between karats, shades of color can vary. As can durability -10K alloys tend to be more durable than 14 or 18k.
Gold-filled jewelry (also known as gold bonded) iscreated by mechanically bonding a thick layer of gold on top of a base metal core -usually brass. The gold is bonded to the base metal core by pressure and heat so it will not flake, chip or peel off. Gold filled jewelry is often used as an alternative to gold plated, as it lasts longer. Legally, it is a minimum of 5% gold content. When you see gold filled jewelry, there is very little handcrafting involved in making it. We do not use gold filled at Skölland because it is made by mass production, and cannot be extensively crafted to our standards like silver, gold or platinum alloys without removing the outer gold layer.
All our jewelry is made from Silver or Gold. Individual product listings display those products materials for specific alloy information. Our favorite silver alloy to work with is Argentium 940 Sterling Silver, most products are made from this, but some may be made from traditional 925 sterling silver, or 950 continuum silver. All our jewelry is handmade in Wisconsin in a small home-based studio through casting or fabrication methods. If you have a specific request for which alloy is used to make your piece, please get in touch.
Shipping
By default, all orders over $50 ship free via USPS first class mail. You can choose to purchase a faster delivery speed through USPS or UPS once you arrive at checkout. ( priority, 2-day or next day air) All orders can be tracked all the way from my shop to your delivery spot for peace of mind. Each order is shipped in a kraft box or a padded mailer.
Most orders ship out within 5 business days, but certain pieces marked as made to order may have a longer production time-up to 4 weeks. Made to order pieces are made after you purchase them, not before hand so it takes time to make them especially for you. Most pieces list the production time on the product listing, but if you don't see it on the piece you're looking to purchase you can always reach out to us at : info@skollandjewelry.com to inquire.
Pieces marked as "OOAK" or "Limited design" ship out within 2-5 business days as they have already been made, if you choose to customize a limited piece the production time may be extended depending on the customization requested.
Yes–all orders are insured for the full cost of the item, excluding shipping charges. If your order is lost or damaged during transit we can file a claim on your behalf. Please contact us immediately if this occurs and send photos. Please note that we are not responsible for any package that is lost or stolen after delivery, shipping insurance will not cover packages lost or stolen after delivery. If you live in an area with high rates of parcel theft please get in touch to arrange for signature upon delivery to prevent them from being stolen.
No worries, we ensure secure delivery by adding a signature requirement to all orders over $400, at no additional cost to you. For orders valued under $400, signature upon delivery can be added for a small fee ($5) please message us to arrange this. Let us take care of protecting your investment and delivering it safely to your hands!