Care Advice

HANFUGIRL CARE ADVICE

DAILY USE

ORGANIC MATERIALS

Your Hanfugirl jewelry or bag is made of extremely delicate items such as silk, embroideries, feathers and other organic materials which require special care and attention.

To prevent damage to your piece, we recommend avoiding exposure to fragrance, soap, chemicals or cosmetics, as these could affect these materials’ colour and form. It is best to wait until fragrances and cosmetics have dried completely before wearing your jewelry or touching your bag.

It is important not to expose your creation to water (fresh, chlorinated or salt) or to high temperatures (such as prolonged sun exposure).

We generally recommend that you do not wear your jewelry when performing certain activities (sports, gardening, etc.) to prevent it from being knocked or from coming into contact with harmful substances.

NON ORGANIC MATERIALS

Agate

Agate has similar hardness as Jadeite at 6.5-7 on Moh’s scale. It comes in a wide range of opacity and colours, but has less crystal-like textures and inclusions in general as compared to the other jades.

It is recommended to check which jewellery you keep them with, as harder stones such as Diamond or even Jadeite have the tendency to scratch it.

Definitely do not leave it out in the sun, or exposed to excessive heat (i.e. saura, sunbathing), harsh chemicals, smoke and oil, perfume, hairspray, soap, alcohol wipes, make-up, acidic or alkaline mediums.

For general maintenance, run them under room temperature water and brush with a baby toothbrush (extremely soft bristle). Do not use soap to wash it.

Otherwise, it is generally quite a stable and hardy stone (of course it is brittle, so do not drop or knock it against hard items!).

Serpentine

There is a wide range of serpentine, with Moh’s scale ranging from 3 to 6. Depending on the stone (because Serpentine is porous in nature), it might lose its original glow and translucency (like the glass-quality jadeite) and turn opaque (nephrite-like consistency) over time if you are in a dry country as it needs moisturising to retain its brilliance. In that instance, fret not, just cover it with dampened cotton pads and keep in ziplock bag (do not soak in water), and it should return to its original state in a day or two.

If you are in Singapore or a place with high humidity, this generally should not be an issue (but do bear this in mind when travelling overseas in Winter especially).

It is recommended to check which jewellery you keep them with, as harder stones such as Diamond or even Jadeite have the tendency to scratch it.

For general maintenance, run them under room temperature water and brush with a baby toothbrush (extremely soft bristle). Do not use soap to wash it.

Otherwise, it is generally quite a stable and hardy stone (of course it is brittle, so do not drop or knock it against hard items!).

Occasionally, certain serpentines would change its colour (in particular, those with yellow tones), and the blue/green tone of the serpentine piece might turn completely yellow over time.

The unpredictability of the stone is something that you might wish to bear in mind when purchasing, and if you are fascinated with the ‘pseudo organic’ changes in such a stone, this is definitely an option to consider! You might own what looks like nephrite and jadeite from time to time based on its environment!

However, if you prefer something more predictable, you might wish to opt for Nephrite, Jadeite or Agate.

Nephrite

Nephrite is relatively harder with a Moh’s scale of 6-6.5. It is opaque and wearing them often would not increase its translucency but might make it gain a bit more lustre.

It is recommended to check which jewellery you keep them with, as harder stones such as Diamond or even Jadeite have the tendency to scratch it.

Definitely do not leave it out in the sun, or exposed to heat (i.e. saura, sunbathing), harsh chemicals, smoke and oil, perfume, hairspray, soap, alcohol wipes, make-up, acidic or alkaline mediums.

For general maintenance, run them under room temperature water and brush with a baby toothbrush (extremely soft bristle). Do not use soap to wash it.

Otherwise, it is generally quite a stable and hardy stone (of course it is brittle, so do not drop or knock it against hard items!).

Jadeite

Jadeite is one of the hardest jadestones at 6.5-7 on Moh’s Scale (but still softer than gemstones like Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, and of course Diamond). It has a wide range of consistencies, with the lowest (according to modern definition) being very patchy, grainy and opaque texture, and the highest (again, modern definition) being glass-like.

Antique Jadeites are typically opaque.

If you have a heat-treated jadeite (still considered Type A as it is not chemically treated), it is likely that it would have a rougher texture due to the loss of water during the treatment. But you don’t have to worry about colour change or harmful effects on your body so you can wear them close to your body.

If you have a natural Type A jadeite, please also bear in mind that it is a stone at the end of the day so please treat it with care. Depending on its cutting and carving (which is an important quality in its pricing as well), it might also have structural weakness at parts where they are thinly carved or protruding, so please bear in mind when purchasing and wearing them.

It is recommended to check which jewellery you keep them with, as harder stones such as Diamond or even Jadeite have the tendency to scratch it.

For general maintenance, run them under room temperature water and brush with a baby toothbrush (extremely soft bristle). Do not use soap to wash it.

Otherwise, it is generally quite a stable and hardy stone (of course it is brittle, so do not drop or knock it against hard items!).

Silver

Silver has been embraced by generations of the larger Chinese population since the ancient times (much more so than Gold). It is rather soft with a moh’s scale of 2.8 but does not break easily.

It tends to tarnish overtime, but is easily fixed with a silver polishing cloth, or a silver polishing detergent.

CLEANING

How to clean your item

Cloisonné/ Faux Cloisonné (coming soon)

Both the cloisonné and faux cloisonné can be cleaned with gently wiping its surface with soft paper or cloth
You may also use wet cloth or wipes to clean off oily surfaces on these material

Lacquer (coming soon)

Do not soak lacquer in water, normal usage and exposure to moisture and water is fine.
Do not put sharp objects near or together with lacquer to avoid scratching the surface
Drip a drop of plant-based oil in and gently spread it lightly across the surface, and then use gentle detergent to wash clean, and wipe it dry to keep the lacquer surface shiny
Use a soft brush to brush over the surfaces to remove any dust particles or stain

Silk & Embroideries

We generally recommend sending to dry cleaner for cleaning (please check with your dry cleaner if they know how to handle indicate delicate item and silk as they might do the wrong guesswork and cause irreversible damage).
If it is a small stain and you have no such option available, immediately dampen a piece of clean cloth and dap gently over the stained area. If it is an oil-based stain, try putting baby powder over the oil stain and leave it overnight. Subsequently, try to dilute silk detergent with water and dampen the mixture with clean cloth before dapping the cloth over the soiled area. Ensure that the piece of fabric is rinsed multiple times thereafter so there is no detergent or soap left. Do not rub against it with force as it would tear the fabric.
It is not recommended to store your item with direct exposure to Sun or bright lights as it would cause the silk fibre to deteriorate very quickly
Store them in a dry place, or airy room

Feather Inlays

Use a small soft brush and gently brush over the feather
When not in use, please keep in ziplock bag or protection case before putting into your jewellery box to avoid the feathers being scratched by other sharp jewellery pieces
While feathers are waterproof, the glue used for the inlay although refined to be more waterproof than the traditional method, is still delicate. It is advisable to dap away the moisture/water on the inlay and air dry it as soon as possible.

Faux Mother-of-pearl inlays (coming soon)

Faux mother-of-pearl inlays are coated with a layer of resin so it is safe for washing.

Semi-Precious/Precious Stones, Gold, Silver, Copper, Brass, Alloy

For silver pieces, rub your silver pieces with polishing cloth which are made with micro-fine polishers to remove dirt and tarnish.
For precious stones, gold, brass and bronze, you may reach out to us with an image and we can recommend the next step forward.
For Antique/Vintage jewelleries, we recommend sending back to us for cleaning unless your jeweller is familiar with antique pieces as these pieces to retain their unique mark of history

STORAGE

Each Hanfugirl jewellery creation that has the potential to be oxidised (i.e. metallic base) should be stored in a vacuum case for jewelry or with anti-oxidisation paper. If it is non-metallic, then a container without the anti-oxidisation paper would suffice. These cases ensure that the jewelry parts are kept in place and prevent them from being knocked or scratched. This is particularly important for feather inlays as the feathers are extremely fragile.

Some of the materials used are more delicate than others and are particularly susceptible to breaking on impact or disintegrate when scratched.

Silk should ideally be kept in a relatively dry area away from the sun, without any mothball or artificial scent and chemicals—Clothes moth larvae cannot survive on raw silk alone, but they do eat the finish on the yarn or fabric. Exposure to sun can cause premature deterioration of silk.

Cloisonné should be stored in a hard cover box to prevent its surface from cracking due to exertion of pressure.

SPECIAL MATERIAL CARE

FEATHER

Feathers are delicately laid into the jewellery pieces with special glues that retains the natural shine of the feathers. As such, it is also susceptible to damages such as scratched by sharp objects or strong rubbing activities and might drop off. Avoid any form of liquid from touching your feather surfaces as it might damage its shine or the adhesiveness of the feather to its base.

If you have a part of the feather that is going to drop off, keep it secured in place in a ziplock bag and get in touch with us for servicing. Depending on the severity of the damage, service fee might be waived off (but you would need to pay for shipping). If it is severely damaged such that the entire surface needs to be relaid with feather, we will let you know the charges accordingly.

CLOISONNÉ

Cloisonné goes through a chemical change of being melted into glass-like material, therefore is extremely delicate and brittle. Avoid squeezing, bending, dropping or exerting any form of pressure on the items and their various surfaces to prevent cracking its surface. Depending on the damage done and the nature of your piece, once broken, it might still be possible to fix—do enquire with us for a detailed evaluation.

SILK

Silk items are made up of thin silk threads of micro millimetres and are extremely delicate. They are easily damaged by sharp objects such as rings, cut diamond edges, bracelet and bangle clasps. Be extra careful when you are carrying silk bags or wearing silk items to minimise damage by your other accessories and jewelleries.

The silk obi weaved materials are the most sturdy as they can resist certain level of rubbing. The silk kimono materials are soft and depending on the type of decorative techniques on it (such as mother-of-pearl inlay, gold paint, embroidery etc.) special care would need to be taken when using them to ensure longevity of the piece.

Mulberry silk from China is the most delicate, especially when they are of satin weave or translucent and light. It is advisable to buff your nails and moisturise your fingertips to minimise scratching of the fabric when using.

ANTIQUE SILVER, GILDED GOLD & COPPER (coming soon)

Depending on your piece, you may decide to have it cleaned thoroughly removing all traces of historical patina, or gently rub it with a silver polishing cloth to remove some of the undesirable tarnish. For antique gilded gold pieces, especially, they were gilded with an obsolete technique that required evaporated mercury and gave the piece a unique ash-like gold look, it would not be able to be replicated with modern plating techniques and you would need to decide if you wish to remove that look altogether for a fresher look, or leave it as it is. Minimise rubbing or cleaning these pieces and keep all your items with an anti-oxidisation paper in vacuum cases or ziplock bags when not in use.

REPURPOSED ANTIQUE PIECES (coming soon)

Treat them with care like how you would to modern jewellery pieces as they have been refreshed and replated.

REQUIRE SOME HELP?

Please feel free to contact us (hanfugirl@gmail.com) with any questions you may have. If you have any question on your product, or the history of the product, and how to care for it, please feel free to reach out to me and we would be happy to go through them in detail with you!

About Hanfugirl Collection

Drawing on fashion history, the Hanfugirl Collection brings contemporarised traditions of East Asia to your wardrobe.

Uniquely Yours

Each item in the Hanfugirl Collection is handmade and no two pieces are alike. Jadestones often have different features that distinguishes them from one another.

Products may vary slightly, as is the nature of handmade craft.

Be assured that your piece is one of a kind!