Crown Care

Fortunately, aluminum doesn't tarnish, so for the most part, your crowns are maintenance free! Over time you may notice that the crowns look a little dull, and this happens just from the accumulation of oils from your hands, dust, etc. And as unconventional as it may seem, rubbing alcohol does a great job of cleaning the crowns, and won't hurt engravings or any materials on your aluminum crowns.

Argentium Silver® is a special alloy of fine silver that contains 3% of the element germanium. This allows the silver to be naturally tarnish resistant. These type of silver crowns are practically maintenance free! From time to time, you may notice some finger-prints or smudges. Enclosed with your crowns is a polishing cloth that you may use to help keep you crowns look as shiny and new as when you wore them on your wedding day. If the low areas of the crowns are dark when you receive them, then you may want to be careful not to buff them too deeply nor use a metal polish in the grooves or you will remove the patina, which is an intentional feature.

If the beading on your crown starts to look a little digny over time, it's probably due to an accumulation of dust. Use a soft, damp cloth to gently clean the crown, then allow to air dry.

Depending on how much the crowns are handled, how they're stored, etc. you may start to notice some tarnish develop. If and when this happens, you may use any commercial brass cleaner and polisher on the crowns.

Some brass crowns may be sealed, in which case read the notes for copper!

While copper is a metal that will tarnish quite easily if left on its own, your crowns will remain maintenance free for years to come. To protect their finish, I have sealed your crowns with a metal lacquer. This sealant provides an invisible barrier against oils and air. If stored in a well-protected location, these crowns should remain shiny for generations.

Depending on how much the crowns are handled, how they're stored, etc. you may start to notice some tarnish develop years down the road as this laquer sealant wears away. If and when this happens, you may use any commercial copper cleaner to strip off the remaining lacquer and polish the crowns.

First of all, what does "gold-filled" mean? Gold-filled refers to a base metal, usually brass, than has been heat/pressure bonded with gold - in this case 14K gold. Gold-filled pieces have 2x the amount of gold as do "gold-plated" items.

To protect the gold finish, I have sealed your crowns with a metal lacquer. This sealant provides an invisible barrier against oils and air. In a well-protected place, these crowns should remain shiny for generations.

Depending on how much the crowns are handled, how they are stored, etc. you may start to notice a some tarnish develop years down the road as this laquer sealant wears away. If and when this happens, you may use any commercial metal cleaner to strip off the remaining lacquer and polish up the crowns.

The leaves used in the Olympus crowns, and other similar crowns, are made from brass and/or copper. Depending on the style and options you have either chosen to keep the leaves in their natural finish, or you may have opted to have a gold, silver, or copper finish applied. In either case, I have sealed your crowns with a metal lacquer. This sealant provides an invisible barrier against oils and air, and will protect your crowns from tarnish for generations. You may want to dust them very gently from time to time.

Stainless steel is a fantastic material for crowns, as the inherent properties of stainless steel ensure that your crowns will remain beautiful for generations. After handling the crowns, you may notice a few finger prints here and there - while these spots will not tarnish, you may still want to go ahead and buff the crowns before storing them long-term just to make sure they look as beautiful as possible. The enclosed polishing cloth will do the trick.

Should the fabric become soiled, spot clean with warm water and a gentle detergent (such as wool/silk wash) then allow to air dry.