Jewelry Care, Maintenance & Repairs

Your lifestyle and day-to-day activities will affect your jewelry. But simple actions can extend the life and luster of your fashion and fine jewelry. Here are ways you can care for your pieces at home, and steps for when B&I should take the lead!

What's the difference?

Fashion Jewelry

Our fashion jewelry is made of brass, bronze, sterling & plated silver and semi-precious gemstones, like turquoise.

Fine Jewelry

Our fine jewelry is made of 14K gold, platinum, palladium, or includes diamonds and other precious gemstones.

Your Jewelry's Enemies

Common sources of tarnish or wear & tear on your jewelry.

Exposure to natural elements (like air, water, and humidity) can cause your jewelry to tarnish. Only 24K pure gold is safe from Mother Nature’s elements.

Chemicals from bath + body products, perfumes, and chemically-treated water (like hot tubs) can permanently damage your jewelry.

Strenous activities (like exercising) can cause metals to bend or wear down. Your natural body chemistry (like sweat) can cause different reactions with metals.

Wait, what's tarnish?

Tarnish occurs naturally. When certain metals are exposed to air and moisture, the natural chemical reaction creates a layer of tarnish.

Basically, if you can remember the event that caused the issue, that’s probably damage. If one day, you just looked at your jewelry and noticed it not looking super fresh, that could be wear and tear. We can usually help with both, or there are things you can do on your own.

Damage can include:
  • Bent/deformed metal
  • Deep metal dents or scratches
  • Stone cracks, scratches, splinters, chips
  • Weakened prongs or loose stones
  • Stretched or snapped chain
Your day-to-day activities affect how rapidly your jewelry ages or shows signs of wear and tear. Simply: the less you expose your jewelry to the sources of normal wear and tear, the slower it will show signs of wear and tear. Basically: don’t let it rub up against things, including other jewelry, and limit its exposure to natural elements and chemicals.

Humidity, chemicals, hairspray, and perfume can be your jewelry's archenemies, so spray first, accessorize second, and keep your jewels out of the bathroom, shower, kitchen sink, hot tub, sprinkler, monsoon. All of this applies whether you’re wearing or storing your jewelry. We also recommend removing jewelry before working out or getting sweaty, as sweat from different body chemistries can cause different reactions with metal. Chlorine and other pool/hot tub chemicals can be particularly damaging to certain metals and may permanently ruin your jewelry.

A few activities we’ve seen end poorly for jewelry:
  • Sleeping in jewelry - Obviously an issue for earring and necklaces, but also for rings and bracelets too: the constant friction between sheets and metal as one sleeps can cause rings to wear down over time. They can also get caught on bedding without one realizing it.
  • Stacking jewelry - Don’t get us wrong, we’re all about a good stack. But you should know that stacked rings and bracelets are more likely to rub against each other, which can affect the finish of these pieces over time.
  • Climbing, mountain biking, cycling, spin workouts, weight lifting - activities which put strain on your hands and can cause metal to bend or wear down. Earrings and necklaces may get caught or bent, metal that’s sweated on can react to body chemistry.
  • Hot tubbing, pools, hot springs, cleaning house with any sort of cleaning product (natural or non) - you just never know what’s in cleaning supplies or chemically treated water and how it will react to your jewelry.
  • Difficult hikes, saunas, strenuous physical exertion and activity - metal that’s sweated on can react to body chemistry and of course strenuous activity poses a risk of bends and snags.
  • Washing dishes or your hands - be especially careful when wearing rings with oxidized areas, soft stones, and painted or epoxied components, but even rings without these characteristics can be affected by water or different soaps. Sometimes this is preferred; your rings get cleaned. Over time, it can change the finish by burnishing away a more matte finish or adding tiny micro abrasions to high polished finishes.
  • Gardening, beach activities, making things like ceramics - grit, sand, and other abrasives can damage stones and metal.


It’s not guaranteed that doing any of the above will cause harm to your jewelry, but it’s possible. The jewelry we make is made to last, but not indestructible. Basically, when in doubt, remove your jewelry.

Caring for Jewelry at Home

There are several things you can safely do from home to clean, remove tarnish/patina, detangle, and straighten out bends in your jewelry.

Polishing Cloth

Don’t be afraid to put some oomph in it.

Mild Soap & Warm Water

Like a relaxing bath for your jewelry.

Detangling & Straightening

We recommend placing necklaces on a flat surface to detangle. Flex those patience muscles!

There are a lot of things you can do to safely clean your jewelry at home. What you do depends on the materials.

For use on

Not for use on*

Notes and How to

Polishing cloths

Sterling silver, gold, gold-filled, brass, bronze, copper, glass/mirrors, and more


Pieces with a polished finish or where a polished finish is desired.

Plated metal.


Pieces with a matte or brushed finish - cloths may overshine these finishes.

Simply rub the cloth on the material you’re hoping to clean or polish. Polishing cloths take a little elbow grease. Don’t be afraid to put some oomph into it.


Cloth will turn black as it removes tarnish and can continue to be used even when it appears very dirty. In our shop, we basically use them until they're in tatters. If cloth stops polishing, it's time for a new cloth.


Each cloth is impregnated with special chemical cleansing agents and non-scratching micro-abrasives and should not be washed.

Warm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush or non-abrasive cloth

Sterling silver, gold, gold-filled, brass, bronze, copper.


Pieces with a matte finish.

Pieces with a high polish finish - even the softest toothbrushes and cloths can leave micro abrasions which can dull jewelry with a high polish finish.


Plated metal may also be damaged by soft toothbrushes.

Let your piece soak in warm water and gentle soap for at least 15 minutes, then use a soft non-abrasive cloth (100% cotton or microfiber) and/or a soft toothbrush to gently wipe and clean metal and stones.

Windex and a soft, non-abrasive cloth

Plated metal.


Won’t hurt other types of metal, but the methods above will likely be more effective.

Softer or porous stones.

Apply a squirt of Windex to the metal. Use a soft, non-abrasive cloth (100% cotton or microfiber) to wipe clean.


Plated metal is difficult to clean. Remember we’re here to help if you’ve got stubborn patina.


General notes:
  • None of the tips we’ve given here will damage your jewelry beyond repair, but clean your jewelry at your own risk. Take special care around fiber or leather components, and painted or epoxied areas of jewelry. These tips are meant to be safe for metal and most stones, not other materials.
  • Cleaning is not equivalent to refinishing. In fact, some of these cleaning methods may result in a brighter or duller finish than your piece originally came with. Bring refinishing jobs to us.
  • Do not attempt to clean chemically oxidized surfaces (darker metal parts).
  • Do not use polishing cloths on plated metal as they can be damaged by the abrasiveness of the cloth.
  • Don’t use chemical dips. We don't recommend it and we cannot be responsible for any damage caused by dip polishing your jewelry. We've seen chains become brittle and break after being dipped. Additionally, dip can react in unpredictable and sometimes unfortunate ways with oxidized, wax-sealed, and painted surfaces.
  • Be careful with other home remedies you may find on the internet. Not all cleaning methods are safe for all materials. We don’t share cleaning methods that are safe for some materials and could damage others. When in doubt, get in touch with us first.

Repairs in our Studio

When home remedies aren’t enough, we offer free repairs on our fashion jewelry and free cleanings on our fine jewelry with only a few limitations in our Portland studio.

Snag your necklace chain? Bridge cuff bent out of shape? Not to fear – we repair broken Betsy & Iya fashion jewelry for free.

If you lost a single B&I earring, we would be happy to sell you a half-pair from our current collection! Fill out a half-pair form here.

We offer complimentary cleanings and inspections on B&I fine jewelry. After inspection, we can quote you for any repairs or maintenance needed.

We recommend bringing in your fine jewelry for cleaning and inspection every 6 months. This helps keep your piece in shape by catching small issues before they turn into big ones.

Our free repairs service applies only to Betsy & Iya fashion jewelry. Within this category, we also distinguish between repairs and maintenance. Our free repair service is not meant to take the place of regular maintenance (including removing tarnish and other things you can do at home). These free repairs will not restore your jewelry to like new condition, but rather restore it to its condition just before it broke. We’re happy to help you keep your jewelry in like new condition (refinishing and polishing, or addressing other normal wear and tear issues, like straightening out bends), but we will charge a modest fee for these services. We reserve the right to limit free repairs on a case by case basis to prevent abuse of this service.

If your broken B&I jewelry has served you valiantly and it’s just time to say goodbye, be sure to check out Recast, our buy-back program, where we buy back your Betsy & Iya jewelry (even if it’s broken), clean it up, fix it, and resell it at a discount.

We don’t repair other designers’ jewelry or non-jewelry products we sell. If you bought it from us initially, we are happy to help connect you with the designer to facilitate the repair. Most of our other designers charge for repairs. Of course, if your product has broken due to a defect, we will work with you to make this right without charge. For jewelry you didn’t buy from us initially, we can refer you to a few places around town that might be able to help you with a repair.

Due to the high value and expert skill involved, fine jewelry does not qualify for free repairs beyond complimentary cleanings and inspections.

Begin a Repair
Begin a Repair in Our Studio

We stand behind our jewelry and expect that with proper care, your Betsy & Iya jewelry will last for years to come.

Read our Full Warranty

Care FAQ

Most of our fine jewelry can be worn every day, but some pieces with more delicate settings should be used for special or intentional wear only. Fine jewelry that require more care and attention will have a message within the product description detailing so. If you are unsure about a fine piece of jewelry, feel free to ask us!
We sell hair-pairs for all Betsy & Iya earrings in the current collection! Retired Betsy & Iya styles may or may not be repeatable depending on material availability. Other designers we stock may not offer half pairs, though most do. To get the ball rolling, you can either fill out this Half Pair form or give us a call at 503-227-5482, option 3.
Not to fear – we almost definitely can repair it. Added bonus: most fashion jewelry repairs are free! Yup, you read that right. We’ll repair Betsy & Iya fashion jewelry that you break for free. Why? Because we’d rather make you one pair of earrings you'll love and feel great in for years than 10 pairs you'll only kinda like. We do not work on jewelry we didn’t originally make or facilitate repairs for any jewelry we didn’t originally sell you. Additional limitations apply.

Begin a Repair
You may bring your fine jewelry in for these services as frequently as you like, but we recommend it once every six months or so. If you notice any damage or wear and tear to your ring, including stones which have become loose in their settings, we recommend you stop wearing it and contact or bring it to us as soon as possible to avoid further damage.
We offer complimentary cleanings and inspections to the original owner for the life of the piece of fine jewelry. Why? Because jewelry is not indestructible, and just like a car or other valuable possessions, it will last longer when it’s properly maintained and cared for. These free cleanings and inspections help us keep your ring shipshape by catching small issues before they turn into big ones.

When we clean and inspect your jewelry, we will provide for your consideration and approval a quote listing any repairs or maintenance items we recommend be performed. We’ll wait for your approval before we perform any work on your fine jewelry and we’ll walk you through each line of it if you’d like.

If you have a Care Plan, maintenance is free for the original owner for 3-years or the life of the piece (depending on which plan you purchased). Other terms and conditions may apply. See fine print in the Care Plan documentation you are provided with at the time of purchase.

If you didn’t purchase a Care Plan with your fine jewelry, we will charge you directly for materials and repair & maintenance services. Due to the complexity of our repair price list, we do not publish it, but our repair and maintenance fees are competitive with those of other jewelers.
Our free repairs service applies only to Betsy & Iya fashion jewelry. Within this category, we also distinguish between repairs and maintenance. Our free repair service is not meant to take the place of regular maintenance (including removing tarnish and other things you can do at home). These free repairs will not restore your jewelry to like new condition, but rather restore it to its condition just before it broke. We’re happy to help you keep your jewelry in like new condition (refinishing and polishing, or addressing other normal wear and tear issues, like straightening out bends), but we will charge a modest fee for these services. We reserve the right to limit free repairs on a case by case basis to prevent abuse of this service.

If your broken B&I jewelry has served you valiantly and it’s just time to say goodbye, be sure to check out Recast, our buy-back program, where we buy back your Betsy & Iya jewelry (even if it’s broken), clean it up, fix it, and resell it at a discount.

We don’t repair other designers’ jewelry or non-jewelry products we sell. If you bought it from us initially, we are happy to help connect you with the designer to facilitate the repair. Most of our other designers charge for repairs. Of course, if your product has broken due to a defect, we will work with you to make this right without charge. For jewelry you didn’t buy from us initially, we can refer you to a few places around town that might be able to help you with a repair.

Due to the high value and expert skill involved, fine jewelry does not qualify for free repairs beyond complimentary cleanings and inspections.

Begin a Repair
Tarnish occurs naturally when certain metals are exposed to air and moisture. Tarnish can occur (at different rates and intensities) in silver, brass, bronze, gold and gold-filled, and plated metal. We love the patina our metals develop and typically don't polish our own brass, silver, and bronze jewelry.

We use a wax-based sealant on some of our jewelry to slow the rate of tarnish and mitigate fingerprints, but we do not use electrolytically applied nanopolymers or polyurethane sealants that exist because we don’t like how these finishes age. We’ve seen metal begin to tarnish underneath the seals or seen the seals chip off or break down unevenly, which results in very difficult to clean, unattractive finish. Our raw metals will tarnish, but they can also be easily restored to their original luster. This workability is why we choose raw, unsealed metals.

Read about removing tarnish at home.
Read about tarnish in gold.
Jewelry is not indestructible. No matter how careful you are, as you wear your jewelry, you will begin to notice some or all of the following: scratches, dents, bends, worn metal, dullness or tarnish, dirt or grime around stones or other areas with crevices, gaps, engraving, texture, or other perfect gunk hiding spots. This applies to both fine and fashion jewelry.

Why and how does this happen? Three main reasons:
  • Rubbing, knocking, or pressing against things (obvious things like walls, doors, etc., but also other jewelry, clothing, bike handlebars, dumbbell bars, even bedsheets… basically anything you hold or brush up against)
  • Exposure to natural elements like the air, moisture, skin/sweat/body chemistry. Read more about tarnish.
  • Exposure to other chemicals from bath/body products, pools/hot-tubs, even off-gassing in manufactured products.
We stand behind our jewelry and expect that with proper care, your Betsy & Iya jewelry will last for years to come. Jewelry is not indestructible and will stay beautiful longer by adhering to our Care & Maintenance tips.

We offer the following warranties based on product type:

B&I Fine Jewelry

B&I Fashion Jewelry

Products made by others
We offer a non-transferable one-year warranty on workmanship defects in our fine jewelry. We cannot warrant work performed by other jewelers (including resizing), and any such work will void our warranty.
We offer complimentary cleanings and inspections. Read more here.		 We do not offer a warranty on our fashion jewelry, but we do offer free repairs with some limitations. Warranties vary by maker.


Outside of warranties, our general approach with customer service is that we want you to be happy with your purchase and we expect all products we sell to last a normal time with normal care by you. If there’s a product defect, we’ll work to make it right. If you damage a product or it ages with normal wear and tear, we’ll also work to make it right, but there may be reasonable charges for the latter and the definition of “make it right” may vary depending on which scenario we’re helping you with.
There are a lot of things you can do to safely clean your jewelry at home. What you do depends on the materials.

For use on

Not for use on*

Notes and How to

Polishing cloths

Sterling silver, gold, gold-filled, brass, bronze, copper, glass/mirrors, and more


Pieces with a polished finish or where a polished finish is desired.

Plated metal.


Pieces with a matte or brushed finish - cloths may overshine these finishes.

Simply rub the cloth on the material you’re hoping to clean or polish. Polishing cloths take a little elbow grease. Don’t be afraid to put some oomph into it.


Cloth will turn black as it removes tarnish and can continue to be used even when it appears very dirty. In our shop, we basically use them until they're in tatters. If cloth stops polishing, it's time for a new cloth.


Each cloth is impregnated with special chemical cleansing agents and non-scratching micro-abrasives and should not be washed.

Warm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush or non-abrasive cloth

Sterling silver, gold, gold-filled, brass, bronze, copper.


Pieces with a matte finish.

Pieces with a high polish finish - even the softest toothbrushes and cloths can leave micro abrasions which can dull jewelry with a high polish finish.


Plated metal may also be damaged by soft toothbrushes.

Let your piece soak in warm water and gentle soap for at least 15 minutes, then use a soft non-abrasive cloth (100% cotton or microfiber) and/or a soft toothbrush to gently wipe and clean metal and stones.

Windex and a soft, non-abrasive cloth

Plated metal.


Won’t hurt other types of metal, but the methods above will likely be more effective.

Softer or porous stones.

Apply a squirt of Windex to the metal. Use a soft, non-abrasive cloth (100% cotton or microfiber) to wipe clean.


Plated metal is difficult to clean. Remember we’re here to help if you’ve got stubborn patina.


General notes:
  • None of the tips we’ve given here will damage your jewelry beyond repair, but clean your jewelry at your own risk. Take special care around fiber or leather components, and painted or epoxied areas of jewelry. These tips are meant to be safe for metal and most stones, not other materials.
  • Cleaning is not equivalent to refinishing. In fact, some of these cleaning methods may result in a brighter or duller finish than your piece originally came with. Bring refinishing jobs to us.
  • Do not attempt to clean chemically oxidized surfaces (darker metal parts).
  • Do not use polishing cloths on plated metal as they can be damaged by the abrasiveness of the cloth.
  • Don’t use chemical dips. We don't recommend it and we cannot be responsible for any damage caused by dip polishing your jewelry. We've seen chains become brittle and break after being dipped. Additionally, dip can react in unpredictable and sometimes unfortunate ways with oxidized, wax-sealed, and painted surfaces.
  • Be careful with other home remedies you may find on the internet. Not all cleaning methods are safe for all materials. We don’t share cleaning methods that are safe for some materials and could damage others. When in doubt, get in touch with us first.
Basically, if you can remember the event that caused the issue, that’s probably damage. If one day, you just looked at your jewelry and noticed it not looking super fresh, that could be wear and tear. We can usually help with both, or there are things you can do on your own.

Damage can include:
  • Bent/deformed metal
  • Deep metal dents or scratches
  • Stone cracks, scratches, splinters, chips
  • Weakened prongs or loose stones
  • Stretched or snapped chain
Oxidization refers to an intentional color and texture we apply to some pieces. On brass, oxidization is black in color (and on iron, it’s red – AKA, rust. 🌈 The more you know!). You’ll see oxidation used in the recessed etchings on our bridge cuffs, and in stripes and chevrons on many of our fashion pieces, for example. Just like rust, oxidization will wear away with time, especially on non-recessed surfaces. We can reapply oxidization your Betsy & Iya jewelry for a small fee.
Your day-to-day activities affect how rapidly your jewelry ages or shows signs of wear and tear. Simply: the less you expose your jewelry to the sources of normal wear and tear, the slower it will show signs of wear and tear. Basically: don’t let it rub up against things, including other jewelry, and limit its exposure to natural elements and chemicals.

Humidity, chemicals, hairspray, and perfume can be your jewelry's archenemies, so spray first, accessorize second, and keep your jewels out of the bathroom, shower, kitchen sink, hot tub, sprinkler, monsoon. All of this applies whether you’re wearing or storing your jewelry. We also recommend removing jewelry before working out or getting sweaty, as sweat from different body chemistries can cause different reactions with metal. Chlorine and other pool/hot tub chemicals can be particularly damaging to certain metals and may permanently ruin your jewelry.

A few activities we’ve seen end poorly for jewelry:
  • Sleeping in jewelry - Obviously an issue for earring and necklaces, but also for rings and bracelets too: the constant friction between sheets and metal as one sleeps can cause rings to wear down over time. They can also get caught on bedding without one realizing it.
  • Stacking jewelry - Don’t get us wrong, we’re all about a good stack. But you should know that stacked rings and bracelets are more likely to rub against each other, which can affect the finish of these pieces over time.
  • Climbing, mountain biking, cycling, spin workouts, weight lifting - activities which put strain on your hands and can cause metal to bend or wear down. Earrings and necklaces may get caught or bent, metal that’s sweated on can react to body chemistry.
  • Hot tubbing, pools, hot springs, cleaning house with any sort of cleaning product (natural or non) - you just never know what’s in cleaning supplies or chemically treated water and how it will react to your jewelry.
  • Difficult hikes, saunas, strenuous physical exertion and activity - metal that’s sweated on can react to body chemistry and of course strenuous activity poses a risk of bends and snags.
  • Washing dishes or your hands - be especially careful when wearing rings with oxidized areas, soft stones, and painted or epoxied components, but even rings without these characteristics can be affected by water or different soaps. Sometimes this is preferred; your rings get cleaned. Over time, it can change the finish by burnishing away a more matte finish or adding tiny micro abrasions to high polished finishes.
  • Gardening, beach activities, making things like ceramics - grit, sand, and other abrasives can damage stones and metal.


It’s not guaranteed that doing any of the above will cause harm to your jewelry, but it’s possible. The jewelry we make is made to last, but not indestructible. Basically, when in doubt, remove your jewelry.
Yup! But that said, our alloys will likely never show noticeable tarnish because it happens very slowly. This is true of gold alloys used by all jewelers, not just our gold.

Why? Pure gold (24k) does not tarnish or react with the air. But 24k gold isn’t used in jewelry applications due to its softness and malleability. To make it more suitable for jewelry applications, gold alloys are created with a mixture of other metals (like copper, silver, and others) which are added for color, durability, and/or desired physical or chemical performance. These other reactive metals are what causes tarnish in gold alloys; however, gold alloys will tarnish more slowly than brass, bronze, sterling silver, or copper. Gold alloys with higher gold content will tarnish slower than alloys with lower gold content, but again, our alloys will likely never show noticeable tarnish because it happens very slowly no matter the alloy.