Silk thread jewelry care is mostly about keeping the thread dry and the stones from being knocked. Follow the rules below and a set of hand-wrapped bangles will look the same after two years of occasional wear as it did on day one. Ignore them and the thread will dull and stones will loosen within a season. This applies to all the pieces we make in Feni – bangles, rings, earrings and necklaces.
Rule 1: last on, first off
Put jewelry on after perfume, body spray, lotion, hair oil and mehendi have dried, and take it off before washing hands, bathing or cooking. Perfume and oil stain silk thread permanently; water loosens the glue under kundan stones.
Rule 2: keep it out of the bathroom
Bangladesh is humid for most of the year, and bathrooms are the wettest room in the house. Store jewelry in a bedroom drawer, in the box it arrived in. If you live near the coast – Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Khulna – add a small packet of silica gel or a spoon of uncooked rice in a cloth pouch to the box to absorb moisture.
Rule 3: store flat, not hanging
Bangles stored on a rod rub against each other and the stones scratch the thread of the neighbouring bangle. Lay sets flat in the box with the card divider between rows. Rings and earrings go in a separate compartment so the metal findings do not catch the thread.
Cleaning silk thread
- Dust: brush gently with a clean, dry, soft toothbrush along the direction of the thread.
- Marks: dab – do not rub – with a barely damp cotton bud, then dry immediately with a hair dryer on cool. Never soak.
- Do not use soap, alcohol, nail polish remover or any cleaner. They strip the dye.
Cleaning kundan stones
Wipe each stone with a dry microfibre cloth. For fingerprints, breathe on the stone and wipe again. The foil behind kundan glass tarnishes if it gets wet, and a tarnished stone turns dark and cannot be restored – so dry cleaning only. More on how the stones are made in what is kundan jewelry.
Fixing a loose stone
- Keep the stone – do not throw it away.
- Buy a small tube of fabric glue or clear craft glue (not superglue, which turns white and brittle on thread).
- Put one small dot on the back of the stone with a toothpick, press it into its original spot, hold for thirty seconds and leave overnight.
If several stones are loose or the thread has come away from the base, contact us. Pieces made by us can usually be repaired in the workshop in Feni.
Wearing tips
Slide bangles on over a cotton cloth or with a dab of unscented moisturiser on the knuckles – not on the bangle. Do not force a tight bangle; it will pull the thread. Use the bangle size guide before your next order so nothing is tight. Take the set off before sleeping.
These are the same rules we follow in the workshop while making the bangles. Treated this way, silk thread and kundan pieces from the Bangles, Rings and Earrings collections last for years. For the chemistry of why silk is sensitive to moisture and light, the silk article on Wikipedia is a good starting point.
