We love using brass in a lot of our jewellery for lots of reasons. It's an ancient metal made from a combination of zinc and copper and is much more long lasting than gold-plated jewellery if you know how to care for it!

If you have brass jewellery, you may have experienced it oxidising (going darker in colour) but not known how to restore it back to its original finish, so we created our own brass cleaning kit to help keep your brass looking shiny and new!

Here's some more info on how to use it and care for your brass jewellery long term...

How to use our brass cleaning kit

Removing a light patina:

Use the pre-treated yellow polishing cloth to gently buff the surface of the brass. Polish in the same direction as the metal grain to avoid scratches.

Use this cloth to clean off any fingerprint marks between wears. Do not wash the yellow polishing cloth.

Removing a heavier patina or darker marks:

Squeeze a tiny amount of the peek polish onto a cotton bud. Dab the polish onto the surface of the brass.
Use the blue polishing cloth to gently buff the polish. Again, going with the grain of the brass to avoid scratches. Wash the blue polishing cloth when needed.

TIPS:

• You don’t need to use much polish - a little goes a long way.
• Avoid polishing over any glass pearls as you can damage their coating. Always polish around the pearl but still with the grain of the brass.
• Use the cotton bud to place the polish in any tricker areas (e.g. around jump loops), then buff out with the blue cloth.

Looking after your jewellery

To reduce the brass from oxidising, here are some easy care instructions to help look after your Wolf & Moon jewellery and keep it in great condition:

• Store your jewellery in a pouch or box.
• Clean gently with a soft cloth.
• Avoid wearing your jewellery when sleeping, showering or exercising whilst wearing your jewellery.
• Avoid dropping your jewellery onto hard surfaces.
• Sprays and creams including soap, perfume, moisturiser and suncream can cause damage to some acrylic pieces and metal components so it is best to remove your jewellery before using any of these products.

Why we love brass

• It's a much more affordable material than gold but closely resembles it - meaning we can keep the price reasonable too!
• It's longlasting compared to gold-plated jewellery which is irriversible once the plating comes off. Brass will oxidise over time but you can always polish it back to its original finish.
• Brass is also one of the most sustainable materials available as it is infinitely recyclable. In fact, most brass circulation have already been recycled as it is more expensive to product new brass from raw materials.

How does it compare to gold plating?

Unless your jewellery has a very good quality, heavy plating (at least 2 microns thick), we think brass is a much better affordable choice than an item with a thin gold-plating.

This is because the layer of gold will wear down pretty quickly and you won’t be able to restore its original look without getting it professionally plated again. Even an item with a heavy plating will eventually wear down over time.

But what about brass discolouring my skin?

We always add our signature layer of wood to the back of our brass pieces so the brass never sits against your skin and therefore won’t cause any discolouring.