Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about our jewelry. If you have a question that is not answered here, please don't hesitate to contact us at 1-800-670-3703.
• Do you make all your own designs?
Yes! Every design on my website is my own creation .The sterling silver, 14k gold and pewter pieces are all cast for me by artisans in New England. I am not a silversmith or a goldsmith. I just stick to what I do best, which is designing and creating my whimsical jewelry by hand in my Florida studio.
• (This question always makes me laugh) Where do you get your ideas?
For me, a more logical question is “How am I ever going to find the time to bring to life all the hundreds upon hundreds of design ideas I already have?” Getting ideas has never been much of a problem for me, but finding a quiet enough day to sit and do nothing but design seems to be my dilemma. Obviously, I do manage to find time to do that, but it never seems like enough.
• Do you ever make custom designs?
I do make custom pieces from photographs. As these are one of a kind and quite time consuming, the prices are higher and there may be a wait involved .All custom work is done in polymer clay, not precious metal (sterling silver or gold). You can refer to the section on my website that gives you specifics regarding custom design work.
• Do you have a guarantee policy?
Absolutely! It’s very important to me that you’re happy with your Magic Zoo purchase. If you are dissatisfied for any reason, please return your purchase for an exchange or full refund within 30 days from the time you received it.
• I used to buy jewelry from you made in the colorful polymer clay. Do you still make clay designs?
I do, although my focus has changed and most of my work is now in either sterling silver, 14k gold, pewter or the painted enamel jewelry. I still make polymer jewelry as one-of-a-kind pieces which you can find out about in the custom clay design section of my website.
• Help! I lost an earring!
There is a solution. All you have to do is send me the remaining earring with ½ the purchase price in the form of a check or money order and I will match an earring to the one you have left and send it back to you.
• Do you have a store in Florida?
No, my shop is an online store only at this time.
• Do you have a catalog?
All of my designs, including my most current work, can be found in my online store. I don’t have a printed catalog at this time.
• How do I keep my sterling silver jewelry shiny?
You can use a silver polishing cloth (which I will soon have available in my online store) or you can gently rub some regular toothpaste (not the whitening type) onto your sterling jewelry, rinse it off and dry it. A paste made with baking soda and water is also a good homemade solution for cleaning any silver. Be sure you rinse off any residue and polish it with a clean soft cloth afterwards.
• Should I keep my sterling silver jewelry in a plastic bag when I’m not wearing it?
Silver tarnishes when it’s exposed to the air. So it is a good idea to keep your sterling silver in a good quality (thicker than a sandwich bag) bag when you aren’t wearing it. Of course if you forget you can always polish it and it will be good as new!
• Is your silver jewelry .925 sterling?
Yes, all my sterling silver jewelry is high quality sterling silver, also known as .925 silver.
• Is there any special care I should take regarding my 14k gold jewelry?
Gold, of course, doesn’t tarnish. However, it can become a bit dull just from dirt, dust or fingerprints. You can use a polishing cloth on 14k gold as well as silver. I haven’t tried the toothpaste or baking soda cleaning methods mentioned above to clean gold jewelry, so I can’t recommend that as I’m not certain what the result would be.
• Do I need to polish my pewter?
I don’t suppose it would harm it, although pewter doesn’t tarnish. Generally speaking, pewter has a duller finish and will not polish to a shiny finish like sterling silver. You could always polish it just to remove fingerprints or dirt.
• Is there anything special I need to know about taking care of my enamel jewelry?
Your enamel piece is made from pewter with tough epoxy enamel- like paint over the surface. It is really a durable piece of jewelry, although you could probably scratch it if you ran a sharp metal object across the surface of the enamel (or the pewter, for that matter.) I definitely don’t recommend polishing the painted area with a polishing cloth because the chemicals in the cloth could damage the paint.
