Materials and Care

​At Kayde Designs all of our beads are hand selected and Beadster approved! Shop for authentic Swarovski Crystals and Elements; Gemstone Beads; Glass Beads;Sterling Silver, Pewter, Vermeil and Plated Beads; Handmade Beads; Porcelain Beads; Czech Glass Beads, Czech Fire Polished Beads; Lampwork Beads and Polymer Clay Beads.​

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It is best to keep your charm jewelry out of water, chemicals, makeup and any other substance that may be corrosive. Using a jewelry polishing cloth is ideal for cleaning Sterling Silver, Vermeil and Pewter charms and all your beads. Recommended for polishing gemstones and BeCharmed crystal collectibles. In order to take care of your charm jewelry you should be familiar with what its made of and its properties. Below is a list of materials sold by Kayde Designs.

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Authentic Swarovski Elements

 

Unsurpassed in quality and craftsmanship, Swarovski crystals are lead free and lined with a stainless steel grommet embossed with the infamous Swarovski logo. You can expect a lifetime of enchanting interchangeable crystal beads. Stainless steel logo may darken over time but never tarnishes. 

 

Grace Lampwork  / Venetian Glass Beads

 

​Grace Lampwork Beads are developed through a strict quality control process. All beads are annealed overnight to ensure a better strength and quality. Each Venetian bead takes 5-10 minutes to make. Other beads in the marketplace are made faster, however they lose the quality and detail of the design. Therefore it's important to have a balance between speed and quality when handmaking lampwork beads. Grace Lampwork Beads are consistently high quality and handcrafted in California, USA.

 

Guideline to Jewelry Metals

 

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Vermeil - items are made of sterling silver, heavily electroplated with 18k or 22kt yellow gold, plating may wear off resulting in a antiqued gold look. Some people coat the bead in nail polish for a seal that will last 4-6weeks.

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Sterling Silver - items are made of  the industry standard of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other alloy, proportions are fixed by law. Sterling Silver will "Patina" or antique over time.

 

Pewter - lead free modern pewter is mostly tarnish-resistant alloys of about 90% tin with antimony or copper and sometimes bismuth.Modern pewter can be washed by hand in hot, sudsy water, rinsed, and dried thoroughly with a soft cloth. Do not over clean antique pewter It is not meant to look like silver. Pewter may patina over time like Sterling Silver but can easily be wiped clean. Made in the USA.

Gold,Silver,Nickel,Rhodium Finished - items are electroplated with a non standardized thickness of Gold,Silver,Nickel or Rhodium

​​Gold, Silver, Copper,Brass or Nickel Plated - items have an industry standard of 0.15 to 0.25mils thickness of gold, silver, copper or nickel which is plated to the base metal.

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Disclosure Guidelines for Gem materials

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Kayde Designs abides by the rules and regulations set out by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and The American Gem Association (AGTA). Below is a list of all metals and any enhancement methods used. Below is a list of terms, their abbreviations and descriptions 

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​Coating (C) - Surface enhancements to improve appearance, provide color, or add special effects. Example - Our Glamour Gal bracelet consist of Swarovski BeCharmed Crystal (AB) Briolettes. The (AB) stands for Aurore Boreale. The coating creates the blinding glimmer and gleam the crystal emits.​

 

Dyeing (D) - the introduction of color matter into a gemstone to give it new color, intensify its present color or improve its color uniformity.

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Imitation (IMI) - Manmade products, fabricated such as glass,ceramic or plastic, designed to imitate or resemble the appearance or resemble but not duplicate the characteristic of a natural gemstone

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​Manmade (MM) - Fabricated products. Example - the Epoxy and Opal beads are created by mixing opal and epoxy resin (glue like substance)

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Natural (N) - Stones which are not currently known to be enhanced

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​Precious Metal Pricing Notice

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All items containing precious metals will be re-priced after the second London Market  close of the preceding Friday. This includes Sterling Silver, Vermeil,14Kt,18Kt and Gold Filled. Finished/Plated Items will not vary. The amount of each product will correspond to the amount of precious metal it contains. This does not affect the price of in-stock items.  

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​If you have any questions please contact us.

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