Our Materials
Materials: Pieces are uniquely constructed, altered, assembled, hammered, and/or shaped by hand, primarily from non-precious and recycled materials (brass & stainless steel), natural stone, and glass, as to limit the exploit of Earth's finite and precious resources.
Wire and rods used in our jewelry-making are purchased from local hardware stores. Materials are direct-sourced or re-purposed whenever possible.
Variation in materials and pieces is an expectation and a benefit - consider your jewelry from de Maquis as wearable art, with no two pieces exactly identical. Handmade and vintage jewelry should be treated with care, as pieces are typically more delicate and intricate than machine-made products and industrial materials.
Findings: All necklace chains are gold-plated brass/stainless steel and all ear wires are gold-plated stainless steel/stainless steel unless otherwise noted. If you would like to order different findings or chain lengths on any piece for a wholesale order, please contact us and we'll do our best to accommodate. If you are purchasing earrings to wear with gauges, let us know and we’ll adjust them to nestle more snugly. We ask that you email us with such requests before you place your order, and we welcome them.
Jewelry Care
Brass: When exposed to water, sweat, chemicals like chlorine/salt, or oils in the skin, brass will naturally patina (deepen and darken in color) over time until polished. If you do not wish to patina your brass, we recommend regularly cleaning your brass jewelry using a brass-cleaning solution or product. With good care, brass, unlike gold-plated and gold-filled materials, can be infinitely polished back to its original brightness and tone.
Brass can be polished using many DIY or household products, including:
1. Baking soda & lemon juice
2. Salt, vinegar, & flour (thickener) paste
3. Toothpaste
4. Dish soap, water, & elbow-grease
5. Brasso, Lemi Shine, Bar Keepers Friend
Gold-Plating and Gold-Filled: Gold plating is layers of gold that coat another base metal, usually brass or steel. Gold-filled jewelry is similar, with a thicker coat of gold bonded to its base-metal. Care for any gold-plating by avoiding prolonged exposure to abrasion, water, saltwater, sweat, or harsh chemicals like chlorine and alcohol-based perfumes. Clean with a soft cloth or cotton ball, using gently-soapy water or rubbing alcohol if needed. Like denim jeans, wear and clean as seldom as possible, in order to prolong the life of the gold layers.
Stainless Steel: Stainless steel is corrosion-resistant, very strong & durable, low-maintenance, long-lasting, and infinitely recyclable. Stainless steel needs virtually no care. You can easily keep it as clean using solutions like water, dish soap & water, vinegar, rinse aid, or even Windex. You can otherwise wear it nonstop, even while swimming or working out, and shower/bathe normally while wearing it. Typically, stainless steel jewelry needs no more cleaning outside of wearing it while you bathe or shower, making it truly no-maintenance and infinitely-lasting jewelry.