Caring for beadwork

The short version

Dry cloth, no water, store it flat in its pouch, and bring a loose thread to us early rather than late. That is most of it.

Dressing with it

Put the bag down last. Perfume, body spray, hair oil and setting spray all settle on beads and dull them, and they work into the thread where you cannot wipe them off. Get dressed, spray, let it dry, then pick up the bag.

Keep it away from water

Beadwork is strung on thread, and thread holds water long after the beads look dry. Damp thread stretches, and a stretched strand is what eventually goes slack.

• Do not wash it, soak it, or hold it under a tap.
• If it is caught in rain, blot it with a dry towel and leave it flat somewhere airy, out of direct sun, until it is dry all the way through.
• Never dry it with a hairdryer or on a radiator. Heat is harder on thread than water is.

Cleaning it

A soft dry cloth, the kind sold for spectacles, brings the shine back. Work in small circles, one panel at a time, holding the strands rather than dragging across them.

For a mark that will not lift, barely dampen a corner of the cloth with clean water, wipe just that spot, then dry it immediately with the dry part of the cloth. No soap, no alcohol, no wipes, no polish. Those strip the finish off crystal and pearl beads and the shine does not come back.

Storing it

Keep the pouch it arrived in and use it. It is the right thing for the job.

• Store the bag flat or standing, never hanging by its strap. Months of hanging puts the whole weight of the beads on one seam.
• Loosely stuff a larger bag with tissue so it holds its shape.
• Keep it out of direct sunlight. Sun fades dyed beads over a season or two, and it fades unevenly.
• Do not stack heavy things on top of it.

Travelling with it

Carry it in your hand luggage in its pouch. A beaded bag under a suitcase is the one situation where the pattern can crush, and it is the one thing we cannot invisibly repair.

If a thread goes

Stop using the bag straight away and message us. One loose strand is a small repair. The same strand after three more outings is a section to restring, because every bead that escapes has to be matched again.

WhatsApp 0812 548 3736 with a photograph. Within 30 days of delivery, a thread or clasp that fails in normal use is repaired free and we pay delivery both ways. After that we still repair it, for a fee we quote before starting.

What normal ageing looks like

A bag worn often will settle: the strands relax a little, the pattern softens where your hand holds it, and the beads take on the shape of being used. That is not damage and it does not need fixing. What needs attention is a strand gone visibly slack, a bead missing, or a clasp that no longer holds.