Materials and Care

Every piece of jewellery is thoughtfully designed and intricately hand crafted in Melbourne following our sustainable ethos. Abby Seymour chooses to work with high quality and locally sourced materials including Solid Gold, Sterling Silver, Bass, Porcelain, Raku and Silk.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure your jewellery will stay beautiful for many years to come.

Apply all beauty products, such as perfume, hairspray or deodorant, before putting on your jewellery. Jewellery should be removed prior to swimming or doing anything which involves the use of abrasive cleaners or chemicals. We don’t advise cleaning jewellery with abrasive household or specialty jewellery cleaning products. Doing so may cause damage. Simply use mild soapy water! Where possible, store separately in an airtight container avoiding exposure to moisture.

Abby also offers a jewellery repair service and professional cleaning in our studio using ultrasonic cleaning equipment for a deeper and safer cleaning of your jewellery pieces. Please contact us.
Please note colour changes to the surface of the metals may be part of natural wear-and-tear and are not usually manufacturing faults. For information about 'Delicate Care Items' please read further under our warranty section here.

Abby Seymour chooses to work with high quality, durable gemstones* with a mineral hardness rating (MOH) of 7.5 - 10 sourced in Australia where possible.This means your precious piece will retain all the beautiful qualities you love and can be worn daily with only minor occasional cleaning needed to remove dirt that may get trapped in its detailing.

Supporting local Australian industry and small scale ethical mining, has multiple benefits as by choosing these gems they have a clean provenance and the production is carefully monitored to a high standard.

*Garnet; while a beautiful choice, rich in colour, Garnets are a slightly softer mineral which requires more delicate handling.

Gemstones with a high hardness rating can be highly recommended for all types of jewellery but especially for rings as they are the most resistant to wear over time. They are an excellent choice for longevity but be aware that any stone can break if it is hit hard enough, even a diamond. Wear all jewellery with care and avoid exposure to abrasive materials, harsh chemicals and extreme changes in heat.

To clean, soak your Gemstone in a dish of warm soapy water and use a soft toothbrush to gently brush in a circular motion any built up residue. Abby Seymour offers a professional cleaning service and uses an ultrasonic cleaning machine for jewellery with hard gemstones in them; If you would like to arrange an appointment for your special jewellery items to be cleaned please contact us.

Abby Seymour chooses to work with high quality solid Gold which is Australian, recycled or Fairmined. Yellow Gold has a richly warm natural colour and beautiful lustre. Being solid gold, it will not tarnish in air or water, is less susceptible to surface damage and there is no need for plating maintenance in the future. This means your precious piece will retain all the beautiful qualities you love about gold and remain the same from the day purchased with only minor occasional cleaning needed to remove dirt that may get trapped in its detailing.

Abby uses both 14Karat Yellow Gold (585) and 9Karat Yellow Gold (375) in her jewellery, selecting the most appropriate for the purpose and collection. Abby Seymour jewellery is hallmarked with the design ‘makers mark’ and metal ‘hallmark’ which is the certification of authenticity and quality. (Due to scale limitations, some finer pieces may not display these marks)

No hypoallergenic materials, including nickel, are incorporated in this premium metal.

Solid Gold is one of the easiest metals to care for as it does not need to be cleaned regularly, and is very low maintenance. We don’t advise cleaning jewellery with abrasive household or specialty jewellery cleaning products. Doing so may cause damage.

Our safe bio cleaning method:
Use a small amount of toothpaste or bi-carb soda and mix with water into a paste. Apply a small amount of the paste onto a brush with a little water and lightly scrub the piece to clean your jewellery. Once cleaned, rinse under running water and dry carefully.

Abby also offers a jewellery repair service and professional cleaning in our studio using ultrasonic cleaning equipment for a deeper and safer cleaning of your jewellery. This method is the most effective for pieces set with diamonds and gems. Please contact us.

Abby Seymour chooses to work with high quality, bright white Australian or recycled solid Sterling Silver. Bright white Sterling Silver has a warm natural colour and a lovely shiny finish. Pure Fine Silver is generally too soft for producing functional objects; therefore, the silver is most commonly alloyed with a small amount of copper to give it strength while preserving the beauty of the precious metal. We use bright white sterling silver in our jewellery range which has a beautiful colour, good strength properties and a lower tarnishing rate (surface oxidisation / blackening).

Abby Seymour jewellery is hallmarked with the design ‘makers mark’ and metal ‘hallmark’ which is the certification of authenticity and quality. (Due to scale limitations, some finer pieces may not display these marks)

No hypoallergenic materials, including nickel, are incorporated in this premium metal.

Solid Gold is one of the easiest metals to care for as it does not need to be cleaned regularly, and is very low maintenance. We don’t advise cleaning jewellery with abrasive household or specialty jewellery cleaning products. Doing so may cause damage.

Our safe bio cleaning method:
Use a small amount of toothpaste or bi-carb soda and mix with water into a paste. Apply a small amount of the paste onto a brush with a little water and lightly scrub the piece to clean your jewellery. Once cleaned, rinse under running water and dry carefully.

Abby also offers a jewellery repair service and professional ultrasonic cleaning equipment for a deeper and safer cleaning of your jewellery pieces. (except Oxidised Silver) The ultrasonic cleaner is the most effective method for heavily tarnished silver and pieces set with diamonds and gems.

Abby Seymour chooses to work with high quality, Australian or recycled solid Sterling Silver as the base for the ‘Oxidisation’ surface treatment that forms a black patina on the metal. Oxidised sterling silver has a striking matte black surface with a gun metal lustre. Abby uses a naturally occurring and non-chemical mineral to create the oxidised patina. Each oxidised silver piece has been sealed with an archival quality wax to prolong this beautiful dark patina. A characteristic of oxidised silver is the impermanence of the finish which ages to reveal the silver with wear and time. Items like rings wear quickly due to exposed contact, whilst necklaces and earrings maintain the black patina colour for much longer, especially highly textured pieces. Each unique piece will evolve with you!

Abby Seymour jewellery is hallmarked with the design ‘makers mark’ and metal ‘hallmark’ which is the certification of authenticity and quality. (Due to scale limitations, some finer pieces may not display these marks)

No hypoallergenic materials, including nickel, are incorporated in this premium metal undefined

As our Oxidised pieces are expected to wear back and polish up, you can relax and enjoy the way it's surface evolves with time. We don’t advise cleaning jewellery with abrasive household or specialty jewellery cleaning products. Doing so may cause damage.

Use a soft sponge or cotton ball with a dab of methylated spirits and wipe gently to remove any grease or dirt. Once cleaned, rinse under running water and dry carefully.

Abby also offers a jewellery repair and re-oxidisation service. Please contact us.

Abby Seymour chooses to work with high quality high quality solid Australian Brass. Brass has a warm, bright appearance, when polished it has a similar appearance to 14K gold. Brass has a low impact on the environment and aligns beautifully to our sustainable ethos. Brass is an alloy made of copper and zinc; with varying proportions. Today almost 90% of all brass alloys are recycled. A characteristic of brass is that it will naturally tarnish overtime and get a darker, more antiqued patina on the surface. Each unique piece will evolve with you! Abby Seymour jewellery is hallmarked with the design ‘makers mark’ and metal ‘hallmark’ which is the certification of authenticity and quality. (Due to scale limitations some finer pieces may not display these marks)

All brass pieces use Sterling Silver earring posts, backs and hooks as well as necklace clasps and chains. They can be confidently worn everyday.

No hypoallergenic materials, including nickel, are incorporated in this metal.

A characteristic of brass is that it will naturally age overtime and get a darker character and a more ‘antiqued’ patina on the surface especially when exposed to oxygen, salty air or water. To avoid the rate of oxidisation / tarnishing to your brass jewellery it is recommended to store the pieces in an airtight container avoiding exposure to moisture. We don’t advise cleaning jewellery with abrasive household or specialty jewellery cleaning products. Doing so may cause damage. To restore the beautiful warm golden lustre of the material, you can clean them simply at home.

Our safe bio cleaning method:
To clean, apply a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice and lightly scrub over the surface of the piece to remove tarnish. Once cleaned, rinse under running water, then dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. To bring back the shine and lustre, lightly scrub over the surface with a squirt of liquid soap on a strong nylon brush or preferably a brass bristled brush. Scrub lightly in a circular motion with a little water then rinse and dry thoroughly. Make sure to always dry brass straight away with a soft cloth.

Abby also offers a jewellery repair service. Please contact us.

Porcelain and Raku:
Abby Seymour chooses to work with high quality Australian, locally quarried clay.

Southern Ice porcelain is quarried and refined in Victoria and highly sought after all around the world for its high purity and translucent white properties and as the best choice of porcelain body. Properties associated with porcelain include low permeability and elasticity, considerable strength, hardness, toughness, whiteness and translucency. Porcelain is a watertight material. Even when unglazed home-wares including cups and vases will hold water without leaking.

Raku is an earthy, textural ceramic material which can be glazed smooth for a unique and tactile feature contrast. Raku has been selected to showcase the unique surface effects due to organic variations in in colour and texture. It is also known for great thermal retention, and has been traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies. This material beautifully aligns to Abby’s exploration of bold sculptural form.

Abby also known for meticulously hand formed ceramic work that is executed to a high level of detail. Due to the hand formed process of each piece, slight variations may be visible, adding to the desirable and collectable nature of these unique pieces.

All wearable ceramics are hard wearing and can be easily cleaned in warm soapy water. Unglazed porcelain can attract dirt on the surface and after wear against the skin.

We don’t advise cleaning jewellery with abrasive household or specialty jewellery cleaning products. Doing so may cause damage. Simply use mild soapy water! Once cleaned, rinse under running water and dry carefully.