Gold Plating
Gold plating will gradually wear and start to show the sterling silver layer beneath. The gold plated layer typically lasts up to 1 year with gentle wear, and if you follow the care instructions. The places where it most comes into contact with your skin will be the first to fade as the oils in our skin wear down the gold.
I offer a re-plating service for your piece for a charge of €50. Please contact me to arrange this service. This service typically takes 2 weeks.
Please note: This service is only available for pieces of Andrea Mears Jewellery, and not other jewellery. This applies to the sterling silver pendant part of the item of jewellery, and not the chain.
You can prolong the life of your gold plated jewellery by:
- Not wearing your jewellery in the sea, the shower or the pool as this will tarnish it.
- Keep it dry, store in the box it came it, and avoid leaving it in the bathroom.
- Apply any perfume, body lotion or creams and let dry before you put on your jewellery.
- Put your jewellery on last and take it off first.
- Sleeping in your gold plated jewellery will shorten its life, and puts chains under pressure, so take it off at night and store in its box.
- After wearing, wipe your jewellery clean with a dry soft cotton cloth to remove any moisture, skin oils etc.
How to care for your Jewellery
Your Andrea Mears jewellery is made from a variety of metal alloys and plated finishes, as well as genuine Swarovski crystals and semi precious stones.
Owing to the nature of the materials and how its made, your antique finished pieces will all look slightly different and unique.
Remove your jewellery before engaging in activities where it could get accidentally damaged such as exercising or swimming.
Do not get your jewellery wet or expose it to household chemicals, makeup, creams, hairspray or perfume as they will damage the plating and cause tarnishing and discolouration. Put your jewellery on last after applying these.
Wipe your jewellery with a soft clean cloth after wearing and always store in its original box to protect from damage and discolouration caused by the environment or sweat.
Handle with care. Due to the delicate nature of some of the materials, stones and crystals used, jewellery can be easily damaged by dropping on a hard surface.
Please review my FAQ page for any queries on gold fill chains, gold plating, sterling silver. If you have metal allergies it is always advisable to choose solid gold jewellery instead of plated or gold filled.
Postage Dates for Christmas Delivery 2024
*Update* all orders are now shipping by registered post. The A Post final shipping date for Irish deliveries is Friday 20th. I will do one final post office drop off on Saturday morning 21st. Note that I can’t guarantee delivery dates on orders at this stage. Local collection in Castletroy, Limerick is an option this weekend 21st & 22nd. I also have digital gift cards always available.
If you have any questions please email me on hello@andreamears.com
USA, Australia & the rest of the world December 5th at noon*
UK, EU and NI December 15th at noon*
IRELAND (ROI) December 20th at noon*
Canada - please note that owing to a postal strike in Canada, these orders will be shipped by DHL.
*Items ordered after these times may not arrive before the 25th of December.
Please reach out to hello@andreamears.com if you have any questions.
Green Friday Offer - *please note items ordered using the Green Friday code will ship the week of December 9th. More info here
What you need to know about shipping
You can send me a message on hello@andreamears.com if you want to discuss anything before placing an order. Im answering all of your emails but if you haven't heard back from me, then check your spam folder or reach out to me on my social channels.
A big thank you for your support, it means so much to this small one-woman Irish business.
SHIPPING RATES
Ireland
Postage is free in Ireland for orders over €89 and €5 for orders under this amount. Post is sent by registered post within Ireland.
Please allow 2 working days once your receive your order dispatch email.
NI
€6.50 registered post
UK
€14 charge. I use registered post to the UK as this is the safest and fastest way to get your new treasures to you!
Please note that shipping to the UK takes approximately 4 working days.
Orders are shipped via An Post’s Registered Post and when your order is dispatched you will receive a unique tracking code.
There may be additonal delays owing to customs checks, and you may be liable for their charges upon delivery.
European
€12 charge. I use registered post to European countries as this is the safest and fastest way to get your new treasures to you!
Please that shipping to some EU countries is unfortunatly taking longer than normal at the moment. This is outside of my control but you can track your order on https://www.anpost.com/Post-Parcels/Track/Search
Orders are shipped via An Post’s Registered Post and when your order is shipped, you will receive a unique tracking code. Note that tracking is not always available within all countries, and accurate updates are dependant on your local postal service scanning the packet.
International Delivery
€13-€20 depending on your location. The total cost will be calculated at checkout. Orders are shipped via An Post by registered post, and when your order is dispatched you will receive a unique tracking code. Note that tracking is not available within all countries.
If you have any questions on shipping please contact me here.
USA customers can track their orders on https://www.anpost.com/Post-Parcels/Track/Search while it is in Ireland and once it arrives in the USA you can use the same code to track it on https://www.usps.com
Accurate updates are dependant on your local postal service scanning the packet. Thank you for your patience.