Sterling silver is an alloy made of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Copper is added to make the silver more durable and less soft than pure silver (pure silver is too soft to be used as practical jewelry).

The 7.5% of copper in sterling can oxidize to make silver more prone to tarnishing. Tarnishing is a natural process that cannot be completely prevented, but in nearly all cases silver can be brought back to its original shine simply with cleaning. How often silver needs to be cleaned is based on what it is exposed to. A treated silver polishing cloth is a great way to clean sterling silver.

Tarnish on sterling silver is due to contact with sulphur compounds; the main cause being traces of hydrogen sulfide gas in the air. Eating foods high in sulfur may cause silver to blacken, as sulfur is secreted through your skin during perspiration. In rare cases the basic body chemistry/ ph of some people can react with the alloy and cause tarnishing. Sterling silver can also corrode on the skin if enough salt is present (ocean water, excessive sweat, hot tubs, pools). Skincare products / cosmetics/ hairsprays/ face washes can also cause quick blackening of sterling silver. To help prevent this products which contain zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, ferric oxide, and calamine should be avoided when wearing jewelry.

If you cannot get your tarnish off with a treated polishing cloth, your item should be cleaned with silver polish or a homemade silver cleaner (many options can be found by simply googling "natural homemade sterling silver tarnish remover". There are affordable and natural options that work great!

If you cannot get the tarnish off your hoop, please contact me. I am happy to help! :)

Processing time is NOT shipping time. Processing time is the time it takes for me to hand-make and package your order. Shipping time is the transit time it takes your order (in the post office's hands) to arrive to you.

Gold filled is NOT the same as gold plated. Gold filled wire is made with a much thick layer of 14 karat gold bonded to a base metal - 100x thicker. It is a much higher quality than gold plated and lasts as long as solid gold. Unlike gold plated, gold fill will NOT flake off or change color.

Hello! I am Liv! The artist and owner! :) I make each item to order. Nothing is pre-made. This means I make each item after you order it in the exact style, material, gauge size, and diameter size that you order it in. Each piece is essentially a custom piece made just for you! Because of this, and because of sanitary hygienic reasons, I am not able to do exchanges on any body jewelry. Please understand my policy before purchasing. Feel free to contact me for a discount if you do order the wrong size and wish to reorder the same piece in the correct size though. I understand it can be frustrating to order an incorrect size. All in all, it is YOUR responsibility to know your size before ordering from my handmade shop.

For the diameter, it is always best to get measured by your local professional piercer for certainty! Every piercer has their own preference on where they choose to place your piercing site based on their training, personal aesthetic preferences and your anatomy. If that is not an option though, this is measuring at home advice - if your piercing is higher up on your nostril, a nose ring with a larger diameter would suit you better than one with a small diameter. You can get a fairly accurate measure by getting a mm ruler and measuring the distance from your nose piercing hole to the edge of your nostril. If you like it a bit looser hoop, choose a mm larger than the size of your measurement. This must be done carefully to be accurate!