Caring for your new things

For you? For a gift? Here's a quick guide to how to care for your new things. 

Pattern & Patch products are proudly made by hand, and no two pieces are quite the same. This also means it can be quite difficult to recreate products in the event of a breakage. Here’s how to make sure you can enjoy each piece for as long as possible…

Porcelain earrings

Most Pattern & Patch earring tiles are made from porcelain, which is hand-rolled and sanded by hand to be ultra-thin and lightweight for your ears.

Porcelain is fired at high temperatures, which makes it strong and durable as possible. These earrings are strong, but do need to be treated with care. It’s best to avoid twisting the earring wire (especially when removing earrings from the display card), putting them under a great deal of pressure (which can happen if they are loose in a handbag), or keeping them somewhere where they could be dropped from a height onto a tiled surface.

The porcelain tiles are finished with a glossy glaze on one side, so they should simply wipe clean. The reverse side of the earrings are unglazed, and can soak up some moisture. It’s best to keep them away from oily liquids and damp places.

Your earring wires are either anti-tarnish sterling silver earring wires, or stainless steel. Sterling silver wires need an occasional polish with a clean cloth.

Check out the size chart at the bottom of this page for a guide to sizing.

Planters

Planters are slip-cast with porcelain, and fired to ultra-high temperatures. The interior is glazed glossy, making it easier to clean and smoother to the touch.

For maximum durability, hand-wash wherever possible.

While we don’t recommend using these pieces as mugs, some customers have said they do. A few words of warning if that’s you: please be cautious with the heat from hot liquids on these hand-free pieces, never microwave them, and if your piece becomes broken, cracked or damaged in any way, do not use it.

Plates & dishes & bowls

Plates, dishes, platters and bowls are made of porcelain, fired to very high temperatures. The top side is glossy glazed, and easy to wipe clean. They have been glazed with foodsafe glaze. Handwashing is always best for the longevity of pieces.

The reverse side of dishes are generally unglazed, and can occasionally soak up some moisture. It’s best to keep the underside away from surfaces with oily liquids and damp places, as it can create discolouration in the clay.

Never microwave your pieces, and if your piece becomes broken, cracked or damaged in any way, do not use it.

Rings

Most Pattern & Patch rings are made with porcelain clay, with the exception of black & white rings are made from black clay, mixed in with white porcelain.

Most rings are glazed and glossy on the outside only. The inside side of rings is always unglazed. It’s best to avoid wearing rings at the same time as wearing or applying oily liquids (like tinted sunscreens), as it can create discolouration in the clay over time.

earrings: what size should I order?