In the ChookMook studio, silver may be cut, sawed, formed, forged, shaped, domed, hammered, filed, and soldered to produce unique pieces. When finishing silver pieces, Jacinta uses an antiquing process to darken the words and/or images with a patina, before polishing by hand.
When hand-stamping pieces, each letter and image is individually hammered by hand with special steel nails. This produces a very whimsical placement of text and images, and is quite different to machine engraving.
Many designs incorporate 14kt gold-filled pieces. Gold filled is similar to gold plating, but more advanced. It won't rub and wear off, as it is thicker and permanently bonded.
Occasionally silver is used which has been recycled and reclaimed from sources such as film stock and negatives.
Due to the handcrafted nature and processes used in creating ChookMook jewellery, any perceived imperfections simply add to it’s beauty, making each handcrafted piece truly unique and organic looking.
Taking care of your ChookMook jewellery:
• Just a gentle wipe with a polishing pad or polishing cloth when needed will keep your piece looking lovely.
• Be careful not to spray your piece with perfume, and stay away from liquid jewellery cleaners and dips. Otherwise you’ll end up removing the patina that darkens the text (this can be easily sorted though).
• Once your polishing pad or cloth has completely turned black, it’s time to get another.
• If you have any questions please contact us.
Enjoy, treasure and cherish!