JOURNAL
Tania's Tiny True North Necklace for her daughter Noa
We bring you a story close to our heart today, of our beautiful founder Tania who created a very special necklace to hold onto for her daughter Noa. We watched Tania's pregnant belly grow in the studio and are here now as she makes her way into the studio with sweet little baby Noa who is the happiest, sweetest soul.
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How to clean jewellery at home
Cleaning your jewellery is easier than you think! How often you clean your jewellery at home will depend on your very special piece and how you wear it. If you wear your jewellery daily it will likely need cleaning more regularly than a piece you wear only for special occasions. How to clean your rings at home Wash your jewellery with warm water and a gentle colourless and fragrance free liquid soap. Castile soap, soap for woollens or even a gentle hand soap with no moisturiser, antiseptic or harsh chemicals should work well. For rings with stones you can use a cloth or very soft bristled brush to gently help get grime out of crevices. Once your jewellery is clean, be sure to rinse and dry the piece quickly and well to avoid watermarks. How to clean your necklaces at home If you'd like to clean your pendant in water, please remove it from your chain prior to soaking as soaking your chain in water and soap can corrode the jumpring solder, causing the chain to weaken. When polishing your chain with a polishing cloth, please be gentle as pulling on your chain can also lead to breakages. Tarnishing All metals will tarnish over time, but this process will happen much faster if your jewellery has contact with perfume, oils, household chemicals, makeup, salty air, sulphur, skins creams, hairspray, harsh soaps, detergents, chlorine or acidic fruits. This is a normal process with metal and the tarnish is easy enough to clean off precious metals. Should tarnishing occur, and this will depend on your skin and jewellery care habits, wipe your jewellery with a polishing cloth, unless rhodium plated (see below under white gold). Do not use tissue paper or paper towels to clean metal as they can cause scratching. Once finished, give the piece a rinse and carefully dry it to remove any chemical residue. Avoid the old wives tales! Whether it is using toothpaste or baking soda paste on your metals, be sure to avoid these old wives’ tales at all costs. Rubbing these substances against the metal of your special piece can actually damage your modern heirlooms by removing very small amounts of metal each time you do it. Over time this can damage your pieces. Always be careful when using cloths or anything to rub and clean your jewellery, too much vigour when cleaning isn’t always the best thing. White gold pieces All RUUSK White Gold pieces are rhodium plated (unless otherwise requested) so it’s important to remember not to use polishing cream or cloths on rhodium plated jewellery as this will remove your plating. Additionally, when cleaning your jewellery, do so very gently and without great force. Emeralds You should never clean your emerald jewellery ultrasonically or with steam and avoid exposing your emerald to extreme temperatures as heat can damage the stone. It is also best to avoid hot water, soaps and chemicals as coming in contact with these can cause issues such as discolouration and damage to the clarity and structure of your emerald. For more ways to keep your favourite emerald jewellery shimmering for a lifetime, read more about our emerald care instructions here. Deep Cleaning If you need to outsource your jewellery for a deeper clean or specialised care, you may want to take your piece to a local jeweller for them to clean in their ultrasonic machine. For rings with stones, we recommend taking them to a local jeweller every couple of years to have your stone settings checked and they will be able to professionally clean your rings in their ultrasonic machine at this time. Storing your jewellery safely After you’ve cleaned your jewellery, it is important to think about how best to store your special pieces to help keep them clean and protected. It is best practice to avoid storing your modern heirloom in humid places including bathrooms, as this can increase the possibility of tarnishing. Keeping your jewellery stored away from free flowing air will reduce the risk of tarnishing and also keep dust at bay. As will keeping your precious pieces stored in a small jewellery box or dedicated pouch. To avoid scratching, do your best to keep your precious metal and gemstone pieces stored separately and individually, so that your rings and chains do not rub together. Enjoy your special pieces!
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Brooke & Nathan's Wedding Rings
It's always a pleasure to celebrate the love of our clients so we're thrilled to share with you Brooke and Nathan's wedding day. We adored creating their special wedding bands and love the way Nathan's engraving turned out — a truly unique piece. What are your star signs? Sagittarius (Brooke) & Virgo (Nathan) Where was your first date? We met 12 years ago when I was still in high school! So it was a very casual first date… we got takeaway Thai and had a little picnic by the water. Which was actually made pretty magical by the phospherance that was around in the water that night! I think it was a sign that it was the start of something special. Describe each other in three words. Brooke — Beautiful, smart, lovingNathan — Kind, selfless, fun Where did you get married?The Cove in Jervis Bay. What did you love most about your wedding?We loved that all of our family and friends stayed with us at the venue for the whole weekend- it was an epic three day party!! Even though it rained (A lot… the whole time including our wedding day!) we had the best fun ever. What do you love most about your rings, how did you find your experience with RUUSK? We both absolutely love our rings, they feel so special and personalised. Tania was such a joy to work with in creating our special pieces — she understood what we were after from the start, and we couldn’t be happier with the end result! What excites you most about life together?We feel so lucky to have already created such an amazing life together, and can’t wait to continue enjoying the simple things with each other. Nathan's Large Oval Signet with brushed face & palm tree hand engraving Did you know? You can customise many of our pieces with your choice and number of stones. Shop and customise your necklaces here or contact us to talk about creating your unique, handmade heirloom. Photographer: Mitch Pohl Wedding dress designer: Alexandra Grecco Hair & Make up: @nourish.me.beautiful & @kaylagossbridal Celebrant: Tamara @tamaracelebrant
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APRIL BIRTHSTONE: DIAMOND
RUUSK Birthstone for April; Clear Diamond. Diamonds are perceived as a stone of truth and perfection.
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Salt and Pepper Diamonds
RUUSK's guide to Salt & Pepper Diamonds with examples of very special Salt & Pepper Diamond pieces
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Tom & Brodee's Weddings Rings
It was a pleasure it was to be involved in Tom & Brodee's forever pieces including a special Tiny Heart of Gold that was gifted to Brodee by Tom on their special day. What a beautiful sentiment! We are so happy to be sharing their love story with you.
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MARCH BIRTHSTONE: AQUAMARINE
RUUSK Birthstone for March; Aquamarine. Known to clarify perception, sharpen the intellect and clear confusion.
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Michaela's Champagne Diamond Solis Ring
We had the pleasure of collaborating with Dan to create a gorgeous and unique engagement ring for Michaela — a stunning Champagne Diamond Solis Ring. Dan organised an intimate proposal (and photographer to capture the moment) and surprised Michaela in the most beautiful way! How did you meet? Michaela - I had just gotten off a flight from New York and decided I needed to make an appearance in a uni elective I had already missed two weeks of. Jet lagged and feeling terrible I walked into the classroom and sitting there with his long curly hair was Dan (a guy I had matched with on Tinder a few months prior). We had chatted but hadn’t been able to secure a date. Needless to say after a few embarrassed glances at each other we started talking again and the rest is history. I like to think fate had a little something to do with it. What are your star signs? I’m a sensitive Pisces and Dan’s a big hearted Leo. Tell us about the proposal, was Michaela surprised? Dan - I knew I wanted to surprise Michaela in a big way, so I organised a friend to send an enquiry through to her photography business (AM For Love Studio) for a photoshoot to take place in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. She accepted the job for the 17th of December and my plans began. I planted the seed that it was bring your dog to work day coming up so on the morning of the “photoshoot” I pretended to go to work as normal, but with our dog Frankie. Michaela was scheduled to meet for her shoot at a specific location pinned in google maps that I had gotten my friend to send her. When she arrived she saw me standing there with Frankie down on one knee. I had also organised her friend Liz (Liz Barnes Photo) to capture the whole thing. Michaela was so surprised and very emotional. It was perfect. How did you feel when you first saw your ring? Michaela - Absolutely overwhelmed and so in love! I couldn’t believe it was mine to look at on my finger for the rest of my life. It was perfect in every way and so much better than I ever could have imagined. My only request I had hinted to Dan was that when the time came to propose I didn’t want my ring to be traditional as it just wouldn’t feel like me. He nailed it, obviously! Dan, how did you find your experience with RUUSK and choosing the Solis Ring for Michaela? Dan - My experience with RUUSK was fantastic. They made everything feel so easy and gave me great faith that they would create a truly beautiful piece that Michaela would treasure forever. It was very exciting going through the whole process with RUUSK and choosing a stone that was right for her. Once we decided on a Champagne diamond I loved getting to see and select exactly which one would be set in her ring as they are all so unique. What excites you most about this exciting next chapter of life together? We can’t wait to get married, start a family (we'll add to our family which already includes us and our fur baby Frankie) and continue to experience life together, creating beautiful memories. Did you know? You can customise many of our pieces with your choice and number of stones. Shop and customise your necklaces here or contact us to talk about creating your unique, handmade heirloom. Engagement shoot by Liz Barnes
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FEBRUARY BIRTHSTONE: AMETHYST
RUUSK Birthstone for February; Amethyst. Known to provide personal empowerment and inner strength to those who wear it.
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JANUARY BIRTHSTONE: GARNET
RUUSK Birthstone for January; Red Garnet. A symbol of guidance, peace, trust and deep friendship.
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Bonnie's Crescent Moon Necklace
One of the joys at RUUSK is moving through the process with you to create your special heirloom pieces and seeing how our clients bring meaning to the pieces they receive. We are thrilled to share with you lovely Bonnie, and her Crescent Moon Necklace from our Celestial Necklace collection that was lovingly gifted to her and which she wore on her wedding day. We know that you were surprised with two RUUSK pieces on your special day, can you tell us a bit about them?I was very spoilt, my Mum gifted me a gold bracelet with a heart pendant, with a beautiful inscription on the inside. My sister, sister in law and cousin gifted me my beautiful Crescent Moon Necklace. What did it mean to you to have the Crescent Moon to wear close to your heart during such a meaningful life moment?The girls knew I adored RUUSK pieces, to have a custom piece made especially for my wedding day was one thing, but my beautiful cousin also used a portion of her inheritance money from our beloved nana who had recently passed. I felt like I was wearing a piece of her close to my heart. There are so many reasons why I cherish this piece so much. What did you love most about your wedding?I was always most excited for that moment our song began playing, and Brad saw me walking down the aisle for the first time. Reality didn’t disappoint, I will never forget the way he looked at me. A close second was the preparation with my girls and family, there was dancing, laughing and crying. So much love! We've had the pleasure of creating pieces for you, your sister and your Mum. What's a favourite memory you have of the three of you together?Yes! All three of us wear our Moon and Stars Ring every single day. We are so close, and now my sister and I have had our babies close together. We have spent many, many days at mums with all of our babies playing and they are really precious times. I think this would have to be my favourite chapter for the three of us! My mum is a beautiful ‘Mimi’ to her grand babies. What excites you most about this next chapter of life? Brad and I had our two beautiful boys before we were married, so I suspected life after the wedding wouldn’t change much, but there is something very special about becoming a wife. Somehow we feel closer and more complete, although our family isn’t quite whole yet and so I look forward to building our dream home together and filling it with more babies! Photographer: Pretty Flamingo Photography @prettyflamingophotography Wedding dress designer: Kyha Studios @kyhastudios @chosenbykyha Hair: Del and May Hair @delandmay_hairstudio Makeup: My Makeup Chair @mymakeupchair_Flowers: Refined Bloom Co @therefinedbloomcoCelebrant: Bonnie's Dad! Did you know? You can customise many of our pieces with your choice and number of stones. Shop and customise your necklaces here or contact us to talk about creating your unique, handmade heirloom.
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Craig's Hand Engraved Signet Ring
We are excited to share with you this special surprise piece that was thoughtfully personalised for Craig's 50th Birthday. A modern heirloom that will be treasured forever. How did you feel when you received your special Signet?I felt loved and appreciated as it was a surprise gift for a milestone birthday, symbolising a time in my life that I’ve been long waiting for. I felt like I’d received a gift that I will have for a lifetime. Craig's Classic Signet Ring with Hand Engraved Initial on the face Your ring has some special details, can you tell us about the significance of these?My ring has my last initial on the face, for everyone to see. On the inside of the band are two diamonds representing my children. The diamonds are both symbolic of their birthstone and the great joy they bring to my life. My Dream Girl, the giver of this gift, is hand engraved under the face of the Signet, touching my heart through my skin. Craig's ring has a personalised hand engraved message on the inside along with two flush-set diamonds How do you feel when you look down at your ring?I feel proud to be the custodian of such a unique piece of jewellery that has been personalised just for me. And I look forward to the compliments I receive when I wear it. What does this ring mean to you?It represents the people that I love and is a physical reminder of them every time I look at my hand. Did you know? You can customise many of our pieces with your choice and number of stones. Shop and customise your Signet ring here or contact us to talk about creating your unique, handmade heirloom.
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