I personally handcraft all jewelry items in the Dakotablue Designs collection and take great care in insuring that I create quality jewelry. I am a perfectionist - so if it doesn't look good on my dolls, I won't consider it for your dolls.

My Typical Materials
My jewelry is made with a variety of materials. If it gives me inspiration - I'll use it. The majority of my jewelry consists of plated metals and occasionally sterling silver. I DO use plastics when they are essential to the design (the *MOD* sections in my salesroom are an example). I PROMISE, however, that I will NEVER use painted plastics - only solid-colored throughout plastics. I also use genuine stone, Swarovski crystals, and glass seed beads regularly.

Info On Doll Earring Posts
~Barbie~ - The earrings I create are made for the Barbies with non-pierced or small earholes. Please specify when ordering if you need the posts for the factory made earholes (commonly found on Barbies from the 80s and 90s). The larger earholes require a specially made post and won't hold slim posted earrings.

** I personally have not experienced any discoloration of the vinyl on dolls from my earposts. I cannot promise that this discoloration will never happen to your dolls. Mostly this has happened to vintage dolls because of the type of vinyl used, but I have not had this happen to any of mine with my jewelry. I have switched to Sterling and Gold filled earposts as a precaution. **

** Please be careful when removing earrings - make sure to pull the post and not the earring itself. **

Necklace Closures
I create my own hook and loop closures for pretty much all of the jewelry sets. I found this is the best method as the hook & loop takes up much less space than any other closure. At times, it can be a little trying to put the hook and loop closures together by hand if its a choker style necklace. You'll find a pair of tweezers or pliers will help if you're having trouble :) If you have a hard time with hook and loops, you may request a magnetic clasp.

Caring For Silver Components
Some of the findings used in my jewelry are sterling silver or sterling silver plated. Silver naturally tarnishes due to sulfer commonly found in open air. You can easily wipe the jewelry peices with a soft cotton cloth if it starts to "yellow". I wish there was a way for me to prevent it...but I can't - its just a natural process for silver.

**WARNING**
These jewelry peices are generally made for the adult collector. As a mother of a small child myself, I make sure to keep the jewelry items out of reach. The same applies for your precious animals also :) These components are very small and can be potentially harmful if swallowed.

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