Close to My Heart - Sterling Silver Memorial Locket

Caring for Your Memorial Jewellery

Your memorial jewellery carries something deeply precious and irreplaceable. With thoughtful care, you can help protect its finish, chain and permanent seal for years to come.

Keep Your Jewellery Dry

Although your pendant is carefully sealed, it should never be submerged in water. Please remove it before:

• Showering or bathing

• Swimming

• Exercising

• Sleeping

• Entering a spa, sauna or steam room

• Washing dishes or using cleaning products

Repeated exposure to water, moisture, sweat, chlorine and salt can affect the jewellery’s finish and may weaken its seal over time.

Avoid Chemicals

Perfume, hairspray, moisturiser, sunscreen, makeup and household chemicals may cause tarnishing, discolouration or damage to plated finishes.

Apply all beauty products before putting on your jewellery and allow them to dry completely. As a simple rule, your jewellery should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off.

Cleaning Your Jewellery

Gently wipe your pendant and chain with a clean, soft, dry microfibre cloth after wearing.

Sterling silver may naturally tarnish over time. A suitable silver-polishing cloth can be used gently on plain sterling-silver surfaces.

Do not use:

• Liquid jewellery cleaners

• Chemical silver dips

• Ultrasonic or steam cleaners

• Toothpaste, baking soda or abrasive products

• Stiff brushes or rough polishing cloths

Do not use a silver-polishing cloth or abrasive cleaner on black hydroplated jewellery, coloured finishes, birthstones or glass elements, as this may wear away or damage the surface.

Protect the Chain and Pendant

Always wear your ashes pendant on a strong, good-quality chain suitable for memorial jewellery. Display chains are intended for decorative presentation only and must not be worn.

Check your wearable chain, clasp and connecting rings regularly for stretching, wear or damage. Avoid pulling, twisting or placing unnecessary pressure on the chain or pendant.

If you notice movement around the seal, damage to the pendant, or wear to the chain or clasp, stop wearing the jewellery and contact us for advice.

Safe Storage

When not being worn, store your jewellery in its presentation box or a soft, dry jewellery pouch. Keep it away from direct sunlight, moisture and extreme heat.

Store each piece separately to prevent scratching, tangling and contact with other jewellery.

A Precious Piece Deserves Thoughtful Care

Memorial jewellery is designed to be treasured, but it is not indestructible. Taking a few simple precautions will help safeguard both your jewellery and the precious ashes held within it.

Personalised and Memorial Jewellery Returns Policy

Every memorial piece is prepared with great care and respect. Because our jewellery may be personalised, engraved or permanently filled with cremation ashes, it cannot be resold or safely accepted back into stock.

For this reason, we do not offer refunds, exchanges or cancellations for change of mind once personalisation, engraving or ashes placement has commenced.

Please check all names, dates, wording, fingerprints and other personalisation details carefully before approving your design. Once a proof has been approved, we cannot provide a refund or complimentary replacement where the finished engraving matches the approved design.

Jewellery containing cremation ashes cannot be returned unless we have specifically asked you to do so. If you believe there is a fault or an error with your order, please contact us before sending the piece back so we can provide safe return instructions.

If we make an engraving or personalisation error, or if your jewellery arrives faulty, damaged or significantly different from what you ordered, please contact us promptly with your order details and photographs. We will assess the issue and provide an appropriate remedy in accordance with Australian Consumer Law.

Nothing in this policy excludes or limits any rights you may have under the Australian Consumer Law.

Providing Your Print or Handwriting

Once you have placed your order, please email your chosen print or handwriting sample to hello@valeandwren.com.au

Please include your full name and order number in the subject line so your image can be matched safely and correctly to your order.

What Can Be Engraved?

Your jewellery can be personalised using:

• A fingerprint

• A baby’s handprint or footprint

• A pet’s paw print

• A pet’s nose print

• A loved one’s handwriting

• A signature

• A short handwritten word, name or message

Prints do not need to be perfect. Older, faded or incomplete prints may still be usable, and we will carefully assess the image before proceeding. However, the quality and detail of the finished engraving will depend on the quality of the image supplied.

How to Provide the Best Image

Please send the clearest and highest-resolution version available. JPG, PNG or PDF files are preferred.

For fingerprints, handprints, footprints, paw prints and nose prints:

• Use dark ink on clean, plain white paper where possible.

• Photograph or scan the print straight from above.

• Use bright, even lighting without shadows or glare.

• Make sure the entire print is visible and in focus.

• Send the original photograph or scan rather than a screenshot or social-media image.

For handwriting:

• Dark handwriting on plain white paper produces the clearest result.

• Photograph or scan the page straight from above in good lighting.

• Include the entire word, message or signature you would like engraved.

• Clearly explain which section of the handwriting you would like used.

• Please do not send an original or irreplaceable document through the post.

If your print or handwriting comes from an older photograph, card, letter, hospital record or keepsake, simply send the best image you have. We understand that memorial images cannot always be recreated.

What Happens Next?

Once your file has been received, we will review it and contact you if a clearer image or further information is required.

Your image will then be carefully prepared for engraving. You will receive a digital proof showing the proposed layout before your jewellery is engraved. Please check the proof carefully, including the orientation, spelling, dates and placement.

Engraving will only commence once your proof has been approved.

Once approval has been provided and engraving has commenced, changes, cancellations and refunds for change of mind cannot be accepted. This does not affect your rights under Australian Consumer Law if your jewellery is faulty or does not match the approved design.

Important Information

By supplying an image, you confirm that you have permission to use the fingerprint, handprint, footprint, paw print, nose print or handwriting provided.

Every image is treated with care, privacy and respect and will only be used to prepare and complete your personalised jewellery order.