Where is your jewelry made?
Marco Polo Designs jewelry is all hand crafted in our studio in Portland, Oregon, USA.

What materials do you use in your jewelry?
We use our own exclusive handmade glass beads, Swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls, precious gemstones, semi-precious gemstones, Bohemian and Japanese glass, faux pearls, and a variety of other materials, on sterling silver and gold vermeil. Most of our major handmade beads are our own exclusive designs, of Murano glass and American dichroic glass.

What is your lead time to ship jewelry?
We ship within 2 working days for jewelry that is in stock. In the rare cases that an item needs to be made, we ship in 4 working days. That's why the 'Expected to Ship' gives you a date 4 days from your order date. But we will most likely ship it sooner!

Is your jewelry guaranteed?
Our skilled jewelry makers take great pride in their work. We guarantee our jewelry to be free of defects within 30 days of purchase, or it will be replaced at no charge. Whether you purchased your jewelry in a store or received it as a gift, we recommend you register your new piece on our website within two months of purchasing or receiving it. This will automatically guarantee it against breakage for any reason for one year. You must register your jewelry with us to receive the guarantee.

How is the glass made?
Glass is an amazing molten liquid mixture of natural elements from the earth, mostly melted quartz sand grains. Different elements in the mixture give it color. Glass occurs naturally, such as in volcanoes, when molten materials from the earth's core come to the surface, cool and create 'liquid rocks'. Obsidian is an example of natural glass. In the glass making process, molten glass is poured into sheets or rods by color, and allowed to cool for transporting.

How are lamp work glass beads made?
Lamp work glass beads are made one at a time over an open flame. A skilled bead maker melts a rod of glass and wraps a bit of molten glass around a copper wire. Many of our beads are made with a core of 24k gold foil, silver foil, or dichroic glass, which give the beads an internal glow. There may be several layers or colors of glass rods used to create a particular effect in molten glass. The bead maker must take care to work at a constant temperature over the flame, or the bead will crack. Finally the bead is allowed to cool and 'annealed' to insure it will not break. We use a myriad of ancient and modern techniques to make our exclusive beads, and are continuously developing new glass making methods.

How can I recognize quality lamp work glass?
Look for beauty, clear transparency and brilliant colors in the glass. Not cloudy or muddled. Be wary of poor quality glass, which often has white powder around the hole, poor transparency, marred surface, cracks or faded colors. Fine workmanship can be seen by examining the hole of the bead, which should be small and clean with no white powder, raw edges or cracks. Look for a smooth glass surface like water, with no pockmarks or stampings. Look for complexity and creativity in the glass colored layers that make you feel like you're falling in love.

What is Dichroic Glass?
Glittering, reflective, and brightly colored, dichroic glass was developed by NASA for the space industry. A thin layer of metal (gold, silver, titanium, chromium, aluminum, zirconium, magnesium, silicon) is zapped electrically onto a flat glass surface, which is then kiln fired at extreme temperatures in a vacuum. Dichroic glass is cut into small pieces and layered into molten glass beads and pendants.

How many beads do you really have?
OK, we confess. We really love beads! We have 3,700 lbs (1,682 kilos) of glass beads and metal findings of all kinds - almost two tons! We store the beads on 8-foot high metal wire shelves along the 'wall of beads'. We are continuously creating new beads and unique jewelry designs, for your pleasure and enjoyment!

I lost an earring. Can I replace it?
We regret that we do not sell single earrings. For more secure wearing, we suggest you order earrings on posts or lever backs.

What stringing material do you use?
We string our jewelry on the highest quality flexible wire available. It is made of 49 tiny stainless steel wires stranded together and nylon-coated for maximum strength, from Beadalon, www.beadalon.com. It is the preferred wire for professional designers who demand premium strength, softness, and flexibility.

What is heishi?
Our necklaces are strung on very tiny tubes of sterling silver called heishi, also known as liquid silver. We coat the sterling silver heishi with a non-toxic anti-tarnishing sealer to prevent oxidation. Our gold vermeil heishi is pure sterling silver, 24k gold plated in a nickel free, hypoallergenic gold bath that is very thick, 100 micro inches, and guaranteed not to come off. It is also then bathed in a non-toxic sealer.

What precious metals do you use in your jewelry?
We use sterling silver heishi and 24k gold plated heishi for necklaces. Our standard French Ear Wires are Sterling Silver or 14k gold-filled. Allergy reactions are extremely rare. Our chain is pure Sterling Silver best quality chain, or gold vermeil, which is 24k gold plating over the same sterling silver chain. Clasps on 18" Necklaces, bracelet toggles, and Multi-strand caps are 24k gold plated Bali silver, plated by our own plater 100 micro inches thick, (also known as 100 millionths of an inch thick) with an added non-toxic anti-tarnish treatment. The necklace clasp extender chain is a high quality sterling silver chain, or Hamilton gold plated sterling silver chain. Clasps on 34" Necklaces are pewter, plated with silver or 24k gold, made in the USA and plated by our vendor.

How can I know the gold value of my jewelry?
You can always ask a direct question. Ask what is the % of gold content in your jewelry. Ask if it is hypo-allergenic and nickel free. 100% pure 24k gold is the most valuable, and is traded at its daily stock exchange price. Pure 24k gold is impractical, as it is so soft it will scratch or bend if used alone. To make it hard enough to wear, other metal alloys are mixed with it, including sometimes nickel, a common allergen. 18k gold has 75% pure gold content. 14k gold has 55% gold content, and Gold filled is about 44% gold.

What is Gold Vermeil?
Gold vermeil is 24k gold plated sterling silver. Our gold vermeil heishi and our clasps are pure sterling silver bathed in 24k gold. We ask our plater to overlay the sterling silver with 24k gold 100 ml thick, hypo-allergenic, nickel free and guaranteed to never wear off.

What are 14k gold filled Ear wires?
14K gold filled wire is a professional jeweler's grade wire. It will not tarnish, crack, chip, peel, or discolor your skin. Allergic reactions are extremely rare. Under normal circumstances it will last a lifetime. Gold filled wire is not plated. It is a tube of solid 14K gold that is filled with jeweler's brass. There is 100 times more gold in gold filled than in gold plate wire. The cost of gold filled wire fluctuates with the daily gold market on the stock exchange.

What ear wires do you offer?
We prefer French Wires, our standard wire as they are light and convenient. A disadvantage is that they can sometimes fall out and can be lost. We recommend you give a little pinch to your earring wires when you put them on, and take care when you wear a scarf or high collar.

We also offer Ear Posts. This is a popular style with a small ball and post that runs straight through the pierced ear and is secured with a nut on the back of the ear. These are 14k gold filled, and offer a compromise between security and safety, and a nice covering for the ear hole.

We offer 14k gold filled Lever backs as the most secure for fine jewelry. They are not always convenient to store or display, because they do not fit on a jewelry card.

We offer Clips for non-pierced ears. Our clips have a screw to adjust the ear pressure, to insure many hours of comfortable wearing for any size lobe.

How can I care for my glass jewelry?
Your jewelry should be the last thing you put on. Please avoid applying hairspray or perfume while wearing your handmade jewelry and keep it away from chemicals or cosmetics that can discolor or damage your jewelry. Keep your jewelry stored far from humidity or air pollution.

To clean glass jewelry on gold vermeil, immerse the piece in warm mild soapy water and rub gently with a soft cloth. Then rinse it and lay on a soft towel to dry.

Sterling Silver tarnishes from the interaction of silver with sulfides in the air. First the tarnish takes on a golden hue, and eventually it turns black. This is a natural process.

To clean Sterling Silver jewelry, polish your Sterling Silver jewelry with a soft cotton cloth. We recommend a jewelry cleaning cloth, This slightly abrasive non-toxic cloth will clean your glass necklace in moments. Avoid dips, which leave a residue between the glass beads, and make the necklace stiff. Or you can rub dry baking powder on the jewelry. Then pat and brush the dry powder off.

Will my jewelry look exactly as pictured?
We try to maintain consistency in quality as pictured. The nature of hand crafted items is to have some subtle variations in color, size, and shape. These small differences are your proof that an artisan was truly "hands-on" in creating your unique piece. Just like snowflakes, every handmade piece is a little bit different.

Does your collection change?
Yes. Our collection is always changing. Most of our standard designs are always available. We are continually inventing new and hopefully even more beautiful designs. If the new pieces are popular, we keep them in the line. If not we discontinue them or recreate them into something better. Occasionally we may temporarily run out of a favorite design, and shortly it is back in stock. Please feel free to inform us of a style you like and we will do our best to get it for you.