Caring for your jesmonite pieces
So you're lucky enough to own a little Jesmonite flower! Well done you. A world away from the resin version, these new jesmonite coasters have really evolved into something even more luxurious and tactile - much like holding a smooth, weighty rock in the palm of your hand.
Each one is hand poured by me, with each colour way also being mixed by lil ol' me which is why some shades can differ slightly. With colour impact being one of the cornerstones of squares & things ethos, I, to be quite honest found it quite disheartening to see the colours I'd painstakingly mixed suddenly dull as soon as the jesmonite cured! And to make matters worse, the brand recommended sealer didn't help either - it was nearly enough for me to stop working with the product as I just expected to much more vibrance (when the mixture is wet, it appears much brighter).
This led to MANY hours of panicked research (the Selfridges pop-up was merely weeks away) to find a sealer that not only brought the colour out of the flowers but also properly sealed them against the inevitable sloshes of red and wine and coffee they would face. I was hesitant to use stone sealer as it's extremely harmful to the environment and it just wasn't the route I wanted to go down, it just didn't feel right. I eventually came across different waxes I could use but it took me a while to find a blend that didn't have any other nasty chemicals in it (you'd be surprised what "beeswax' polish has in it).
Then a literal miracle happened! I came across Seal&Glow, a jesmonite polish made of soy wax and coconut oil - you could literally use it as your moisturiser. I ordered a sample pot straight away and wasted no time trying it out on the coasters. * Cue angelic music * The La Mer coaster was the first to get trialed and it was like I had unleashed the Mediterranean ocean into my studio - BAM. The colour just GA-LOWED. All 9 colours got a wax and 10 very moisturised fingers later, I had to then test them against the hard stuff - coffee, red wine and plain old water. You can imagine how pleased I was when all 3 just slid of the flowers like water off a duck's back. Literally. No stains or marks, they just trickled off like water running down a window.
Now we're at the important factual part of this post, where I tell you that although the pieces are splash proof, you still have to wipe up stains and liquid quickly, as it will leave a mark if left untouched. The same way you would treat wood or stone objects, ya know? Jesmonite in general can be marked if anything wet stays on it too long and we don't want that. Because I've chosen to go a little more of a natural route with the waxing, the coasters will need to be topped up with wax every 6 months if they're getting used daily. This will ensure the longevity of the product but also just bring that colour and make it look even more beautiful over the years. I've included a link here of the product for when the time comes for a little waxy-waxy. www.gabbykere.com/product-page/seal-shine-jesmonite-wax-polish. Smooth the wax over your pieces with a soft cloth in a circular motion and you've just given them a little spa break. Lovely!
Last but not least, I like to tell my customers to imagine the durability of Jesmonite is much like that of your favourite ceramic mug. Sturdy against the every day handling but it will break if dropped from a height and can be prone to chipping - the same way you wouldn't be swinging your mug around haphazardly.
I hope you enjoy my functional artistic offerings for many years to come and am always happy to chat about the product further in case this post raised more questions than answers!