Our Care Guide

We are over the moon that you are choosing Mulberry Mongoose. Your purchase generates essential income and, your wearing our pieces, spreads an empowering conservation story. We want to ensure your Mulberry Mongoose stays with you for many years to come. Below are some helpful tips.

Please take note of the care instruction on our product page under Design Detail explaining if each piece is: Keep away from water, Water resistant or Waterproof.

Managing Rust

A snare trap is a metal cable or wire which is often stolen from fencing and of a stainless steel-alloy composition. Click here to read about poacher snare traps and how we upcycle them.

Each snare trap can differ in size and composition and will be affected by rust differently. However, it is easy to remove. The best way is to use P1200 sandpaper; we provide a piece in each order, and you can buy it from any hardware store. A nail file also works. You gently sand a snare bead to remove the rust.

Snare wire jewelry that is worn continuously tends to rust less. The problem often sets in when jewelry is stored for periods of time. Keeping jewelry in the brown paper envelope we send orders in prevents rust by absorbing moisture from the air. 

You can clean off rust with silver polish, brasso, or stainless-steel polish; although it can get fluid on other beads and takes longer so we don’t recommend it.

Guinea Feathers

These locally sourced feathers are resilient and long lasting.

When the feathers split and look disheveled simply reshape them with your fingertips.

The central white spine of the feather must not bend so store them flat and, ideally, keep them in their chitenge gift bag when not being worn.

If travelling we recommend keeping them flat by placing them between the pages of a book or something similar.

To learn more about how we ethically source our guinea fowl feathers and the importance of smallholder farming in our rural African economy click here.

Local seeds

We design with very strong seeds but they must be kept away from water.

Lucky beans fall apart when they meet water and Vegetable ivory and Zulu seeds discolor.

If you are wearing them in a rain storm, it’s a good plan to remove them and keep them dry until you find cover!

Email us with questions here.