Tips and hints

A Bunad is in difference to common belief not a uniform of some kind. Once upon a time the Bunad was fashion. People saw what the girl next door used, and wanted it, or something better, themselves - If they could afford it. That is why the Bunads from one district look similar, but not identical. In some areas you could see from the embroideries which farm you came from.

How to pick the correct brooch:

This website has categorized brooches and accessories according to Bunad type so that you can feel secure that you get the correct brooches for your Bunad. There is naturally no rule for how much silver you can have on your Bunad, and you do not have to buy everything at once. You stand quite free to choose! To make it a little bit easier for those with a brand new Bunad, we have start packages with silver for some of the Bunads.

Accessories like rings, earrings, chains for the time piece, umbrellas and so on did not exist originally, but a lot of people use it anyway. Back in the old times the earrings would have been a waste. The ears were always covered up by hair or ha headdress of some kind. Nowadays things are different, and a lot of people find that it's a bit empty with pierced ears with nothing in them. We usually recommend small, discrete earrings. On the other hand, the ladies knife was not uncommon. It was usually used for cutting a type of chew-tobacco that was common for women at the time.

For some Bunads you can choose the color of the silver. It may be oxidized (a dark silver color) or old gilded (a dark gilded color). You can mix the two colors too. In addition each brooch has several editions. Pick and choose; everything helps to make your Bunad unique.

If you pick from the category "Choose category" you will see all the variations of the brooch whether it fits with your Bunad or not.

If you have inherited a brooch and wonder if you may use it? Our answer is yes. Even if the brooch does not belong with the Bunad, it belongs with you. And since both the Bunad and the brooch tell a story about you, about your roots and heritage, we feel that you should use it.

Storing your silver:

Put the silver in a brooch-bag or a plastic bag, the goal is to make it airtight. Be careful not to use a rubber band. Sulfur from the rubber band will go through the plastic and make black marks that is very difficult to get rid of again. The silver that is sown on to your Bunad may be covered in clinging plastic.

How to take care of your silver:

This may be quite risky if you don't know what you are doing. You have to consider the type of Bunad you have, and what kind of silver it is supposed to have. Silver that is sewn onto your Bunad should be picked off before you use anything other than a polish-cloth. This is so that you won't ruin the fabric in your costume. If it is enough with a polish-cloth you just remove the lint with a lint-brush afterwards. To polish buttons you either get a polish-plate from your goldsmith, or you make one yourself by cutting a piece of cardboard and slide it underneath the buttons. That way you don't have to worry about lint.

This is safe to do no matter what; Wash your silver in a fat dissolving dishwashing liquid (zalo) with a tiny bit of the detergent Salmiac in it. You could put it in a laundry detergent for hand wash of clothes. Usually these tips are enough to keep your silver as shiny as they are supposed to be. If you need more thorough cleaning one of these methods may fit;

Oxidized (dark) silver:
Use a polis cloth. The tops will be shiny, and the patterns will stay dark, as it should be. Do not use any silver cleaning cream or similar, it may remove the dark areas that are supposed to be there.

Old gilded (Dark gold):
May be treated like oxidized silver, but the need is rare.

Fair silver:
The easy way is to dip it in silver-clean, rinse it under water and dry it off with a towel. Done in 30 seconds. The downside of this method is that the long-term-effect is poor, and that repeated use of this method will fade your silver to a grey-yellow shade. This may be fixed with a "silver cloth" or silver cream. If you use silver cream you should use a nail-brush, or an old toothbrush when you remove the cream again so every crack get cleaned out.

Gilded silver:
May be treated like fair silver, but the need will be rarer.

If you have some questions that did not get answered here, or if there is a brooch you can't find. Use the button "Contact us" and ask! We are happy to answer.

 

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