Nesting Dolls are an investment. They are certainly an investment in the monetary terms, especially if you are collecting the higher end, exclusive works. It is also an investment into time. All the time a collector spends to find the most special items, to research them, bring them home and make them “ welcome”. However, most importantly, it’s an investment into emotions. The love, the care that you have for every matreshka in your cherished collections!

After devoting so much to your nesting doll collection, you would want it to last for as long as possible.
Although collectors generally think of preservation when they think of antique and vintage nesting dolls, modern matryeshkas are also very susceptible to damage from time and the conditions they are kept in

Information offered in this section does not refer only to our nested dolls. These are just common guidelines for any nesting doll collector. We do check every doll to make sure it’s made with the correct fit. We also check the blank shapes to make sure they are properly dried prior to painting.

To read more about our dolls follow the links below:
• History of nesting dolls
• How our dolls made
• Our artists

! Please make a note of the fact that nesting dolls can also be called:
Nested doll, stacking doll, matrjosha, matryushka, matroshka, matryoshka, matreshka.

Caring for your doll collection:
Nesting dolls do not require much care. With just a little attention, your dolls will last for many years.
Even though now-common use of acrylic paints in some dolls ensures long life for the matryoshkas, we still would suggest the following:

• Do not keep your doll in the direct sunlight. Excessive heat may dull the colors over time as well as deform the shape of the doll. If your doll is covered with a layer of lacquer, it may turn into brownish color under the effect of the sunlight.
• Make sure you keep the dolls clean. Wipe the doll with soft cloth to collect the dust. Refrain from using polishes, chemical or any other cleaners because they can dull your doll's lacquered finish.  

Problems opening/closing your doll:
Sometimes, the fluctuations in the humidity and the room temperature can affect your doll, and result in difficulties to open of close it.

• To open stuck doll:
  First of all make sure that the hold the doll horizontally (not vertically) and up against your stomach with both hands. Have each hand on one end of the doll, One on the top and one on the bottom half.  Gently pull apart the top and bottom. This should be like you were "breaking" it open sideways as if you were breaking a stick. Avoid twisting the doll open, since this can damage the paint around the edges.

• To Close:
  Make sure you are accurate closing your dolls and stacking them one inside the other, even if you are not experiencing any problems with the fit of the parts of the dolls. It is a good idea to align all the pictures on the dolls properly, but make sure you do not do that by twisting the closed dolls. This will cause the doll to sometimes have a very high pitch squealing sound.  Also you can damage the doll by twisting when the dolls pieces are closed all the way.

  The easier way to close them properly is to lift the top half a bit and hold it over the bottom without touching them to each other. Then line up the picture and close the doll.

• Closing lose dolls
  As we mentioned earlier excessive humidity can loosen your doll's fit. It can be corrected over the time by keeping the doll in the warm and dry location. Do not place your doll next to heater or under the direct sun light, this can dry it out too much and cause deformation and corrosion of the paints.

  However, sometimes dolls can get loose and stay that way over time. It also could be a production defect, and this case there is not much that can be done. Make sure you check the fit of the dolls at the time of the purchase. Also, when picking up dolls form your own collection or somebody else’s, make sure not to hold them by the top part, since the bottom can fall and be damaged if the doll is loose.

Happy Collecting, and please e-mail us with any questions about our dolls as well as general questions on doll collecting. Our experts will be happy to share their knowledge.
Info@RussianArtwork.com