How to Clean Your Vintage Sterling Silver Jewelry
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How to clean your Vintage Jewelry
Once you have bought vintage jewelry, it is important that you take care of it. There are several ways to keep your vintage jewelry clean but most, if not all, are a waste of time and effort. Listed below are some of the tried and tested techniques which can save your jewelry from a permanent damage.
Avoid the use of soap and water
We almost always think that a soap and water solution is the best cleansing agent. But this is not true for vintage jewelry. If you use soap too often, you would notice that after a while, your jewelry would be lined by a thin coat. This is so because soap has a tendency to leave its film on a vintage jewelry. Therefore, we must always avoid the use of soap. If you have no other alternative, use a very little amount of soap and then wipe your jewelry clean with a dry cloth. This would save your vintage jewelry from getting coated with an unwanted film.
Make use of a polishing cloth
In order to clean your vintage jewelry, try and make use of a polishing cloth. This simple yet effective cloth has the ability to remove tough stains with ease and would keep your jewelry spic and span. At the same time, kindly ensure that it is used in a gentle fashion. You can always use the services of a brush to do the same. Use a soft cleaning brush to clean your vintage jewelry. It would do wonders with your elegant necklace or classy ear ring and would remove all the dirt and stains. While using a polishing cloth, be careful, for the cloth can be quite abrasive to certain metals. Nonetheless they continue to clean long after they have lost their usefulness. Jewelry made of gold and silver works well with a polishing cloth.
Try and use Windex
If you think that the dirt on your vintage jewelry has crossed its permissible limits, try and get a hold of a windex solution. Just place it on the tip of your brush and soon all the dirt and dust would disappear. Just ensure to use it with care on loose stones, for windex has the ability to dislodge loose stones which are embedded in your vintage jewelry. Avoid using windex solution on pearls, rhinestones and opals as they are sensitive in nature. Rampant use of this product can be a cause of worry for it dampens the item. Use it judiciously and your vintage jewelry would continue to sparkle forever.
Keep it safe and sound
If you wish that your vintage jewelry lasts longer, you need to ensure that it is kept in a safe box. At the same time, you need to take care of it from time to time. Avoid getting it scratched for scratches are fairly difficult to remove. At the same time, kindly insure that your vintage jewelry is not stored in the same box where you place you normal jewelry items. You need to keep it in a separate box. It is interesting to note that your vintage jewelry looks more authentic if it is allowed to get dirty. It adds value to the product.
Jimmy Preach
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/how-to-clean-your-vintage-sterling-silver-jewelry-684630.html
I want to make jewelry made of natural stones...any ideas on how to learn to do that?
4 Comments
November 12th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Can i put my taxco silver vintage jewelry in a liquid solution-style jewelry cleaner?
It has some blueish/greenish colored areas ,but I have no idea if that’s turquoise or some tinted enamel. How should I clean the silver? Should I assume it’s sterling silver? Does that make a difference? It’s old and badly tarnished…thanks!
just to clarify, the blueish/greenish areas are stones or something…the metal itself is not turning blue/green. It’s just silver but tarnished.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:41 am
Because it is vintage, and because you do not know what the stones are, I would not. Rather, I’d take and old toothbrush and some dish soap and gently scrub the jewelry.
If the tarnish is not up, then I’d scrub with a bit of tooth paste.
Still not up, then I would coat just the medal with ketchup (really, it polishes copper too) let it sit a bit, then scrub off with some dish soap.
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November 13th, 2009 at 2:43 am
I would guess that a greenish-blue tinge indicates that it is plated. The color is coming from the copper that bonds the silver to the base metal. You can use a universal cleaner that works on both copper and silver or you may want to try vinegar and salt first then rinse it really well before using a silver cleaning solution.
There are also several folk remedies for removing copper oxides. These include scrubbing with buttermilk, ketchup, olive oil or baking soda. These may all work (all have their own form of acid) but whether they work for you is indeterminable.
If there are any semi-precious stones be sure to use a cleaning solution that is safe on them. Soft stones like turquoise or pearls may be damaged. If the jewelry is of significant value I suggest having it professionally cleaned.
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November 13th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Yeah you can use jewelry cleaner or do this:
Cover the inside bottom of a heat-proof glass dish bowl with a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side up.
Place the tarnished silver in the bottom of the dish, on the aluminum foil.
Add 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda, and then slowly pour boiling water to cover the piece. The tarnish will gradually collect on the aluminum foil.
Remove your silver, rinse thoroughly and dry.
If you live near a jeweler, she/he can tell you if its turquoise and what sort of silver it is, before you even clean it.
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