Author Topic: Cleaning Jewellery  (Read 4451 times)

Flyingkea

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Cleaning Jewellery
« on: October 28, 2015, 05:17:59 AM »
Hello,
I've recently recieved some inherited jewellery, and some of the items I want to clean before I wear them - especially the earrings.
What ways are best to clean them out? They're a mix of different styles and materials - paua, glass, stones in settings, I think there's some pearl in there too. I would like to get them cleaned without damaging them, as they do have sentimental value.

Polaria

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2015, 06:55:13 AM »
Basic toothpaste works well on silver. Some people warns about abrasion, but I have tried this method without problem on silver earrrings. That's all I know about cleaning jewellery sorry.
« Last Edit: October 28, 2015, 07:00:04 AM by Polaria »

gbbi_977

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2015, 07:37:35 AM »
The local jeweler on my street has a jewelry cleaning machine, as do all jewelers. I pop in every month or so and ask him to put my rings through a cycle. I'm under the impression most jewelers are happy to do this as it means you'll be browsing in their store while you wait.

It would be a little presumptuous to take a large number of items in, but you could take a few here and there, spread them out around the different jewelers, if you find yourself in the vicinity every now and then. If anything is not safe for the machine, the jeweler should know.

I'm always amazed at how sparkly my rings come out!

lifejoy

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2015, 07:48:30 AM »

The local jeweler on my street has a jewelry cleaning machine, as do all jewelers. I pop in every month or so and ask him to put my rings through a cycle. I'm under the impression most jewelers are happy to do this as it means you'll be browsing in their store while you wait.

It would be a little presumptuous to take a large number of items in, but you could take a few here and there, spread them out around the different jewelers, if you find yourself in the vicinity every now and then. If anything is not safe for the machine, the jeweler should know.

I'm always amazed at how sparkly my rings come out!

Yep, I worked in a jewellery store and we offered that service. Gets people in our store and builds a good relationship :)


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Flyingkea

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2015, 09:09:19 PM »
The local jeweler on my street has a jewelry cleaning machine, as do all jewelers. I pop in every month or so and ask him to put my rings through a cycle. I'm under the impression most jewelers are happy to do this as it means you'll be browsing in their store while you wait.

It would be a little presumptuous to take a large number of items in, but you could take a few here and there, spread them out around the different jewelers, if you find yourself in the vicinity every now and then. If anything is not safe for the machine, the jeweler should know.

I'm always amazed at how sparkly my rings come out!
Thank you for the information!

Sibley

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2015, 01:55:34 PM »
A little bit of dish soap and water goes a long way as well.

Pearls are different though, you don't want to dry them out. They need some oils, etc to be healthy.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2015, 03:55:30 AM »
Vodka and a soft cloth.

For silver, you can buy impregnated cloths that basically put a bit of silver back on to make them shiny again. Well worth it.

wser485

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2015, 10:28:44 PM »
Mee tooo!! I have  huge collection of necklace !!!

Lizzy B.

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2015, 06:55:59 AM »

Vodka and a soft cloth.

For silver, you can buy impregnated cloths that basically put a bit of silver back on to make them shiny again. Well worth it.

The vodka and a soft cloth is for the pearls, I'm assuming?  Gonna have to try that on Grandma's pearls. Thanks! 

I third the silver cloth recommendation. Those things are nifty.

Flyingkea

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2015, 09:00:50 PM »
Well, I finally went into a jewellers shop today, and the lady was busy saying yes, to the cleaning, unitl she saw the jewellery. She said it was all too fragile to go through the machine (Enamels, pearls, something starting with M (morzello?), even the gold and silver stuff.. So I guess I'm trying the other methods.

Thanks all.

stealthystache

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2016, 08:09:35 PM »
Just saw this post - wish I had seen it earlier! I've been an art jeweler part-time for years (read goldsmith and silversmith, not "bead on a string"), and would love to help. Since the pieces are so old, you might be able to find a small mom and pop store that will clean them by hand for you. They would be your best bet to treat the jewelry right!

Never, ever, use anything abrasive on any jewelry - toothpaste contains tiny particles of crushed stone that will scratch and ruin the patina that is very valuable and can ruin softer materials. Old enamel tends to be soft (they usually contain lead), and can get clouded from abrasive scratches. Pearls and paua shell are even softer, and should never be cleaned by even jewelry cloths - they ruin the nacre (outer pearlescent layer). Use a soft diaper-like cloth and warm water to wipe the surface gently (mild soaps can also take the outer layer off). Marcasite was popular in old pieces, and it might have gotten brittle over the years.

Jewelry cloths work well on silver; dampen them first and they'll get the job done much faster. You can buy them at most department store jewelry counters or jewelry stores.

Pictures would give me more to go on, but hopefully this helps!  I wish I could help you in person :)

Flyingkea

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2016, 04:15:02 AM »
Just saw this post - wish I had seen it earlier! I've been an art jeweler part-time for years (read goldsmith and silversmith, not "bead on a string"), and would love to help. Since the pieces are so old, you might be able to find a small mom and pop store that will clean them by hand for you. They would be your best bet to treat the jewelry right!

Never, ever, use anything abrasive on any jewelry - toothpaste contains tiny particles of crushed stone that will scratch and ruin the patina that is very valuable and can ruin softer materials. Old enamel tends to be soft (they usually contain lead), and can get clouded from abrasive scratches. Pearls and paua shell are even softer, and should never be cleaned by even jewelry cloths - they ruin the nacre (outer pearlescent layer). Use a soft diaper-like cloth and warm water to wipe the surface gently (mild soaps can also take the outer layer off). Marcasite was popular in old pieces, and it might have gotten brittle over the years.

Jewelry cloths work well on silver; dampen them first and they'll get the job done much faster. You can buy them at most department store jewelry counters or jewelry stores.

Pictures would give me more to go on, but hopefully this helps!  I wish I could help you in person :)
Hello, and thank you! I hadn't actually gotten around to sorting it all out just yet (I have a very 'helpful' toddler), but just yesterday had bookmarked This page on it. And marcasite was the word I was looking for - there are a couple pieces of that in there.
I'm wondering - what do you suggest around the fittings of earring ie the back of studs? They tend to turn greenish with deadskin build up, and are quite hard to clean. Then my ears turn green/black :/
Thanks again :)

stealthystache

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Re: Cleaning Jewellery
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2016, 06:24:07 AM »
Hi :) For the backs I've used simple rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip (mostly to kill bacteria, but it cleans everything off, too). If you're getting a green color on the posts or backs over time, there's probably brass underneath plating that's reacting to your skin. Some people react to silver with a black "smudge", and some even to gold the same way. Sometimes chemicals you're around daily will cause a similar reaction. I've noticed painting with latex paint will cause my rings to leave black marks on my fingers.

Quick fix if you're reacting to earrings: clean off the smudge, gently wash the jewelry clean, then apply a layer of clear nail polish to the post and back. Works great, and when it eventually chips off, just put a new layer on :)

The site you linked to has some good information, but be very careful with baking soda and toothpaste - both are very abrasive and can damage metal, glass, and definitely anything with nacre on it. Lemon juice is also a bad idea and can react to pearls and shells (think acid). When I'm done working a silver or gold piece, I quench it in a strong acid, then rinse in a base like baking soda to neutralize it. Using only one or the other is risky, especially if you don't know what the reactions to various other materials are (like paua, soft stones like jade or lapis, and on and on). There's so much science behind it all that is fascinating - that's partly why I got started a long time ago! 

 

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