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Owning antique jewelry is no less than a privilege, but it puts up some real challenges for you. No doubt, it looks great and never goes out of fashion. But you need to frequently clean your antique jewelry, given the fact that it is quite delicate and probably has seen more wear and tear than you.
But, little effort and love from your side will leave you shining antique jewelry. And probably will get to stay with you a few more years.
Before we start, note that the basic cleaning process remains more or less the same. However, individual cleaning may take a bit more time and care. So, let’s get into it.
Cleaning Your Antique Jewelry
Since your jewelry is quite exquisite, you need to be super careful, from choosing the cleaning solution to ultimately drying and polishing it.
1. Grab the Right Cleaning Product
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Your cleaning product is crucial, especially when it comes to antique jewelry. At the same time, one product that works fine on one metal may not be suitable for the other.
While selecting your solution, take care of a few things.
- Use mild homemade solutions, or better yet, use commercially available jewelry cleaners.
- Be careful about using ammonia as it can spoil your antique jewelry instead of cleaning it.
- You can use baking soda paste for your silver jewelry.
- Always pick mild dish detergent which doesn’t hurt your vintage. But be careful if your jewelry has gemstones because detergent can loosen it.
2. Do Some Gentle Scrubbing
However, before you use any liquid for your vintage, make sure to remove any dust or debris hiding anywhere. Use a dry brush for mild cleansing, rather than allowing the build-up to stick to the jewelry once it comes into contact with any liquid.
Sometimes dust or debris may not be visible to the naked eye. Use a magnifying glass for better vision.
3. Use Jewelry Cleaner
Now it’s time to use a jewelry cleaner of your choice. Take a small amount of the product on a linen cloth and softly rub your ornaments. The cloth should be moderately damp, neither dripping nor too dry. Alternatively, you can use a Q-tip to reach some tight and tricky spots.
Keep your antique gold jewelry, pearls jewelry and other soft stone jewelry like opals jewelry and cameos jewelry soaked for a safe time. It will require less effort while cleaning.
4. Make Your Jewelry Dry
Once you’ve cleaned your jewelry and are satisfied with the results, it’s time to make it dry. This is really crucial as you wouldn’t want to keep your jewelry in a box with moisture on it. Pat it with a soft cloth and give some time to air dry it.
5. Polish It for a Finer Look
The last step includes polishing the jewelry with a polishing cloth. You can easily purchase it from any jewelry shop, and it is pretty inexpensive.
Those were some general steps you can follow to clean most antique jewelry. However, if you own gold, silver or antique pearl jewelry and want an exclusive way to care for them, we’ve got your back again!
Cleaning Your Gold Antique Jewelry
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Your antique gold jewelry, we suppose, would be finer and purer as compared to modern versions. And the finer and purer the gold, the softer it is, which ultimately means that you need to be mild with them. Your gold jewelry will be hiding a lot of build-up in the setting or its exquisite designs.
- As the very first step, keep it under warm running water and it will soften up things a lot.
- Now use a toothbrush with soft bristles and rub the dirt away. This should get rid of some apparent stains.
- However, if you aren’t pleased yet, consider soaking it in the dish detergent for a while and repeating the process. It will certainly make it look way better.
Cleaning Your Silver Antique Jewelry
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Silver antique jewelry may be the prettiest, but it will quickly discolor. Fortunately, silver jewelry is easy to clean and can withstand stronger chemicals than gold.
Your silver jewelry will stay true to its color if you keep wearing it and making it directly contact your skin. However, keeping it in acidic paper or a jewelry box will result in tarnished and dull looks.
- If it has mild discoloration, use dish detergent with water.
- For heavily tarnished and dull silver, apply a thick baking soda paste and brush it gently.
- Note that prolonged contact with water isn’t good when it comes to your silver jewelry.
- Buy a silver cleaning solution for better results. Remember to pick one that is mild and contains protective chemicals to clean it and keep it shiny later.
Cleaning Your Antique Pearls
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Your antique pearls need some good washing because the chances are they’re exposed to every sort of dirt and grease. They probably need the most dedicated effort to get cleaned, not to mention how delicate they are.
- Use a soft makeup brush to clean pearls, but since make-up doesn’t go well with them, make sure it is thoroughly clean.
- Brush them after you’ve soaked them for a while in the warm soapy water. You can use shampoo too.
- Pat them dry while handling them carefully.
- Never place your precious stones in the sink without any strainer or bowl.
Besides, here is a very detailed and helpful blog for you to clean the prevalent handmade pearl jewelry.
About TTT Jewelry
TTT Jewelry is known for designing a wide range of jewelry for individuals and brands alike. If you are looking for unique designs at amazing prices, look no further than TTT Jewelry. We partner with a number of jewelry brands and businesses.
TTT Jewelry stands out in the market with more than 10 years of experience in the field. Our brand is known for producing fine quality ornaments and jewelry with premium material featuring incredible craftsmanship. You will get full customized jewelry that won’t cost you a fortune and will be delivered to your doorsteps. What’s more? TTT doesn’t hide any manufacturing steps and believes in sharing the process with our customers. You can visit TTT’s YouTube channel to see what we have to offer you. And if you are thrilled to see our jewelry making, place an order now at tttjewelry.com!