Taking Care of Costume Jewelry
Costume Jewelry is quite different than fine jewelry when it comes to caring for it. Besides the different materials that are used in the manufacture of costume jewelry, many collectible jewelry items were never made to last; they were intended to be worn for a short time. Makers figured that the fun & fashionable jewels would only be kept as long as the current fashion trend lasted - then they would be discarded in favour of the newest fad.
So, here is our best advice on how to care for, clean, and restore your vintage and antique jewelry.
Rules of Thumb
First of all, use a gentle touch. Then, use gentle tools and cleaners. Grandma does not recommend chemical cleaners other than alcohol, vinegar, and ammonia. Using glass cleaner containing ammonia usually works very well. Do not use commercially sold jewelry cleaners that are designed for use with your fine jewelry and gemstones. And, never put your collectible jewelry in ultrasonic cleaners or steam cleaners.
Cleaning Rhinestone Jewelry
There is an age-old controversy (well, at least in the age of rhinestones) over whether water will affect rhinestones. Some believe that the key to cleaning your rhinestones is to keep them dry. This is because some believe that the coating on the back of the rhinestones will essentially tarnish if exposed to water. Others say this is untrue, that water can not corrode the foil on the back of the stones - water doesn't hurt metal. This camp believes that what is damaging the stone is plating chemicals - apparently, sometimes the settings are plated before stones are set, and some after. So when the stones are washed, the already damaged foil comes loose. OK, seems to make sense, but Grandma did notice that the humid air is what turns the Statue of Liberty green, and while water does not react with Gold, Silver, Aluminum, and many other metals, it can and does react with some metals. SO, WHAT"S A JEWEL-LOVER TO DO???
Grandma recommends to always use the MOST GENTLE and conservative cleaning method needed to do the job...in other words, if the only thing that will clean the jewels is dunking them, what do you have to loose? Still, read on about the approach we suggest.
Start cleaning by dipping a cotton swab in ammonia or a cleaning solution made specifically for costume jewelry, such as Jewelry Joose. Squeeze out the excess moisture. Gently rub the stones with the cotton swab. This should remove any surface dirt and add a lot of sparkle. Keep an eye out for any prongs that 'catch' the cotton swab - this is a good indication that a prong may be loose and needs to be tightened. You can use a damp fine-weave cotton cloth the sipe off any excess cleaner if you use something like Jewelry Joose.
An alternative to the cotton swab is to use make-up brushes. You can lightly spray the ammonia directly on the jewelry, and brush with the make-up brushes. If there is a significant amount of grime or dirt on the jewelry, you may have to repeat the process a few times. One exception: do not use brushes of any sort on aurora borealis stones. These scratch very easily, and the cotton swab method is the best bet.
For grime and dirt clogged in crevices in the mountings, you may want to try a small, soft wire brush or old soft toothbrush, or try cleaning up an old mascara brush. Gently use the brush to pull out the collected dirt. Again, this can damage the Aurora Borealis finish.
So, what if this doesn't do the trick, and the only way to really get them clean is to dunk? Grandma suggests that if you do this, do not soak, and after cleaning blow-dry the jewelry right away. Keep drying even though the surface may look dry - the object is to dry behind the stones as best you can.
Cleaning Pearls
The best way to clean pearls is not to! Never use alcohol or any type of solvent on pearls, as they will dissolve the surface of the pearls. This is true for natural, cultured, and even simulated pearls. The oils in your skin are actually very good for the pearls, and will add to their natural luster. But, remember to keep perfume and hair spray away from your pearls - do not wear perfume on the neck when wearing pearls, and don't put your pearls on until after hair spray has dried.
If you spill something on the pearls, or they somehow get dirty, polish them gently with a cotton cloth. They can be cleaned by dipping in room temperature water, but be careful when doing this. Hot water may make the string shrink.
Grandma has heard others recommend oiling the pearls with something like olive oil; she has not tried this trick, but believes that the oils in your skin are the best thing for bringing out the colour and shine in the pearls.
Cleaning Pot & Precious Metals
Metal used to make costume jewelry is usually an alloy that is made up of any number of metals. Some may contain portions of silver, gold, or platinum; but they will always contain other metals such as nickel, copper, tin, etc. The bottom line - you never really know WHAT is in the mix. The jewelry may also have a wash or plating of some sort, which you must take care not to damage.
The safest cleaning agent for metals that need a little polishing is even free! Grandma recommends that you just breathe on the back & wipe with a soft cloth...like cleaning a pair of glasses. The next most gentle method is to use a cleaner specifically made for Costume Jewelry. Pot metal generally will shine up nicely if you gently rub with a jeweler's polishing cloth. These are very soft cloths that have a small amount of jewelry cleaner infused in the fibers. This method will remove tarnish, but leave brass patina. And there is a big difference between just cleaning dirty jewels, removing tarnish and removing patina! Removing tarnish & dirt is the goal...but taking off the patina is NOT always desirable. While some collectors want to make their old jewelry shine like new, many prefer to leave the old patina...it give the piece character, and can be quite lovely.
Jeweller's cloths are readily available from a number of vendors; we have found Fire Mountain Gems and Collector's House to be reliable sources.
To completely remove any traces of tarnish, rumor has it that Simichrome polish is the way to go. Again, work gently. Use tissue or soft cotton cloth to remove the polish and add a final shine. If some of the polish gets wedged in the metalwork, go back to your cleaned mascara brush and window cleaner to remove the last of the polish. Do not use polish on washed or plated pieces, as it may remove all of the gold wash or other thin plating. If you are unsure if the piece has a wash or thin plating, test the polish in an inconspicuous area before using it!
If the metal is severely tarnished green, you will need to take special steps in cleaning. Green is a sign of copper that has oxidized, and if the copper is a component in the metal, then the metal has been damaged. If the damage is bad enough, the metal may be brittle and dissolving. It may mean that any plating originally on the piece is gone. If you have a lot of green, you may have to do several things to clean it; with each step, you need to carefully assess the condition of the piece. Sometimes the piece cannot be rescued.
First, try polishing with a soft cloth to see if it is just superficial. Next, if the soft cloth still leaves mounds of crusty green rust, try a brush, then a stiffer brush, and then very, very, fine grit sandpaper. When you get most of the really crusty stuff off, assess how badly damaged the piece is. Your final clean up can be done with a cotton swab dabbed in vinegar or catsup. Let the catsup sit about 10 minutes. Be sure it doesn't get on the rhinestones though! Another approach is to again try costume jewelry cleaner (Jewelry Joose, Riceez).
Lastly, a special note on copper…Grandma heard that salt & lemon is the very best thing to clean copper. It will remove all traces of tarnish. If you want to leave a light patina, stay away from salt & lemon.
Cleaning Plastics
As with rhinestones, gentle is the rule here. We recommend starting with a soft cotton cloth, with a touch of ammonia, vinegar, or alcohol. Never use any type of solvent on plastics, as you may end up melting the plastic or the adhesives used to secure the plastics to the mountings.
We have read that Goo-Gone is wonderful for restoring the polish to Bakelite, but since we have not tried it ourselves, please use caution! Try it on an inconspicuous spot before applying it to the jewelry.
Storing Vintage Jewelry
When storing jewelry, it is important to keep in mind that rhinestones, pot metals, and plastics can scratch very easily. Do not pile jewelry up - lay it carefully in single layers, or put protective cloth or paper between pieces.
Do not expose costume jewelry to extreme heat. For example, do not leave it on the windowsill in a glass container or in the car on a summer's day. Extreme heat can damage plastics and soften glues. Glued rhinestones and beads are much more likely to come loose when the glue is softened by heat; in addition, heating and cooling may cause the glue to become brittle, again increasing the possibility of a stone coming loose.
Repairing & Restoring
Minor damage to costume jewelry can be very easily corrected if you know a few tricks and have some simple tools and supplies, such as Hypoglue, E6000, a few basic findings, and some small nosed pliers.
If you have a particular problem with a piece, please feel free to email us at inquiries@gransmasjewelry.com, and we can lend advice on what you may be able to do yourself. You may also want to check out our FAVORITE LINKS page in our Ruby Lane shop, where we list some good places to go for jewelry repair and cleaning supplies.
