VINTAGE COSTUME JEWELRY: The “Fake” Treasures of 1920s-1960s (Part 3 of 4)
Cleaning your Vintage Costume Jewelry
Now that you have started your vintage costume jewelry, you should realize that your collection is not only a work of art, but also a part of history. Collecting vintage costume jewelry is usually a serious investment. Therefore, they must be handled gently and cared for properly to ensure that your investment stays in tip-top shape.
Unfortunately, cleaning vintage costume jewelry is a chancy prospect and the procedure depends on the kind of jewelry you are dealing with. How do you do this safely? Take note of some cleaning advice below.
1. Inspect your costume jewelry for dust and other grit before cleaning them. Use a magnifying glass or jeweler loupe in doing this. Tighten any loose stones or settings before attempting to clean your costume jewelry. H-G Hypo Cement tube is highly recommended.
Vintage Alexis Kirk Choker/Necklace. This rare and outstanding necklace was designed by Alexis Kirk (c)1985.. With all stones pronged in to a pewter-color base metal, this beautiful pieces is composed of black and purple faceted plastic large oval stones, black and aqua rectangular glass stones, purple rivoli round glass, and oval glass-faceted amethyst.
2. Use a makeup brush or a soft toothbrush. Compressed air cans used to blow nasties out of the computer keyboard also works nicely. Do not over scrub.
3. Use jewelry cleaner as directed. Make sure that it is specifically safe for costume jewelry and does not contain acid, alcohol, or ammonia. A sterling silver jewelry cannot be used to clean rhinestone jewelry.
Jewelry Cleaner. An example of a jewelry cleaner safe for costume jewelries.
4. Never use oil, soap, perfume, or any harsh chemicals which can cause damage to the plating of your costume jewelry. Soapy water can leave a residue on your costume jewelry pieces and can make stones look dull.
5. If more cleaning is required, use a glass cleaner with that no wax. Spray a very small amount of the cleaner on your soft toothbrush or old rag, not directly onto the piece. Then, gently clean off the grease or grime that is marring your costume jewelry.
Windex Glass Cleaner. This is highly recommended for your costume jewelry if more caked grime needs to be cleaned.
6. Never use a steam jewelry cleaner or an ultrasonic cleaning machine. These are too harsh and can damage delicate pieces and fastenings.
7. Use a jewelry cloth for buffing. Aurora Borealis stones are incredibly easy to scratch, so stick to soft, soft cloths when cleaning them. Sunshine Polishing Cloth is highly recommended to keep your costume jewelry pieces clean and polished. Use a pearl cloth to clean pearls.
Sunshine Polishing Cloth. The large 5″ by 8″ soft cloth brightens and cleans with special non-scratch micro-abrasives and safe chemical cleansing agents to quickly remove dirt, tarnish, oils and fingerprints from any jewelry, flatware, and countless other items. You can use them until the cloth is completely black on both sides. Also safe for use on glass, mirror, silver, copper, and brass, even for gold and bronze.
8. Be sure that the jewelry is completely before storing them. Always use a soft cloth when drying your costume jewelry. Dry them upside down for at least an hour so that any moisture will flow away from the jewelry, not into the settings.
If you are not sure how delicate the jewelry is, try going online. If that doesn’t work, try the local jeweler. If they can’t help you, hopefully they can point you to someone who can.
How often to clean? There is no general rule of thumb. If it is a piece that you wear often, you could clean it every week or two. If it is a special piece that is used only occasionally, you might just clean it right before wearing it, or when putting it away again for storage.
Sources: http://femininespirit.com/what-makes-costume-jewelry-and-how-to-care-for-it/
http://www.vintagejewelrylane.com/information/costumejewelrycare.htm
http://www.anniesherman.com/care.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45368.asp
http://www.life123.com/hobbies/antiques-collectibles/vintage/antique-jewelry.shtml
http://www.ehow.com/how_4555274_clean-vintage-costume-jewelry.html
http://reviews.ebay.com/CLEANING-Vintage-Costume-Jewelry_W0QQugidZ10000000001867225
http://www.helium.com/items/240890-how-to-clean-vintage-costume-jewelry
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