Antique jewelry can be a great way to stay connected with the past, especially if the item was handed down to you from a family member. Antique jewelry is special, and it needs to be cared for differently then you would care for modern jewelry. This is because metalworking techniques and construction material has changed over the years.
Know What You Have
Different metals and different jewels have different care requirements. Before you develop a cleaning and maintenance routine for your antique jewelry you need to know what the piece is made from. If you don’t already know what your antique piece is made up of then you will probably need to take it to a jeweler. They will be able to tell you what metal was used, what stones are in the piece, and what special cleaning techniques you need to use to properly care for the piece.
Protect Your Piece from Dust
Dust is the enemy of antique jewelry. Dust scratch the metal and stones, and dulls the piece. If you want to protect your piece from dust damage then you should store your piece in a soft pouch that can be sealed with a drawstring or some type of closure.
Cleaning Costume Jewelry
If your treasured piece is antique costume jewelry then you need to make sure that you don’t submerge the piece in soapy water and you don’t want to spray a cleaner like Windex directly onto the rhinestone. Both of these cleaning techniques will damage the piece. To clean a piece of costume jewelry you should dampen a soft cloth with soapy water or Windex and then wipe the piece down gently.
Brush Once A Year
Another cleaning tool that you can use to clean both costume jewelry and regular antique jewelry is a soft toothbrush. A baby toothbrush is going to produce the best results. The bristles are small and super soft. To clean your piece you will first need to dip the brush in soapy water or a mild cleaning solution and then gently brush the jewelry. Work the brushes into the crevices to remove dust and debris.
Repairing Loose Stones in Antique Costume Jewelry
If you have a piece of antique costume jewelry then you will inevitable be faced with a stone that becomes loose or that falls out of its setting. To fix this problem you can use an adhesive like H-G Hypo Cement in a tube. This particular glue works great because it has a very fine applicator that can easily get behind loose stones and it also is great for directing the glue to a small surface.
By: http://www.dotcomwomen.com
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