QuestionI am new at collecting costume jewelry..What is the best way to clean tarnish off and dirt? Also i have one of those electric jewelry cleaners..Is this safe?
Thanks
Phyllis
AnswerPhyllis, this is a delicate question. : )
You see, costume jewelry runs the complete range from "easily cleaned" to "clean it and you ruin it". Sometimes, it is quite difficult to tell what is durable enough for even gentle cleaning and you simply have to try and stop immediately if any damage appears to happen.
Some of the jewelry will have a durable plated gold or silver color and perhaps an inlaid color. If the plate is chipping or wear-through is obvious, cleaning generally will not make it look better and can sometimes make things look worse. For that, use a simple polishing cloth like a Selvyt cloth which is a soft cotton with no polish on the cloth.
Rhinestones are delicate, especially the foil back sort. Foil back rhine stones have a mirror backing to make the glass gems sparkly. Generally, these are set into jewelry with closed backs. Cleaning can damage the foil back and for these I recommend only the first two method below and to avoid rubbing on the stones.
1.Basic cleaning is simply a gentle rubbing with your fingers using a mild dish detergent(no ammonia or bleach allowed!). Rinse well, pat dry and set aside to dry thoroughly.
2.Next, you can try rubbing with a wet paste of baking soda. While in paste form, the soda has a very mild abrasive quality for cleaning and will remove some soil and light tarnish. If you see any sign of color coming off quit the cleaning and rinse.
3.Polishing cloths will work wonders in some cases. I mentioned the simple soft cotton cloth with no polishing agent. The next step is a chemically treated polishing cloth such as one called "Sunshine Cloth". Other brands are available. These are not messy to use and are simply wiped on the items to remove tarnish. If a color plate layer is quite worn and very thin, the cloth may thin it out more so be careful at first. Jewelry stores carry these sorts of polishing cloths. Those who use a company named Rio Grande as a supplier can get the Sunshine Cloth, as possibly may also a better crafts store. These cloths have a chemical treatment and are used as are until totally black and the cloth quits working. Just use it up then throw away. (These are quite good on the real jewelry, by the way.)
4.Ultrasonic Cleaner or Sonic Cleaner: Is this the electric jewelry cleaner you mention? These will work but may be too strong for old costume jewelry, removing also backs from rhinestones and inlaid colors which are often paints of some sort. Try for only a few seconds watching and checking as you go. Still, for tarnish, the chemically treated cloths and baking soda rub are likely more effective while the electric or electronic cleaner will do better removing soil an dirt from the surface and hidden recesses.
Phyllis, this is a delicate question since some costume jewelry will allow only delicate cleaning. Some items will withstand a robust cleaning. The approach is to start with the most gentle cleaning and move on to more aggressive methods as the item allows.
Best wishes with this. God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
