S P R I N G! Time to clean up... your little treasury!
So, how do you clean vintage costume jewelry.
Jewelry considered vintage are those that span over a hundred years old. Something unique about vintage costume jewelry is the sentimental value attached to them. Apart from the fact that they are exquisite, attractive, and captivating, every single piece seems to have a story behind it; how it got into the family, whom it was passed down from, what made you buy the dusty, dirty thing on that sunny Saturday as it sat there on a tray full of old jewelry. Costume jewelry are not very expensive. They are way cheaper than the real thing. But if you love collecting them, and you have managed to acquire some pretty valuable ones, you would want to care for them so they can last even longer.
A lot of vintage costume jewelry have lost their value and that initial captivating look due to improper cleaning. Anything you do, never dip your costume jewelry in water for a long period of time. That's the fastest way to ruin the precious thing. Costume jewelry are made of different stones and metals and there is a proper way to clean each. Here are some great tips to clean your vintage costume jewelry and keep them looking as wonderful as they can be.
Rhinestones: Never dip rhinestone jewelry in water. That is the surest way to damage them. Instead, with the use of a glass cleaner, gently clean the back of the stones if you have access to them. And for the surface of the stones, softly swipe over them with a Q tip or a very soft cloth. Remember, no water.
Gold Coated Costume Jewellery: All you need is a gold cleaning cloth which you can easily get from any jewelry store while all you have to do is polish the jewelry with the gold cloth.
- Silver Costume Jewellery: Unlike gold plated jewelry, vintage silver costume jewelry do not benefit anything from polishing. It doesn't make any difference whatsoever. Except you want to shine them up with abrasive cleaners or silver dips, all you have to do is use a silver cloth to remove dirt or scratches from the surface.
- Copper Vintage Costume Jewelry: With age, copper acquires a burnishing look and that is the remarkable thing about it. That appearance is priceless. But if you can't wear old looking copper jewellery, it is left to you to decide whether to polish it up. But just like silver vintage costume jewelry, all you need is a copper cloth to remove grime from the surface.
- Crystal Beads: You can wash crystal beads in warm water using a mild soap. Rinse and dry them with a soft towel.
- Pearly Beads: You only need a soft wet cloth for pearly beads. No detergents.
- Cameos: For cameos, you need a very soft cloth and distilled water. There is a mineral deposit that hard water leaves on them after some time that distilled water doesn't.
As you may have observed, water is not okay for gold, silver, copper, and rhinestone costume jewelry while it is okay to some extent for beady jewelry. Hope you find these tips useful to keep your vintage costume jewelry looking great always.
