Cleaning Your Antique Bracelets Safely
Antiques of any kind should be dealt with care and caution. In addition to being very valuable, these items are very old and therefore fragile. Very rare and priceless items of jewelry should be taken to a professional jeweler for cleaning and restoration purposes such as resetting a loose stone. Regular moderately valued antique jewelry pieces can be cleaned and even given minor touch-ups at home using every-day household items.
Frequent cleaning of bracelets with liquids is not recommended; even something as innocuous as soap and water will damage the jewelry. Never use bleach to clean jewelry, as bleach is a strong oxidizing agent that will actually turn metals, especially silver, much darker instead of creating a shine. Silver bracelets, especially those made from sterling sliver, which have not been worn for more than a few months should be gently cleaned to avoid tarnishing.
It should be noted that silver jewelry classified as sterling silver is not pure silver but in fact an alloy of silver mixed with copper. The tarnishing experienced by silver jewelry actually comes from the oxidation of the copper component of the alloy. Pure silver on its own does not tarnish, but the metal is too soft for use as jewelry.
Directions to Clean Bracelets
The cleaning process should being by wiping the bracelet with a dry and soft cloth. Any debris trapped in the engraving should be loosened and removed by the use of a toothbrush with soft bristles. Do not attempt to repair loose stones yourself, take the bracelet to a jeweler and have them repair the piece.
Sometimes the bracelet needs cleaning beyond what simple dry wiping and brushing can provide. In such cases a damp cloth can be used, taking care to initially test the cloth on a small area before subjecting the entire bracelet. If your piece contains foil backed stones then it is vital that you do not use water to clean your bracelet. If the foil backing comes into contact with water it will gradually come off, deteriorating the appearance of the jewelry. Even lightly wiping a damp cloth against any foil backed stones leads to water being trapped in the foil backing causing it to come off.
For bracelets without foil backed stones that require even further cleaning, consider placing it in a water, soap and ammonia bath. Keep in mind that this cleaning method should not be attempted very often.
The following guide demonstrates how to clean a bracelet safely:
1. Using a toothpick or your finger check for loose stones before embarking on any cleaning procedures. Should the stones wiggle at their settings it is recommended to take the bracelet to a professional jeweler for resetting.
2. Each embedded stone should be checked if they have a foil backing. Very old pieces often have the stone's foil backings come off with age. If the bracelet does have foil backings, be mindful of the effect water has on it as described above.
3. Once you have determined that all the stones have been secured and do not contain foil backing, test your cleaning solution on a small area of the bracelet. The solution can be created with 2 to 3 drops of washing up liquid and a few drops on ammonia in a cup of warm water.
4. Dip a small end of the bracelet into the cleaning solution for a couple of minutes.
5. After removing the bracelet from its cleaning solution remove any debris with a soft toothbrush. Take cure during this procedure not to spread the cleaning solution from the test spot to any other part of the bracelet. The test spot should then be gently rinsed under a tap running warm water.
6. Inspect the test spot after drying with a soft towel, making sure to check if the stones that were cleaned with the toothbrush are still secure. Continue only if you are happy with the results of cleaning solution on the test spot. On determining that the solution will not harm or tarnish the jewelry you can submerge the whole bracelet into the cleaning solution or choose to clean it section by section.
7. While a soft toothbrush will normally suffice for clearing the debris out of most of the detail, pipe cleaners, toothpicks and special brushes can also be used with due diligence and caution.
More tips on how to clean jewelry can be found at:
http://chestofbooks.com/food/household/Practical-Housekeeping/How-To-Clean-Jewelry-Bay-Rum.html
http://www.butlersguild.com/index.php?subject=231
http://www.anniesherman.com/care.html