Storing and Cleaning Jewelry

Two of the most important things you need to know, how to store and how to clean your jewelry.

Storing your jewelry. Generally speaking, there are three environmental elements that are detrimental to jewelry, moisture, chemicals and sunlight making a jewelry box the best place to store your jewelry. You can purchase jewelry boxes lined with anti-tarnish material. You can also purchase anti-tarnish strips and silica gel packets to absorb moisture and humidity. Note. genuine pearls are not to be stored in plastic or cardboard. You can purchase a jewelry bag to store them in or place them in your jewelry box making sure that they are not touching any other jewelry.

I Googled green or blue discolor on silver jewelry. [Aquila Jewelry] Why does sterling silver turn my finger green? When sterling silver is made with a copper alloy, an oxidation process, with the copper reacting with chemicals, oils or moisture takes place. We sweat, we wash our hands, we go outside in the humid air and our skin also contains natural oils. All these things can contribute to the moisture than gathers on our skin and under a ring. Why mix copper with Sterling? Pure silver by itself cannot be used for jewelry as it is very soft. It needs to be combined with another metal to harden it, making it firm and durable in a compound a silversmith can work with. Aquila Jewelry chooses copper as the ally metal with our silver jewelry because it is hypoallergenic, it maintains the beautiful sheen of silver and it strengthens the silver so that it is malleable but still strong and long lasting. Copper is the most common metal alloy used in sterling silver due to these qualities.

My Irish Jeweler. Why sterling silver turns black or green. The greenish discoloration on your body is called patina, and is caused when the copper alloy in your jewelry reacts with water, oxygen, CO2, acid on the skin, or from hand sanitizer. Despite what you may have heard, however, this happens because of the metal's composition - not because it's "fake" or low-quality silver. (They recommend coating the inside of your rings with clear nail polish).

Koser Jewelers. How to prevent silver jewelry from tarnishing. Tarnish happens as a result of silver jewelry being exposed to oxygen and sulfur particles in the air. So, to keep your silver from tarnishing, you can store it in a zip-lock bag and other airtight containers. If you're using a bag, be sure to remove all the air before sealing the bag. To prevent items from scratching one another, store each item individually. (Jody Gray) You can buy zip-lock bags made of different materials and sizes. I will write about those options later.

Culturesse. Green gunk on jewelry. The green gunk that you can see on jewelry and other metal pieces is called verdigris. It's the natural patina that forms when copper oxides. Verdigris also forms when it comes in contact with moisture and other forms of pollutants over time. These pollutants include body fluids like sweat and oils, as well as cosmetics and hair products.

This green gunk is not only unsightly but also a pain to clean, especially from exquisitely designed antique costume jewelry. It's also a corrosive agent, which means that it eats away small bits of metal if you don't remove it right away.

Verdigris can grow on pure and alloy forms of bronze, brass, and copper, as well as items that are gold or silver plated. When a small part of the plating is worn very thin, chipped, or removed, the surface is a ripe breeding ground for verdigris to form. If you store your good jewelry with a piece that already has verdigris on it, it will easily get infected with this green gunk as well. (Jody Gray) This information is followed by "Doing these things will help clean green gunk on jewelry". Culturesse is an Australian fashion accessory brand; not a jeweler. I'm skeptical about some of their recommendations: metal polish from a hardware store, vinegar (don't use on rhinestones that have foil backings, pearls, or fake pearls), ketchup, . Verdigris occurs when jewelry is not properly protected or cared for against the elements... Make sure that before you put your jewelry away, there’s no residue makeup, dirt, or moisture present.

Information from Google 'results' regarding gold.

The most common reason for skin discoloring when wearing gold jewelry is metallic abrasion. Metallic abrasion is the result of makeup on skin or clothing. Cosmetics contain compounds harder than jewelry, which wear or rub off very tiny particles.

24-karat gold is the only type of gold that doesn't tarnish. This is the most traditional form of gold, and it is what primarily comes to people's minds when they think "gold". 24-karat gold is also the priciest type because it does not contain any other mixed metals.

Cleaning your jewelry. For Sterling Silver jewelry you need to purchase a cleaner made specifically for Sterling Silver. Have your supplies needed ready and read the directions completely before using. Mine states to dip it for no longer than 10 seconds. Repeat if necessary. When possible, I prefer to use a polishing cloth to clean sterling silver jewelry instead of a liquid cleanser. I prefer the small polishing cloths over a large cloth; easier to maneuver and less waste. Badly tarnished chains usually need to be dipped in a liquid cleaner. Sterling Silver chains should have a 925 mark on the chain, usually on a tag attached to the clasp ends or part of the clasp. If the silver has degraded it may come out discolored. You can purchase replacement chains.

I have a Fine Jewelry Cleaner, recommended for gold, platinum, titanium and precious gemstones including diamonds and sapphires. Do not use on coral, ivory, amber, malachite, pearls, opal, jade, emeralds or turquoise (There are other jewelry cleaners that can be used on these). For silver use a silver cleaner. Do not mix different colors or types of metals while cleaning. Soak no more than 30 minutes.

Cleaning Costume Jewelry, Antique or Vintage Jewelry of unknown metals, possibly brass, copper, pewter, gunmetal or iron.

In Mom's Jewelry Collection I've worked with all types of jewelry including fine jewelry, antique and vintage jewelry and costume jewelry. Her fine jewelry was stored in jewelry boxes or cabinets in her bedroom. However, with the amount of jewelry she had, of her own and of family members, some ended up in containers (plastic or cardboard) in the basement - the basement was not just damp but had some water leakage that even two dehumidifiers couldn't keep up with. I came across a box of costume jewelry that was affected by the "wet" environment. Glass beads appeared to be coated with a film. Metal components (silver tone and gold tone) were degraded in various ways, i.e. tarnish and verdigris. The silver tone I tried cleaning in the liquid cleaner recommended for silver. The gold tone I tried cleaning in the liquid cleaner recommended for gold. That removed the film on the glass beads. Results of the metal parts varied.

For a necklace of glass beads set and linked in sterling silver, the sterling was beautifully restored after I polished it. However, part of the chain was discolored (blackened). With nothing to lose, I tried Dawn dish soap, the chain is still discolored - it could be replaced.

Necklace of glass beads with what appears to be tarnished sterling. After using the silver cleaner and polishing, the metal beads are still darkened, except for one bead on either side of the clasp which is shiny the rest are darkened. I think they are glass beads that were plated or coated with sterling, the finish on some of the metal beads appears to have been rubbed away where a metal bead rubs up against a glass bead.

Necklace of blue glass set and linked in black metal. Dipping in the liquid cleaner removed the coating and didn't affect the black metal components but there were white broken lines around the part of the blue glass inside the black metal setting. Dawn dish soap and scrubbing didn't remove it. A mixture of ammonia and water and scrubbing removed it.

Necklace with an Express tag of faux turquoise and glass beads linked with silver tone metal. Dipping in the liquid cleaner removed the coating on the glass beads but the silver tone metal still showed the results of corrosion. Nothing removed it, I ended up taking the necklace apart. I Googled, Express: Brand name store, trendy costume jewelry, brass and gunmetal. Necklaces similar to this one sold for $60. to $80. So, the prices are based on the value of the brand, not the quality of the components. However, I have to mention that if the necklace had been stored properly the corrosion of the metal probably would not have occurred unless it was exposed to some other degrading elements.

Necklace of purple and amber beads strung with decorative silver tone metal beads. I used the dip, Dawn dish soap and ammonia with water, there is still "plague" on the ends of metal beads but the bead surface has not been affected ("eaten away") like beads made of brass. I like the look of this necklace so I didn't take it apart. It is strung on wire and is very sturdy. I was able to remove some of the plague by scrubbing with a toothbrush. What is left is not very noticeable. I think scrubbing with some sort of metal bristle might remove what's left. (What I see on the bead ends is white, not green, that is why I called it "plague" and not verdigris. It has built up on the bead but not eaten away any of the bead.)

Nina Ricci for Avon. Blue "Opal" and Rhinestone, set and linked in brass. The brass chain was discolored and "sticky". I used the dip, Dawn dish soap and ammonia. The chain is still discolored and a bit sticky. It's very pretty, the chain could be replaced. I'm thinking black leather or black waxed cotton cord would look good.

Pendant - agate slab set in copper, (gold plated) brass and sterling pendant. Part of the gold plating is gone, exposing dull brass. I've read about the process of gold plating, I think that part of the pendant could be re-plated. It is an attractive pendant that would look great worn on black leather cord.

Brass and Carnelian Pendant strung with carnelian, agate and decorative brass beads. Brass on the pendant and the brass beads were corroded (ends flaked away) so I took it apart. There was green verdigris on the pendant, I threw it away.

Brass is not valuable for resale. Clean brass with mild dish soap. Don't soak or use baking soda or brush, rinse thoroughly.

Homemade cleaning solutions for costume jewelry.

Dawn dish soap. A few drops in warm water. Soak a few minutes. Brush with a soft toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly.

Ammonia. 1 part ammonia to 6 parts lukewarm water. Use a glass or stainless steel bowl. Soak 10 minutes. Use a soft toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly. Not for soft gemstones: coral, ivory, amber, malachite, pearls, opal, jade, emeralds or turquoise.

Radcliffe Jewelers. Another great way to clean your sterling silver jewelry is with Windex. Yes… Windex. You can either spray the Windex directly on the item to be cleaned or on a soft-bristled toothbrush or soft cloth.

Another FYI I came across. Aquila jewelry. Have you seen the faded gray color of antique silver? It darkens over time due to the same oxidation process called patina. (Jody Gray) I saw a video about purchasing antique sterling silver jewelry and buyers looking for antique Navajo jewelry look for this as proof that the jewelry is authentic.

I also have examples of what happens when you clean jewelry with the wrong solution. And, an interesting example is a pair of gold-toned earrings I cleaned in the liquid recommended for gold and the result was an unevenly colored, unmatched pair. Luckily, the matching necklace didn't need cleaning, but it has the earrings to go with it.

I may be adding to this post if I have any new information or experiments to share. I will be creating a different post with information about different metals used in jewelry making and jewelry "markings" to look for. When I began this project of going through Mom's jewelry collection I didn't really know ANYTHING about fine jewelry and I made a lot of mistakes. For example, I tossed some of the knotted fine jewelry chains, later I learned that the jewelry "marks" were on the chains because the small pendants have no place to put them.