Friday, June 1, 2012

Caring for Vintage Jewelry

Ever wonder what is the best way to clean your Vintage jewelry? After much research and some trial and error, I thought we could help you with a few tips!
1) MOISTURE is jewelry's enemy! Always remove jewelry when washing hands or doing any chores, especially vintage jewels.
2) If it does happen to get wet, pat it dry with a soft towel and BLOW DRY it, yes, blow dry it! On a COOL setting of course.
3) When using any commercial cleaner, read all instructions. Some cleaners are just for metals. If you have rhinestones, pearls or crystals, use the appropriate cleaner on a Q-tip. Dab it on sparingly. Rinse quickly with a Q-tip of clean water, then repeat Step #2.
4) If you find your jewelry has the dreaded "green funk" on it, separate it from your other items. You will need to work on those a few more times with a stronger formula. Using white vinegar is usually effective, but if you have to leave it to "sit", try Ketchup! Again, rinse & blow dry on a cool setting. Believe it or not, the green spots can be removed.

Need your items re-strung? Want to Re-Create your family heirlooms into something more modern? Talk to me about them when you are in the shop. If I can do it I will, and reasonably. Sometimes I can make whole sets out of just a necklace by re-stringing and adding some other beads to give your pieces new life! You can also e-mail us for more information.