Do you have a prized piece of antique jewelry that’s lost its shine?
You may want to clean it, but are concerned about the impact that polishing might have on it. Have no fear!
We have five jewelry polishing tips that will help bring new life back to that treasured heirloom without the worry of damaging it.
1. Avoid Ultrasonic Machines
It can be tempting to toss your antique beauties into an ultrasonic machine and let it do its magic. Unfortunately, its “magic” often does more harm than good. Especially with vintage and antique jewelry.
Even if you think your jewelry can stand up to it, you don’t want to find out by default that it’s not. So your best bet is to steer clear of this machine.
2. Embrace the Bubbly
We’re not talking about champagne but rather club soda.
If the jewelry you wish to polish has gemstones, soak it in effervescent club soda for about an hour, and then gently rinse it with warm water. This is an effective first step in loosening grime and detritus that’s built up over time. Especially when it’s built up in small nooks and crannies.
From there, you’re ready to polish.
3. Use a Designated Jewelry Polishing Cloth
The right material is crucial when it comes to knowing how to polish jewelry.
A specialized jewelry polishing cloth is going to be far more effective in removing grease and grime than a standard cloth. And a tissue could even add unwanted and dust and fluff.
In addition, although a piece of cloth might feel soft to the touch, it could end up scratching and scuffing the jewelry’s surface. A jewelry polishing cloth is designed with the perfect balance of softness and sturdiness to polish your jewelry without scratching it.
4. Grab a Baby Toothbrush
For those spots that the polishing cloth can’t reach, you can use a toothbrush sized for infants with very soft bristles. That way, you can target only the areas you want to reach. You can either dip the toothbrush into club soda or try using it dry.
Some technique is involved in this one. You’ll want to scrub gently and in such a way that you can flick the dirt out of those tight spots rather than push it in deeper. This usually means moving in one direction rather than back and forth.
5. Keep Some of the Patina on Gold
There is a time-honored tradition of handing down heirlooms over the generations – a topic well covered by this post. As you pass down that antique Victorian ring to the next generation, do you really want it to shine like the day it was made?
Over time, a patina will form on yellow and rose gold. It’s such a distinctive look that there are actually ways of purposely forming patina on metal without the wait!
So if you want to keep some of the old world charm of your antique jewelry, don’t polish off that well-earned patina. Think of it as aging gracefully.
You’ve Completed Jewelry Polishing 101
Armed with the above jewelry polishing tips, you can breathe new life into any piece of antique or heirloom jewelry without the worry of damaging it.
Just be prepared to get a lot of compliments.
And for more helpful and holistic articles loaded with great tips, keep checking back with our beauty blog.
*This is a collaboration post
Adobe Stock royalty-free image #100431617, ‘silver jewelry with pearls and elegant women’s watches’ uploaded by berkut_34, standard license purchased from https://stock.adobe.com/images/download/100431617; file retrieved on February 7th, 2019. License details available at https://stock.adobe.com/license-terms – image is licensed under the Adobe Stock Standard License
