Jewelry Care

A Little Background on Vintage Costume Jewelrysignature-piece-440px

Costume jewelry was designed to mimic Fine (or Genuine) jewelry. Fine jewelry is made with such precious metals as Platinum, Gold or Silver. It can also be adorned with diamonds or gemstones. Costume jewelry on the other hand is made with basic metals and usually enhanced with Rhinestones or cut glass. Earlier pieces were made with Cut Steel or Brass. In the 1950’s the base metal was usually pot metal. It could be plated with a shiny metal such as Rhodium or Chromium to make it look like gold or silver or with a thin coating lesser quality metal. Some older pieces made of Sterling Silver or Brass were washed or plated with a thin coating of real gold.

In the 1950’s (the Cocktail Era) popular designers would create costume jewelry specifically to accessorize each season’s clothing line. It was originally designed to throw away when the new season’s line came out. Costume Jewelry manufacturers such as Coro, Trifari, Lisner, Sarah Coventry to name a few, would flood the market with this type of jewelry to make it affordable for everyone.

All jewelry requires proper care to ensure its longevity. Vintage Costume Jewelry by its nature requires even more care than newer jewelry. If you want to keep your jewelry in the best possible condition you must follow a few basic rules:

  • Do not clean your jewelry with any solution that contains alcohol, acids or ammonia. Keep clean by periodically dusting with soft makeup brush or jewelry cloths then cleaning with a bit of jewelry cleaner: DON’T spray directly on to jewelry, just dampen soft cloth or Q-tip and rub gently.
  • Keep your jewelry free from any kind of moisture. Never submerge it in any kind of liquid if it has stones, and apply any hairspray or cologne before putting your jewelry on. Avoid wearing in rain, saunas, pools, (chlorine is also damaging) or you may find rust and verdigris damage.
  • Store your jewelry in a jewelry box, enclosed case or drawer to keep it free from dust and moisture. If your jewelry came in a box you might want to store it that way to protect it. Just remember not to press loose cotton against rhinestone jewelry unless you desire “fuzzy” jewelry.
  • Lay your jewelry flat and never put other jewelry on top of it. If you need to store a large amount you can separate layers with material. Be sure the material it is not the kind that would snag or stick to your jewelry. You can also purchase velour covered inserts that would divide your jewelry nicely.
  • If you are storing sterling silver jewelry you can store it in an airtight plastic bag. This will keep it from turning dark and prevent having to polish it as often.
Rhinestones are faceted (cut at angles) pieces of glass, plastic or crystal. Rhinestones can be clear or have a thin covering of metal on the back called “foil”. The rhinestones that have the foil backing are usually the ones that still appear to sparkle. The process that adheres the foil to the back of the stone is called electroplating. Electroplating is the same process that is used on the backs of mirrors to make them reflective.

Over time the foil backing can become damaged, which makes the appearance of the stone dull, dark or even black. This is called a “dead stone”. This is caused when the rhinestone jewelry is subjected to any kind of moisture. This moisture could be caused by hairspray, perfume, or just being placed in a damp area. The only way to restore a piece of costume jewelry that has a dead stone, is to replace the bad stone. You should keep that in mind when purchasing a piece of vintage costume jewelry.

As mentioned earlier, metal jewelry was plated or washed with coating to give it the appearance of gold or silver. The first thing you will need to do, is to determine whether or not to clean this piece of jewelry. If the jewelry has a light coating of plating you may see flaking or discoloration to the metal. Cleaning this piece will only cause further deterioration.

If the jewelry is covered with a solid coat of plating, usually rhodium, it can withstand a good cleaning. Look closely at the piece. There would be no discoloration in the metal and usually looks like it could be new.

Be very careful when using tarnish removers. Some pieces are made with a very thin coating of metal and a tarnish remover can eat through that coating. My suggestion is that you do a small sample test on the back of the jewelry where it won’t show. Rub with the tarnish remover, immediately remove it with a soft cloth and clean it with soap and water (see instructions below).

First, you’ll need a fine bristle tooth brush. Put one drop of dish soap on the brush. Rub the soap in the brush with your finger. Run it under the water just enough to make suds on the brush. Scrub the jewelry lightly and rinse under the faucet. Immediately wipe dry with a paper towel. Then dry again with another paper towel just to make sure all moisture has been removed.

No matter what type of jewelry it is, if it has rhinestones on it you should ask yourself this question: Does it really need cleaning? Anytime you clean a piece of vintage jewelry you take the risk of ruining the piece. The first thing you will need to decide is, do the stones really need cleaning or are they dull or dead? If they are dulled from being exposed to moisture, no amount of cleaning will help.

Step 1
Take a fine bristle toothbrush and just brush it lightly over the piece to see
if it will remove any dust or residue that is on it.

This is where it gets tricky. Just brushing may actually remove some of the stones. If those stones had a foil backing on them, the backing will likely be removed when they come out. This means that those stones will have to be replaced.

If your jewelry has survived the first step and you want to continue to attempt to brighten the stones, you can continue to Step 2.

Step 2
You will need two fine bristle toothbrushes for this process and I suggest using a non-chemical or organic liquid cleaner. Put the liquid cleaning solution in a spray bottle. Lightly spritz one of the toothbrushes with the liquid. Take your finger and run it over the toothbrush to remove most of the liquid, so that only a small amount of liquid remains in the brush. Lightly brush the jewelry and immediately after brush it again with the second brush which is dry. That will remove any remaining moisture. Remember: NEVER submerge or run water on this type of jewelry. Any liquid that should happen to seep into the back of the stones will ruin them.

Rhinestone Jewelry with Prong Set StonesThe only difference between cleaning jewelry with glued in stones and prong set stones is that jewelry with prong set stones hold up better to Step 1. If necessary continue to Step 2.

Rhinestone Jewelry with Clear Backed StonesIf the only stones on the jewelry are clear backed stones that are open on the back side you can use both steps 1 & 2. You can also clean the back of the piece.

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