Archive for Jewellery care
Storing your antique and vintage jewellery
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Store jewellery separately
Do you have some precious pieces of antique and vintage jewellery? Obviously you would like to keep it in great condition but did you know that storing it incorrectly can lead to damage and wear ?
The correct way to store your jewellery is to keep each piece separate so that it cannot rub against other pieces. Throwing them all together in a jewellery box can lead to harder materials rubbing up against softer ones and wearing or chipping them. Also pieces get tangled and then pull and break as you remove them from the box. To store your vintage jewellery you need to keep it out of damp conditions ( please do not store it in your bathroom) also you should not store some pieces in bright light or the colours may well fade.
When wrapping your jewellery for storage avoid plastics as these can tarnish silver jewellery. If your jewellery comes in original packaging then that may well be suitable to store your pieces in. If not then acid free tissue paper is a cheap way to wrap your jewels but please make sure that you have acid free tissue rather than everyday wrapping tissue paper.
AntiquesAvenue supplies all its vintage jewellery either in a small box or gift bag which is suitable for storing your jewellery in. This is included in the prices you see and not charged extra for. For postal purposes the jewellery also normally comes in a small plastic grip seal bag but this should be discarded and the piece just kept in its card box or organza gift bag. This way your jewellery should be safe from storage related damage for many years to come.
Vintage Cameo Rings
Posted by: | CommentsGreat news for all you cameo jewellery lovers, Ive managed to obtain a few more vintage rings set with cameos. I know there are several of you watching my shop waiting for me to add them and I promised to update you here.
Care of cameo rings
You need to take special care of cameo rings especially if they are made of shell. Cameos are delicately carved and shells are quite soft. wearing a cameos ring is probably best kept for special occasions. Wearing a cameo ring everyday will ruin it. Either the detail will wear away or the shell will crack and discolour. Love your cameo ring and keep it for best.
If you Cameo ring does get grubby you will need to know what the cameo is made of and treat the ring according to the material the cameo is made from rather than the metal of the ring. The metal will be more resilient than the cameo.
For a shell cameo you can use a drop of commercial pearl cleaner and follow the instructions on the jar. A drop of soft liquid soap such as wool wash in lukewarm water may well do the job. Use a soft brush, rinse and pat dry.
Cameo rings currently on AntiquesAvenue:
Angel Skin Coral Cameo Ring
Vintage Cameo Ring
Antique Cameo Ring
Vintage Jewellery care, Pearls
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve just been cleaning a lovely vintage set of cultured pearls, it was such a shame to see them grubby but after a little work they look as good as new. Fortunately these cultured pearls have been kept in their original box and so there was no damage just years of grime. Do you own a string of cultured pearls and do you know how to look after them?
What are cultured pearls?
Cultured pearls are similar to natural or pearls in that they are grown inside an oyster. The pearl starts forming when a foreign body such as a piece of grit or sand enters the shell. The oyster coats the grit with layers of “Nacre” which form the pearl. With a cultured pearl there is a small piece of plastic inserted into the oyster shell by hand and the oysters are kept in pearl farms. The dept of the coating determines the size of the pearl. The very best Cultured pearls are genuinely considered to be from Japan with the most famous name being Mikimoto.
Mikimoto pearls
Storage of pearls
This advice applies to both cultured and natural pearls. The coating on a pearl can be damage if the pearls are stores along silver silver and gold jewellery in a jewellery box. If possible store the pearls in their original box, if this is missing you can wrap them in a little acid free tissue paper to protect them from other jewellery.
Wearing pearls
Pearls should be put on last after make up and perfume as both of these can attack the nacre. After wearing the pearls given them a gentle clean with a soft cloth. If you do get make up or perfume on the pearls if would be best to give them a gentle clean
Cleaning pearls.
Please take specialist advice if the pearls are set into jewellery with other stones. If your jewellery is made of pearls and stung on as a necklace or just set with gold or silver you can follow this method:
A little water with a drop of soft soap (Not harsh detergents). Dampen a soft cloth in the water and soap mixture and wring out well and the wipe the pearls with care. I recommend that you do not soak strings of pearls as the stringing material may stretch. wipe off the soap mixture with a damp cloth and pat dry.
Do not put pearls into an ultrasonic jewellery cleaner or into standard jewellery cleaner as the nacre can easily be damaged.
Stringing pearl necklaces.
Pearl necklaces can be strung with knots between the pearls or with out the knots. The knots on the string protect the pearls from rubbing together and also if the string breaks you do not loose as many pearls. Check the stringing regularly, if it is stretched or worn then you can take your pearls to your local jeweler for re-stringing. I suggest that you have them strung in the same way ( knotted or unknotted) as they were originally. The current cost for a single string of peals of average length will start at about £25. A more complex or longer string will cost more. Do shop around and check the quality of the work before you leave the shop.
How long will my pearls last?
If you follow the advice given here your pearls should last for many many years and could well become a family heirloom. Looking to buy some pearl jewellery? AntiquesAvenue usually has several nice pieces of vintage jewellery set with cultured pearls.