From my postbag:

How do I clean my vintage silver charm bracelet?

My reply:

Many people prefer to leave their charm bracelets to acquire a vintage silver patina and do not clean them unless they are exceptionally dirty.

Should you decide that yours needs a clean here are a few things to think about:

- Is it plain silver or do some of the charms have other materials in them?

Have you looked inside all the charms? Some like a passport or bible may have paper pages inside which could get damaged in the cleaning process. The same applies to ” Mad money” Others may be set with tiny stones which would come loose if they become wet . Painted charm may loose their colour and ones where the detail is behind glass will discolour .  Enamel travel shields should also be treated very gently. If you are determined to clean your bracelet these charms must be removed first. Just snip through the O ring with a pair of pliers and twist the ends apart. Save the O ring and you can re-add your charm later

charm bracelet

Cleaning your plain silver charm bracelet

Once all the  charms with non silver detail have been removed you can now clean you bracelet as if it was plain silver. Personally I use an ultra sonic machine with just a tiny drop of non-citrus washing up liquid in the water. You can use a silver cleaner which you buy from the supermarket – follow their instructions and wash the bracelet under the tap afterwards.

I do not recommend silver dipping unless it is as a last resort – your bracelet will just be too shiny and will look new rather than vintage.

Dry your bracelet with a lint free cloth. You may like to take this opportunity to check that all the O rings are secure.

Now any removed charms can be re-attached to your bracelet

Please follow a general rule when considering cleaning your charm bracelet – gently does it.