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Administrator on July 19th, 2006
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A gemologist that I know once jokingly mentioned his theory that the opal’s “bad luck” reputation was started by a jeweler. I have to tell you that it wouldn’t be all that surprising if that were the actual truth! Opals are relatively soft stones (5 1/2 to 6 1/2 on the Moh’s scale), but that’s just the beginning of the challenges a jeweler faces when working with opals. They are sensitive to pressure, react with both acids and alkalies, and since they may contain as much as 30% water, they are also affected by heat and changes in humidity.
The first step in taking proper care of your opals is determining whether they are solid opal, opal doublets, or opal triplets. The solid type can be immersed in water (as long as it isn’t too hot and doesn’t contain harsh cleaners, etc.), but immersion in water can loosen the glue that holds the other two types together. An opal doublet is made from a thin layer of precious opal bonded to common opal or onyx and a triplet is the same plus the addition of a top layer of rock crystal or glass.
It would be very unwise to attempt to clean opal jewelry in an ultrasonic cleaner. Likewise, the use of harsh cleansers would likely do more harm than good. If you have jewelry that combines opals and diamonds, it’s possible to clean it once in a while by using water and dish-washing detergent on a very soft toothbrush. Make sure to clean the back of the piece carefully and your diamonds should regain their sparkle. If your jewelry contains doublets or triplets be sure to limit the time they spend in contact with water —- soaking would definitely be a bad idea!
I have seen some articles advising people to store their opals in cotton treated with mineral oil. This is actually not a good idea as the oil may discolor the stones. If, however, you plan to store your opals for long periods, you may want to store them in sealed plastic bags with cotton moistened in water. Too dry an environment can cause the opals to lose water content and crack. Avoid keeping opals under hot lights or out in hot sunny conditions for extended times. Abrupt changes in temperature and/or humidity are also bad news. One of my customers told me that she once left a party ,walked out into very cold dry weather and saw her opals literally vaporize before her eyes!
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Administrator on May 19th, 2006
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There seems to be some general confusion between gold-filled and gold plated jewelry. They are not the same things! In order to be classified as “gold-filled” 20% of the total weight of the metal must be karat gold whereas a plated item has an extremely thin film of gold covering the other metal. In the US, either 12 or 14 k gold is generally used. Plating can wear off very quickly because it’s so thin to begin with, and for that reason I generally avoid it. On the other hand, a gold-filled piece, properly cared for can last a very long time. I have a gold-filled chain which was given to me over thirty years ago and it still looks good!
You can help to keep your gold-filled jewelry looking good by following a few simple rules. Always make sure that perfume, hairspray, deodorants, etc. are dry before putting on your jewelry so that they don’t react with the metal on contact. Take your jewelry off before diving into the swimming pool or the ocean! All those mineral salts and chlorine will take their toll otherwise.
If your jewelry darkens over time a light buffing with a jeweler’s rouge cloth will usually brighten it right up. You may also get good results with other metal polishes, but please remember that you want to use the gentlest means possible as you certainly don’t want to wear away the layer of gold and expose the base metal (usually brass) underneath.
Gold-filled usually costs just a bit more than sterling silver, so if you like the look of gold but the budget won’t stretch far enough for a solid gold piece, consider gold-filled!
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Administrator on May 12th, 2006
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In a previous article I gave you some tips on how to prevent your silver jewelry from tarnishing and how to remove tarnish once it had occurred. This time I’d like to talk about a special case of tarnish removal. If you own any multi-strand “liquid silver” jewelry you may find the following helpful. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name “liquid silver” it is generally used to refer to jewelry made of fine tubular beads of silver strung on silk, cotton, or a man-made fiber. It got it’s name from the fact that the many tiny beads make the jewelry seem to flow like a liquid. Here’s a picture of a necklace made of extra fine “liquid silver”.
Since this jewelry is strung on fiber, it is definitely not a good idea to immerse it in any sort of liquid cleaner. Also, since this type of jewelry generally has many strands and tends to be fairly delicate, the jewelry polishing cloth would be difficult to use except on the clasp and the end caps. The best solution I’ve found is to take a soft cloth in one hand and pour some ordinary household baking soda into it. Now GENTLY draw the jewelry through while applying slight pressure with the soda filled cloth. Make as many passes as necessary to thoroughly clean your jewelry, then shake the jewelry to dislodge any baking soda that’s still on it.
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Administrator on May 4th, 2006
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The last article I posted gave you a few tips on how to keep your silver jewelry from tarnishing. Now I’d like to give you some advice on how to remove it once it has occured.
If your jewelry is made completely of sterling silver (in other words, there are no stones or other materials included in the piece) and it is not strung on silk or any other fiber, you may wish to use one of the liquid tarnish removers. It’s best to use this method sparingly though as prolonged use may result in pitting of the metal surface and a tendency to tarnish faster than ever. Another method that can be used on the same type of jewelry is the following: Choose a pan (preferably pyrex) or dish large enough to completely immerse the jewelry. Line the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil. Set your jewelry on the foil, making sure that it touches the foil as much as possible (the more surface to surface contact, the better). Make a solution of boiling water and baking soda in a ratio of 1 cup of soda to 1 gallon of water. Be careful adding the baking soda to the water as it will tend to foam and may overflow your container. Pour this mixture over your jewelry, completely covering it. If the silver is very badly tarnished you may need to reheat the water/baking soda mixture and repeat the process. It is best to replace the aluminum foil each time as well. If you use either this process or the liquid tarnish remover, please understand that you will probably lose most or all of the oxidation in recessed areas which may have been put there on purpose to make the design stand out.
If your jewelry contains any organic materials such as pearls, coral, abalone and other shell, amber, ivory, bone, or wood, it is a very bad idea to try either of the methods listed above! This is also true of jewelry containing porous stones such as turquoise or malachite. You will likely ruin your jewelry. Even jewelry pieces made entirely of silver, but strung on silk or like materials should not be subjected to a dunking. The liquid will affect the fiber, usually not for the better (some cords will shrink, for instance). Since some of the solution will remain in the string even after a thorough rinsing and people with sensitive skin may develop irritation from the chemicals that are left behind.
I have found that the best method (although not necessarily the easiest) of removing tarnish from silver jewelry is the use of a jewelry polishing cloth. This method does require a little bit of elbow grease and will take some time, but it has the advantage of being safe for just about all types of jewelry and will not remove the oxidation in recessed areas unless you purposely work the cloth into those areas.
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Administrator on April 26th, 2006
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If you’re like me, you prefer “white” metals (eg, silver, white gold, platinum) to yellow. I have quite a bit of silver jewelry and also prefer to work with silver though I do make the occasional yellow gold piece.
You’ve probably noticed that your favorite silver ring or pendant seldom needs any attention. Constant wear will keep your silver from tarnishing (unless you happen to be one of those unlucky people whose body chemistry does nasty things to your jewelry). What about the pieces that you DON’T wear all that often though? If you just toss them in your drawer or jewelry box they’re likely to be an unlovely shade of gray or even black the next time you want to wear them. I’ll share some ideas for how to deal with that in my next article, but for now I’d like to give you some tips on how to keep that from happening in the first place. As they say, “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”.
Since tarnish occurs when the silver reacts with elements in the air (particularly sulphur), it just makes sense to minimize your jewelry’s contact with the air. Putting your jewelry into a ziplock bag and pushing out as much air as possible before sealing it will go a long way to helping prevent tarnish. You can also buy anti-tarnish strips to put in with your jewelry or silverware, but you don’t even need to hunt down a source for these as a simple piece of blackboard chalk will do the job nicely. That’s right, just put a piece of chalk into the bag with your jewelry, squeeze out the excess air and seal!
If you should be taking a vacation by the sea or actually live right on one of the coasts, the advice above is especially important. There’s nothing like sea breezes to blacken silver in a big hurry.
The following link will take you to a site with lots of information on restoring silver. http://www.silversmithing.com/care.htm#Cleaning%20Silver
The information on the above site is focused mostly on the care and restoration of silverware, tea and coffee services, etc., but you may find much of it useful in general. My next article will deal with cleaning and polishing silver with the emphasis on jewelry in particular.