How can I safely clean vintage costume jewelry?

I can tell you how to clean vintage silver costume jewlery and vintage costume jewlery with rhinestones.

For Cleaning Silver Jewelry:

Different people have different approaches to silver. Most serious collectors of vintage silver prefer that it be darker, rather than the bright shine usually seen on new silver pieces. The natural darkening of the old silver is referred to as patina, and is considered very desirable, as it shows the detail of the workmanship, with darker patina in the low or engraved areas and more shine and luster on the high areas.

Purists don't polish silver at all. They simply wear it, and that creates the look they like, especially with necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings. If silver is worn constantly and washed as a natural consequence of wearing (when washing hands or dishes, when worn in the shower or bath) it acquires a soft silver-gray shine. The recessed areas stay dark, but tarnish is worn away on the high areas, creating sensational relief. Brooches are sometimes a little trickier. It's not so easy to wear a brooch into the bathtub or shower, but it can be worn on a t-shirt under a sweater, and that will rub it gently to take the tarnish off the high areas.

A product called Jewelry Joose can be used to clean excessively tarnished or soiled silver. The silver can be sprayed with this product or soaked in it for as long as you like. Jewelry Joose won't damage the silver, but it is a very effective cleaner, taking off dirt and excessive tarnish without damaging patina. A very soft toothbrush can be used to get into crevices and gently buff the piece, before rinsing off the Jewelry Joose with water. Blow dry to remove moisture rapidly and avoid spotting.

If you choose to use a silver polish, do not use a harsh dipping solution. Use just a dab of a gentle paste polish. Try not to get the paste into grooves or crevices. You don't want to remove the darker color from the etched portions, as then you will not see the beautiful contrast and relief. Plus, there is nothing uglier than over-polished silver with paste polish still filling all the grooves. If you happen to find a piece of silver which has been cleaned in this fashion, with caked old silver polish stuck in the crevices, you can soak the piece in Jewelry Joose to loosen the old polish for easy removal.

The best solution for cleaning silver is to wear it all the time - while exercising and gardening and working in your office, while bathing or showering or swimming. This will make your sterling pieces incredibly rich-looking and lustrous.

If you are a person who likes bright shiny silver, just be careful with your polish and avoid dip solutions. You don't want to damage the surface fine old pieces. And keep in mind that if you ever decide to sell your vintage silver, the buyers will usually want original-looking patina.

For Cleaning Rhinestones:

1. Brush the piece with a soft, clean brush (like a makeup brush) to get the dust from the crevices. (The exception is: Aurora Borealis stones which scratch so easily that they shouldn't be brushed. If you can cover the AB stones with a finger and brush around it, that is good. If you can't, you should use the q-tip technique.) This brushing may also reveal loose stones....and you might as well find them now. Sometimes brushing is all that is needed, if so, stop there.

2. A bit of Windex Glass & Surface cleaner (cuts the grease and doesn't have any waxes in it) or similar product or mildly soapy water sprayed onto a VERY SOFT, worn-out toothbrush, or a soft T-shirt type material. (Do not spray directly on the jewelry) will remove most dirt & residues. . If using a brush, blot, blot, blot the toothbrush on a cloth. When you think there isn't any moisture left in the brush, run your thumb across it and watch for a mist. If it flips a mist into the air, it is still too wet. When the brush is sufficiently dry, brush the piece again,. If you see little suds, it is TOO wet!. Some people turn the piece upside down while brushing and leave it that way a half hour to be sure it is really dry. If you find this difficult, just make sure your brush is really dry before you do it. Be careful of those aurora borealis stones...they will scratch. Sometimes the cloth is easier, faster, and you don't have to worry as much about excess moisture.

Alternate tools for cleaning: Using a q-tip (squeeze the moisture out with your fingers before starting), or soft cloth...barely, barely damp.

Alternate products: Some people like alcohol on a q-tip. Some like just water, or a small bowl of soapy water for the brush or cloth.

Regarding DUNKING IN FLUIDS, cleaning under the faucet, and spraying fluids directly on costume jewelry, Sparklz has this to say. Rhinestones, even currently made ones, are not all of one quality. Rhinestones, old ones, were not all of one quality and may have been subjected to different elements, including fumes from the woods, cardboards where they were stored, also body oils, sweat and who knows what else . Sparklz believes that moisture is the culprit in the deterioration of SOME rhinestones, and that it is our job to preserve our jewels as best we can, therefore we have to consider unkown ramifications when we use any product or technique.

Hope this helps.

--Tiff