Sparklz will attempt to explain some of the techniques, tools, pitfalls, and sources for the repair and cleaning of costume jewelry and related items. Sparklz must begin by stating that SHE believes that moisture is the number one cause of destruction to rhinestones. Moisture includes sweat, water, glass cleaner, and anything else that is wet, including "natural" cleanin solutions. She also believes that the damage may not be apparent for some time, the theory being that small amounts of moisture trapped under the rhinestones contribute to the loosening/deterioration of the foil on the back of the rhinestone. Having seen new rhinestone pieces that have considerable darkening, she also thinks that the original quality of the rhinestone contributes to its good condition or lack thereof. Some collectors/dealers agree with Sparklz. Some do not. So the main purpose in making these statements is to give you an awareness that ANYTHING YOU DO TO A COSTUME JEWELRY PIECE MAY EITHER HELP PRESERVE IT OR CONTRIBUTE TO ITS DETERIORATION.
CLEANING RHINESTONES REMOVING RHINESTONES SETTING RHINESTONES GLUES
POLISHING CLOTHS & COMPOUNDS ABOUT LOUPES JUMP RINGS PIN BACKS/STEMS
GREEN GUNK RHINESTONE & SUPPLIES SOURCES EXPERT REPAIRS
This is how Sparklz CLEANS rhinestone pieces
Before you read this section, you might want to drop down to the Polishing Cloths section and have a look at Sunshine Cloths. Depending upon the piece of jewelry, it may need only a light polishing with this cloth. Click on "Polishing Cloths" just above this paragraph.
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.
GREEN GUNK is addressed in a separate section.
REMOVING RHINESTONES:
Sparklz is grateful for a gentle reminder, (thanks, Dot) that she had forgotten to include EYE PROTECTION in the instructions. Please wear glasses or goggles when removing rhinestones as they do sometimes shatter or splinter. A jeweled eyepatch would be truly unique, but we'd rather not! Martha and Christie say you can save your eyesight and your stones if you remove the rhinestones inside a plastic baggie!
Removing glued in stone: Some people use a dental pick, a pick, or a knife blade. Whatever you use, be careful that you are not scratching the finish or plating, as this will allow deterioration to begin from that point. Often you will be able to "hook" your blade or pick just at the edge of the stone and pull up. This is really good, when it works, as it avoids pushing the tool into the metal cup. Sparklz puts her thumb over the rhinestone at the same time to keep it from flying away. The alternate way is a steady pressure downward on the edge of the rhinestone (not the metal cup) which will usually loosen it. Be in control of your tool and be prepared for the moment the rhinestone gives way. You do this by bracing your fingers in stratigic places on the piece. Do not expect to be able to re-use rhinestones. Most often when they separate from the cup, the foilbacking has been damaged and if re-set, the stone will be speckled with black or will look dead. Occasionally a stone is VERY difficult to remove (could these be the ones that were re-glued with 2-part epoxy?). First try the acetone process. Then: In these extreme cases, remember that you need to do the least damage to the metal and therefore, if damage is to be done, it must be to the rhinestone. A small rhinestone can be crushed with steady, even pressure from your tool.
You may also be able to remove or loosen individual rhinestones, or groups of rhinestones with the use of a litle acetone and a q-tip. Be careful now, because you don't want to get acetone on paint, enamel, plastic or rhinestones that are not to be removed.
I haven't tried it yet, but from Margaret (ebay name antikigallery), comes a tip: To remove rhinestones which have been overglued, draw up finger nail polish remover or acetone into a very fine insulin needle. The tip is fine enough that it can be placed right along the side, almost under the edge, of the rhinestone. With care the acetone will stay where you want it and not loosen other stones.
Removing ALL the glued in stones: Acetone will generally dissolve the glue holding rhinestones. Sparklz isn't too sure you want to do this, but she immersed a piece of jewelry in it, and sure enough, all the stones fell out after about 30 minutes. It didn't seem to damage the metal finish or plating, but, you will need to make your own evaluation of whether this is a worthwhile process for you under particular circumstances. Acetone will take off the messy glue around stones, but think about this before you begin, as you may be loosening irreplacable stones.
Removing a prong set stone: Find a tool that suits you (mine is a cheap paring knife with just the right angle and thinness of blade, and I notice it has the attribute of being honed only on one side). Some people use a safety razor blade. Make it a dull one so that you are not cutting into the plating or finish. (You can dull a blade with an emory board). Or you can get a "Prong Lifter" from B'SUE. Slide the tool under the edge of the prong and lift slightly but not all the way . Next do the one directly across from it and then the two on the sides. You are working on the prongs in "pairs". Then go back to the first one and lift a little more. These can be brittle, depending upon the material they are made of, so you want to move the metal slowly and evenly. Sometimes you will need to do the last little bit with a pair of very pointy pliers (some pliers are worse at scratching than others...take a good look before you buy). You can cushion the pliers with a bit of cloth. Pliers by the way come with either serrated jaws or smooth jaws. You should have both in your repair drawer.
Setting the prong set stone: Set the stone in the cup with fingers, tweezers or scotch tape. You can roll the prongs back into place with the side of the closed pliers or the flat of your knife, or push them down with any tool that suits you. A plastic drink stirer can be good for this. Generally you will not have to use the jaws of the pliers to close them, but occasionally that may be necessary. The key here again is to work in "pairs", push the prong part way down, move to the prong across, then the two on the side, then go back around and push further into place.
GLUEING in rhinestones: First choose a rhinestone that is suitable for size of the cup. Drop the RS into the cup and check to be sure it fits correctly. The cup should be clean of previous glue residue or foilbacking. Flick out any loose material, scoop with your blade or other tool. If it is still difficult, but the cup is accessible, you might try acetone on a q-tip. Next put your glue (see recommendations for glue) in the cup, being careful to not overfill. It doesn't take much. Any excess should be dealt with BEFORE you put the stone in, otherwise you have a rim of glue around the top facets of the stone. Getting it in straight without tipping into the glue is almost an art, but there are some easy ways to do this. (See TIPS for Loose Stone Setting).
TIPS for Loose Stone Setting: Like any job, half the battle is having the right tools. Once mastered, a pair of stone setting tweezers are invaluable. It will be well worth your time to take the trouble to learn to use them. They are long and very pointy and if those diamond dealers can use them without "flipping" diamonds all over the place, so can you. Practice with some non-essential loose stones in varying sizes first, so that if you lose them you won't be heartbroken. PS - If you want to keep your tweezers nice, you won't use them to pry anything and you'll keep the glue cleaned off with, what else? acetone, again.
Here's how to do it: Put the stone 'table down' on a flat surface. The table is that round flat part on the very top of the stone. Slide your tweezers at an almost parallel angle to your desk surface and lightly squeeze together. When I do this my thumb and forefinger are about mid way along the tweezers and my fingers are touching the desk surface and slightly curled. Here's the tricky part. Roll the tweezer over. Either way. Your fingers will find out how to do this, but in general my forefinger slides slightly forward, and the thumb and middle finger do the rolling and the last two fingers help steady it. Once mastered, you can get a stone into any space. (Well, yes, you can just turn your hand over, but then that makes for awkward working doesn't it?)
Oh, OK, so you are only going to replace one stone and
just every once in a while, and you don't want to buy the tweezers. You
can just use your fingers, or here's a good tip. Stick the table of the RS
to a piece of scotch tape and manouver it into the cup. At least it won't
go in upside down! You can also lick your finger lightly and use your finger
as you would the tape, but you have to be reasonably fast. Just roll
it in a tube and stick it to the rhinestone table.
Two Jewelcollect members use these similar techniques to set rhinestones, (thanks Christie & Martha).. You will probably want to try them before going on to "Desperation Technique". You will need a bit of beeswax and either a toothpick, or the blunt end of a clipped-off q-tip. Scrub the q-tip, or roll a tiny ball to put on the end of the toothpick. Take care with the amount of wax you use as you don't want you next chore to be getting beeswax off the RS. Or, perhaps even better, buy a wax "dop stick" or two from MRstones--they are only $3 each, I think.
Handi-Tak, sometimes called Tic-Tac, a clay-like substance you can buy in a little package at the craft store, is also very handy for picking up rhinestones and pearls. It doesn't stick as well as the wax but does have the VERY desirable attribute of NOT leaving any residue on the stone. Pinch off a pea-size piece and roll it into a cone shape.
Desperation Technique: For getting a stone in anywhere when it won't go in straight or stay in place, try this DESPERATION technique. Definitely not recommended for everyday work and definitely not guaranteed, but Sparklz tried it on a Haskell piece that had the cup buried under masses of other bits, and it worked. Mix some 2 parts glue, such as 330 (get this from your jewelry supply). Pinch the very end of a toothpick off, so that instead of a sharp point you have a tiny flattish place. Dip the toothpick into the glue and stick it on the table of the rhinestone. You will probably have to prop the toothpick up to get the angle you want. After it is "set", use the toothpick to manouver the rhinestone into place and hold it while you secure with glue or prongs. To remove the glued-on-toothpick, you will want to use extreme cold. The freezer would work but might also damage the rhinestone foiling, so what you should do is put ice in a baggie so as to avoid getting the jewelry wet, hold it against the top of the stone around the toothpick. When you think it is "frozen" just pop the toothpick off. If there is a little glue left, re-freeze and use the tip of a knife or pick to pop the remainder of the glue off.
Here is a direct quote from Dr. Memory: "While we're on the subject of glue, can I spout-off on one of my pet peeves as a jewelry repairman? Even though it says on the label that it works on jewelry, Crazy or Super Glue DOES NOT work on *most* jewelry applications!!! It works real good if ya cut yourself & no stiches are available. And if ya ever need to glue all yer fingers together, there's nothing better. But PLEASE ya'll, if something breaks & you MUST use glue, get a good 2-part epoxy & USE CLAMPS."
EPOXY 330: This is a 2-part glue available from your jewelry supply house or catalog. It is a very good glue to have on hand, and can be used for the desperation setting technique described above. Keep in mind, when contemplating whether to use this glue for other purposes, that it is very permanent, so it may be difficult or impossible to undo what you have just done. It will not, however, substitute for solder repairs, that is, it probably will not permanently attach a pin back, or otherwise join two pieces of metal.
Epoxy 330 is not recommended for use in rhinestone setting. However, should a piece of jewelry that you dearly love lose a prong, it is possible to use this glue to hold the rhinestone in place, making the jewelry wearable. Keep in mind that, if later sold, this should be disclosed and value adjusted accordingly.
E6000: Sorry, folks, the word on this is that it will definitely ruin the foil, and perhaps a whole project, on rhinestones & acrylic stones. Apparently it is good for some uses, but NOT costume jewelry.
Nail Polish: Some people use nail polish to glue stones. It is an easy and familiar product, and readily available. Sparklz wonders why you would use a paint, meant to last on fingernails for a maximum of 7 days as a glue for metal and glass. I am sure that it will last a good deal longer than 7 days on the jewelry, but "the best tool for the job" really does have to be glue that is meant for the products involved.
If the size of your loupe is small, then the field of view is correspondingly
small (and makes viewing difficult). The most common size of loupe seems
to be 18mm. It is recommended that you buy one at least 17mm, but as large
as 20mm. If you already have a small one, hang it on your keyring for emergencies,
and invest in a standard size for regular use. You'll thank Sparklz.
Using the Loupe: Swing the lens out of its cover.
Put your forefinger through the slot, and your thumb and middle fingers
on opposite sides...a very natural grip. It is recommended, by the experts,
that you use you left hand and left eye, but this isn't comfortable for
everyone. Try each eye and hand to see what works for you. Bring your hand
up to your face and rest your thumb on your cheek at the level that will
put the lens in front of your eye. The lens will be about a half inch in
front of your eye (of if you are wearing glasses, it will be against your
glasses). You will NOT move the loupe to achieve focus.
Now grasp the item to be viewed (a piece of jewelry, silly) between
the thumb and forefinger of your other hand and bring that hand up close
to the lens until you get a focus. You will be resting the heel-of-the-thumb
or the thumb itself (of the jewelry hand) against the heel-of-the-palm
of the loupe hand. Resting your loupe hand on your face, and your jewelry
hand on your loupe hand assures a steadiness in the viewing field, and
will be less tiring.
Did you keep BOTH eyes open? Our natural tendency is to close one eye
and squint with the other. What we want to do, however, is keep both eyes
open. It avoids strain, is less tiring, and looks more professional, too.
This will become natural and comfortable after a while and you won't even
think about it. If you are having a hard time getting the focus in the
beginning, try closing one eye until you have the item in focus and then
make a conscious effort to open the eye. You will soon get the hang of
it. With a little practice you will easily be able to move your focus from
the surface and prongs to down into the stone where you will see the foiling.
Avoid Losing the Loupe: An old-timer gave this
tip to Sparklz. Attach the leather case to the loupe with a chain, or,
if there is no leather case, add a length of chain or beads to the loupe.
The old-timer swore this will keep you from putting the loupe down and
forgetting it. It must work as Sparklz still has her twenty-year old loupe,
which lives in her purse and is taken out and used everywhere.
Optivisor: This is a visor which is affixed to
an adjustable band which goes around your head. They are great for freeing
the hands for up close work, such as small repairs, stone setting and bead
work. They come in various magnifications. Sparklz like 5X, but then she
is very far-sighted. A 3X is a comfortable magnification for a lot of people.
Try before you buy if you can. If you can't, find out if you can exchange
it, or buy an additional lens without the visor. As unattractive as it
may be, Sparklz uses one of these when she has to look at a great lot
of jewelry in a short period of time, in the hopes of more accurately evaluating
condition quickly..
You can buy many of your tweezers, cleaning cloths, baggies, and other
supplies from your local wholesale jewelry supply house. Look in the yellow
pages under Jewelry Supply, Wholesale. Or for fast, friendly service of
orders small and large, CLICK on B'SUE
BOUTIQUES . She
has Sunshine Cloths, Simichrome polish, Jewel Cards, Price Tags, Displays,
Bags, Boxes, Loupes, Tape Trays, Mailers, Pliers, Prong Lifters and More
(under the More category are those handy-dandy,
EARRING "KEYS" for adjusting clip back earrings. Hers comes
with a pretty green tassel so you won't lose it!).
Dateline March 2000, John
Catalano does expert major restoration of costume jewelry, and this includes fabrication of parts. For those
of you who know John, he is back at work and will be
doing restoration projects. Please contact him by phone 561-336-8516,
or e-mail RestoredTreasure@aol.com
to make an appointment for your work.
LASER WELDING: Gem Products Jewelry Repair,
5838 W. Olive Ave., C105-PMB 409, Glendale, AZ
85302 Website: http://www.gemproductsjewelryrepair.com/main.html
Phone 1-602-908-0475
Victor Weyrich is an experienced fine jewelry repairman with
laser welding equipment. The equipment is expensive, around $30,00
if you are thinking of getting one, and has the marvelous ability to weld any
metal, without removal of the stones, and without the heat build up that
affects plating, finishes, pearls, enamel & pot metal. Welds are
tiny and you get a very good appearance.
Example, provided by Granny's Jewelry Box. This
is an excellent solution for better pieces of costume jewelry as the stones
don't have to be removed and enamel isn't affected. They can weld
clasps, rejoin parts, earring conversions, etc. His prices BEGIN at $20
and you will be paying postage two ways. However if you have a very
special piece, this may be the answer. As always, once you have
communicated the problem you need to find out what results to expect and the
price. Please tell them Sparklz sent you.
REPAIRS:
Rhinestone Rosie
in Seattle may be a viable option for repairs on
costume jewelry. I am unable to make a recommendation as I don't know
her work personally, but she has been in business for a good amount of
time and her name keeps coming up in conversations. You can find her with a search
engine.
Repairs on costume jewelry are necessarily limited by the original materials
used and their inherent limitations. Most of the metals used do
not have the same malleability as precious metals. Enamels, plastics,&
coatings are limiting factors. Sparklz thinks you should TALK to your
chosen repairer to determine how effective the repair will be, what results
you can expect and the costs involved, before making the commitment to
do the repair. Good questions are: (1) Will I see evidence of the repair,
such as solder, differences in color, etc. (2) If being plated you will
want to be sure you understand what the final appearance will be - and
keep in mind that "different" isn't always bad; in many cases a new appearance
may be closer to the original look (when new) than the current vintage
look. Just be sure you are aware of what you will get.. (3) Approx. length
of time for repair -- this can vary widely because difficult cases may
require the repairer to special order or make parts, and, of course, (4)
cost..
Sunshine Cloths: This is Sparklz number one choice
for cleaning and polishing costume jewelry. It is fast and clean to work
with and does a wonderful job of cleaning without removing *coatings, platings,
washes, etc. The reason it can do this is that it is a very soft material
and has been impregnated with cleansing agents and no-scratch micro-abrasives.
As this is the case, it is safe not only on the metal but also does no
damage to the rhinestones, plastic, glass, or whatever. You will want to
buy bulk packages of these as they are small and, this is important,
you should not use a "dirty" area of the cloth to clean another piece of
jewelry. Why not? Well, because all the dirt and grime is in that dirty
spot and you will be grinding it into the piece you are now cleaning. So
it is in your best interest to replace these cloths periodically. Sparklz
loves them for polishing anything and prefers them for most Sterling polishing,
too. These make ideal gifts for your good customers, too. You can get these
from BRENDA SUE's
. Brenda Sue also has wonderful little gizmo's for adjusting
clip-back earrings and lots of other stuff, and she makes it convenient
and easy to order.
*Sparklz wants to inject a note of caution here. While she is wild
about Sunshine cloths, Brenda Sue has reported one (and possibly two) bad
experiences, which is not a large percentage since she probably uses "dozens"
of these daily. In one case there was some scratching on some brass....it
is possible that a grit was picked up on the cloth from another source.
In the second incident, a light goldwash WAS removed from a sterling piece.
Perhaps the goldwash was already deteriorated to an extreme degree...or
perhaps not. Any cleaning agent on any material should be used with care
& caution.
Rouge Cloths: These are the mainstay of jewelers
for fine jewelry (silver and gold), where no one is concerned with the
miniscule amounts of metal they remove. They are impregnated with red rouge
(a polishing compound that jewelers also use in conjunction with their
polishing machines). While it is wonderful for sterling and gold, it
IS abrasive and is not at all kind to costume jewelry. Everyone
should have two of these. One in the kitchen, if they own and use sterling,
and the other in their jewelry cleaning kit for sterling, gold, & uncoated
copper and brass. This cloth is very messy, especially when it is new,
but it does last for-ev-er. Keep it until it is in rags. It is so messy
that Sparklz often puts it across her knee and rubs the jewelry across
it so that her hands don't get dirty. Of course, then no one should look
at her knee.
There are other cleaning cloths, of course, but these are all you need
and the main thing is you will know what is in them and when to use them.
Simichrome: This seems to be the polishing paste
of choice . It is wonderful for polishing, as long as you keep in mind
that it, too, is ABRASIVE, and probably is best used on sterling or PLASTICS.
It WILL take the plating off some pieces of costume jewelry and will certainly
reduce the amount of plating in all cases. If you are determined to use
a paste, then perhaps FLITZ, which claims to be non-abrasive, is the one
for you.Some other brands of polishing pastes have been known to severely
damage plastics, so be careful.
Salt & Lemon: As our mothers, grandmothers
and Judith Katz,-Schwartz (Jewelcollect & FX) knows; salt and lemon
is an almost magical cleaner of copper. If you don't want it REALLY, REALLY
clean, then don't use this, as it happens so fast that it is a wonder. Taking
the laquer off, or adding it on, copper is a subject for another day and
Sparklz will need some help on that.
Goo-gone: Vicki says that Goo-gone is the
very best thing for polishing Bakelite. Sparklz hasn't tried it and doesn't know what
is in it, but she would like to hear from a
few people who do try it, especially the people who are able to compare it with Simichrome.
B'Sue now stocks some special plastic polishing liquids .. ask her about them.
Anti-Tarnish Strips & Tabs: Since you have
gone to the trouble to clean your sterling, you might want to check into
these strips and tabs, available from Brenda Sue.
First, this must be stressed -- green gunk means DAMAGE...the
amount of damage is important to the final outcome of any attempted repair
and/or value. Even a tiny amount of green appearing only on the surface
means that the plating in that spot is *gone*. You will see whatever was
underneath. So if you don't mind that the Haskell spacer beads that are
on the back of the neck are brassy and dull compared to the beads in the
front....then this is fine.... rare is the Haskell necklace that doesn't
have this problem. Lots of green means major damage, and here we are talking
about the integrity of the metal, disintegration, crumbling and brittleness
in all its stages. Green on prongs means they may not remain strong enough
to hold the stones forever, which is how long we would like our jewelry
to last. It is a matter of judgement whether to buy a piece that has some
greening.Whether it will be worthwhile considering the ultimate worth,
is another subject...about re-plating, which can be done and *sometimes*
is worth doing.
Catsup is a favorite cleaner of Green Gunk. It has the advantage of staying in the place where you put
it, and this is important to those of us who believe that fluids can be
the ruination of rhinestones over time. The reason that catsup works is because
it has vinegar in it. Vinegar is an ACID, though a mild one. Therefore,
apply the catsup very carefully, ofttimes with a toothpick, so that it
is it only where needed. The time factor will vary, but usually about 5
to 10 minutes; keep checking it. Sparklz has used straight vinegar, but only
on things like a glass bead and metal necklace. She has also had
unexpected and unpleasant results with straight vinegar so use judgement and caution.
Some people like catsup mixed with mayo. Sparklz has
never tried it, her theory being that mayo is grease, grease makes shiny
things look dull after the initial shine disappears, and grease attracts dirt,
and the commonest way to get grease off is with fluids, which Sparklz
believes can sometimes be the cause of damage to rhinestones. Additionally,
why would you want to dilute the working power of the acid with the
mayo?
TOOLS & SUPPLIES:
For rhinestone supplies & related items, CLICK on: MRstones
- Matthew Ribarich . He has a nice selection
of rhinestones (round, square, fancy shapes, flatback, pointed), marcasites,
faux pearls, garnets, rosecut diamonds, those calibre-cut sapphires for
antique jewelry, and more on his website. He has size relationship charts
and color charts, too. He has many vintage and hard to find stones for
matching with that favorite piece of jewelry. You can buy your supplies
and do it yourself. Or you can send him the jewelry and he will match it
for you! He is very accomodating and will try to help in any way. He has
hypo-glue , millimeter gauges, DOP STICKS for ease in picking up stones,
and zip loc bags. He has no minimum on orders from JC. Browse his website
or write him e-mail.
WHEN TO USE AN EXPERT FOR POLISHING AND REPAIR:
It is possible to find repair people in your own neighborhood for some
of the polishing, cutting, stone replacement etc., that will be needed.
Most repair people have some limitations, and some do not work on costume
jewelry. There is no easy answer to how to find someone, and what can be
expected.
POLISHING COMPOUNDS & CLEANING CLOTHS
Perhaps this is a good time to mention that DUST IS VERY ABRASIVE ....
isn't it a 6 1/2 on Mohs Scale? And when we talk about cleaning and polishing
we will definitely be considering what abrasives do to costume jewelry.
So, first, put those little gems away in a non-dusty environment. And when
you clean them, remember that you are abrading them with any dust that
is currently on them, even tho' Sparklz understands it was someone else
who let them get so dusty.
GREEN GUNK (Verdigris)
If you are reading this, your probably KNOW what Green Gunk is. So here
are some thoughts and tips about Green Gunk. Sparklz makes these knowing
fully well that there are other favorite methods and that her way is not
the ONLY way.
Crusty, heavy Green Gunk might be best attacked by brisk brushing, scraping, or sanding with a very, very fine grit (so fine as to be almost non-existent) before you use catsup. No guarantees as to how this will turn out, as that crusty piece probably should have gone into the trash, but is good for experimentation.
1. You want to put the ring where it is easy to achieve minor leverage, so seating it at the second knuckle of whatever finger it fits should work. If you are right handed you will probably want the ring on your left hand.
2. Pick up a jump ring with your pliers, insert the jumpring into the appropriately sized slit, and twist open.
3. To close, re-insert the jump ring into the appropriate slit and twist your knuckle or finger to close it.
REPLACING PIN BACKS & STEMS
KEN MARSH who sells on eBay as
"Soldering the little findings to the backs of costume jewels is not a good 'amateur, home' project. If one has the little hinge or the catch, one can sometimes reattach with a fine soldering iron (re-flowing the old solder). The potential of either getting solder into the moving parts thus immobilizing them, or using too much heat and damaging the jewelry is greater with Costume Jewelry than with 'fine' jewelry and the fix is much more costly. I don't recommend trying it. In manufacture, most CJ was electric soldered, using expensive, easily controlled equipment, before the plating was applied. A hand held torch or iron will duplicate the results of this only occasionally and then by fortunate accident and will more likely ruin the plate."
Sparklz adds: There are people who will attempt to effect this type of solder repair for you, and sometimes you may want to do it. Keep in mind, however, that the piece may be entirely ruined, not through a lack of skill on the part of the repairer, but because of the inherent limitations of the materials used in costume jewelry. Even a good repair is more than suspect in the durability category, and consequently warrants a lesser price, whether you are buying or selling.
SPARKLZ website features a large catalog of over 600 pieces of jewelry, including Victorian, Deco, Nouveau, rhinestones, Signature pieces, Plastics, Silver & Copper, Cufflinks, Christmas and much more as linked in the index below. You are welcome to shop, search for price comparisons, browse for pleasure, or visit additional information pages, seen directly below.
ABOUT BUILDING A RHINESTONE INVENTORY
How to start building an inventory of loose rhinestones for doing replacement.
ABOUT GOLD/GOLD VALUES
Thoughts and facts about gold, buying/selling, antique values. Including
spot gold formulas
ABOUT GOLD CARE
Watch out for the hot tub & the swimming pool!. Avoiding
damage & loss to your fine gold & diamond jewelry.
ABOUT IVORY
Kinds of ivory, including elephant, mammoth and more. Examples
& links. Ivory substitutes. Some guides to separation
from other materials.
ABOUT CAMEOS
Definition of Cameo, Intaglio, Reverse Intaglio. Common &
unusual materials used in cameos and how to identify them. Factors
which affect pricing of cameos.
ABOUT RE-PLATING,
REPAIR VS CAMOUFLAGE
Definition of Repair, Camouflage, Normal Wear, Marriages, Collage,
and a Guide to a Rating system for Costume Jewelry.
RESOURCES & MISC.
Costume Jewelry Newsletters, Cufflink Newsletter. Costume Jewelry
Book Reviews. Patent Numbers. Storage Tips.
GO TO: SPARKLZHOME PAGE
GO TO: || Creatures - Figurals, Faces, Butterflies, etc. || Newest Additions Section ||
|| Plastics - Bakelite, Celluloid & More ||
|| Silver & Copper Section || Signature -Designer Section ||
|| Unsigned/Signed Section - Biggest Section of Treasures || Victorian , Art Deco, Nouveau Section ||
|| Fine Estate Jewelry - Gold & Precious Stones ||
|| Beads - Glass, Turquoise & More || Buckles & Sweater Guards ||
|| Christmas Jewelry || Cufflinks , Tie Clips ||
|| Ivory & Bone ||Watch Fobs, Chatelettes, Fraternal Organizations || Patriotic - Sweetheart, Military, Flags, Eagles ||
|| Earrings Section -- Find a complement to your favorite jewels ||
|| Backlot Bargain Bazaar - Reduced jewelry, strange jewelry, slightly worn jewelry, & more ||
E-mail Janet: sparklz2@Sparklz.com, , Cell phone 520-907-2839.. .
Janet W. Gaynor, P. O. Box 35038, Tucson, AZ 85740-5297
Website est. February 1997
