Like all jewelry, your wire wrapped jewelry needs to be properly cared for and cleaned. Properly cleaning & caring for your jewelry can make a world of difference in maintaining its beauty and keeping it sparkling for generations.
This is a guide; I am not an expert-- just a jewelry artist that has cleaned LOTS of wire wrapped jewelry!! If you are not sure about cleaning your particular piece of jewelry try a polishing cloth on the metal…or bring it to a jeweler for cleaning assistance…it is not worth taking a chance!
Jewelry Purchased From Us:
We have added a special clear coating called "Protecta Clear" that will provide extreme protection against corrosion, oxidation, tarnish, rust, acid rain, chalking and much more.
To Clean Our Jewelry: Simply wash with mild soap and water. Dry with a soft cloth such as an old white tee shirt. However, the surface should be protected from solvents, cleaning products, bathroom cleaners and other chemicals to help the clear coating protect your jewelry.
Chemicals
Through our daily grooming routines, we are exposed to various chemicals which may not harm us, but could be harmful to our jewelry:
Think of your jewelry as the final touch to accent your desire look before you leave your house. So before you clean your home, do dishes or even take a bath remove ALL your jewelry. Over time chemicals can wear down the metals and leave them brittle or exposed to the elements and cause them to blacken, at this point to only way to clean then is a professional jewelry and the cost for repairs will not be cheap.
Other Websites Wire Wrapped Jewelry Care:
We package each of our jewelry creations in a cotton lined box. We recommend you store it in this box or bag to protect it and ensure it will last a lifetime. If not stored properly any of your jewelry can be damaged or lose its color or luster.
Avoid scenarios that can crush or catch delicate or filigreed wire wrapped jewelry (beware of open weave sweaters and reaching into the washing machine with certain filigree designs).
Do not throw jewelry into a drawer or pile with other jewelry or things that can damage it.
Avoid storing in direct sunlight, excessive heat, cold, or area with extreme temperature changes (ie-near windows, vents, ducts).
Do not expose to harsh chemicals or household cleaners.
Remove when applying hairspray, perfume, lotion or any skincare/makeup.
Do not swim wearing jewelry, chlorine can pit gold, silver, & gems.
Tarnish
All precious metals can tarnish to even a minor degree. Platinum and pure gold are the most tarnish-resistant metals - the keyword here being ‘resistant’. Pure or fine silver is often said not to tarnish, but that isn’t true - it can and does tarnish, just a lot more slowly and in a less noticeable way than sterling silver.
Of all precious metals, sterling silver is the one which is most notorious for issues with tarnishing. This is because it has copper mixed in with the silver which has the benefit of making the metal harder and therefore more suitable for a wider variety of uses than very soft pure silver, but the downside is that copper tarnishes very easily.
What causes tarnishing? Basically, it’s caused by oxygen and moisture coming into contact with the metal - which gives a clue as to how to slow it down!
Preventing Tarnish:
Okay, after cleaning jewelry, how do you keep it from tarnishing and becoming dull again?
I store my jewelry covered with anti-tarnish cloth (sometimes also called Pacific Cloth), available by the yard at most fabric stores. I cut this anti-tarnish cloth to fit over my trays that are filled with jewelry, and to wrap around my loaded jewelry displays. It really makes a huge difference in preventing tarnish and reducing the time you spend cleaning jewelry.
Another method I recommend is keeping jewelry tightly sealed in ziplock jewelry bags with no-tarnish strips (available from most jewelry suppliers) inside with the jewelry. Change the no-tarnish strips every 3 to 6 months, depending on where you live and how fast jewelry tends to tarnish.
For jewelry you store on display racks or in trays or cases, place the rack and several no-tarnish strips inside a large plastic trash bag and close the bag up tightly with a twist-tie. Change the no-tarnish strips every 3 to 6 months. Every time I change my no-tarnish strips I write a quick note on my calendar 3 months from the date I change them, reminding myself it's time to change them again!
Some jewelers use ordinary blackboard chalk in place of the no-tarnish strips. Although I haven't tried that myself, many report excellent results using it! I suggest that if you choose chalk, you might want to stock up on it in August during the back-to-school sales.
Oxidized Wire Jewelry:
Most importantly, metals which have been patinated or ‘oxidised’ (chemically blackened) should not be cleaned with dip or other cleaning liquids as they can easily remove these elements of the design.
The Great Outdoors
Extreme temperatures can also be harmful to your jewelry and some gemstone could result in fractures and destroying your precious jewelry.
Skin Discoloration
The most common reason is metallic abrasion, caused by make-up on the skin or clothing. Cosmetics often contain compounds harder than the jewelry itself, which wear or rub very tiny particles. Very finely divided metal always appears black rather than metallic, so it looks like jet-black dust. When this dust comes into contact with absorbent surfaces such as skin or clothing, it sticks, forming a black smudge.
When you perspire, fat and fatty acids in perspiration can cause this corrosion, especially when exposed to warmth and air. This problem can be worse in coastal and semi-tropical areas where chlorides combine with perspiration which form a corrosive element that discolors the skin.
Special Care:
It is important to remember there are many types of materials used in creating handcrafted custom pieces. There are colorful and unique stones, glass, crystals, sterling silver, base metals, bone, ceramic, wood as well as man-made treasures. Some gems are treated or dyed to enhance the quality and durability. This is an acceptable practice in the industry.
Gems:
Opals require special care. Never use an ultrasonic cleaner, never use chemicals and avoid heat. Don't put your opal ring on the window sill when washing your hands or the dishes as strong sunlight can dry out the water in opals which could cause hazing or color change.
Pearls: Protect from scratches; perfumes and household chemicals which can wear away the nacre or cause color change.
Cameos:
Cameos from about 26 different types of shell but for the most part they are shell that comes from the sea.
Transparent Gemstones:
We are most familiar with would be: rubies, sapphires, amethyst, garnet, topaz, crystals, emeralds and moonstones, just to mention a few.
Notoriously Delicate Stones: They should not be exposed to ammonia, hot solutions, ultrasonic cleaning, or any abrasives.
Amber
Coral
Drusy
Emeralds
Foil-backed glass stones
Malachite
Mother of pearl
Opals
Pearls
Peridot
Unstabilized turquoise
Buffing and Polishing Compounds:
Red Rouge
A product traditionally made of iron oxide, pulverized and graded, used in jewelry work. Darker-colored, coarser grains are called crocus and are used for grinding. The finer grains are called rouge (French for "red") and are used for polishing steel and precious metals. It is the finest of all rouges. Rouge is often mixed with a binder and caked into a bar form for easy application to a buffing wheel. This is what I use to put the final polish on all my pieces.
Green rouge
Primarily used in final finish buffing operations on stainless steel, steel, brass, aluminum, nickel, and chrome. The green rouge is a chrome oxide, and is considered the best all around luster compound for these materials. Green Rouge compound imparts a high luster to rhodium, platinum, chrome, stainless steel and other hard metals. 100% green rouge for superior final finish on steel, stainless and chrome.
White rouge
The white rouge is the softer, calcite alumna type. Primarily used in the final finish of steel, stainless steel, and zinc. This compound is also a favorite in coloring aluminum and brass. Use on platinum, chrome, and stainless steel. Produces a chrome color
Black Rouge
Black Rouge produces deep finish on silver and pewter. Excellent for oxidized effect in recessed areas. One company list alpha-alumina as the polishing material.
Polishing Clothes:
Come in different colors and some can only be used in certain metals so make such you read the instructions on the back to make sure you have purchased the right one.
About Liquid Commercial Jewelry Cleaners:
There are 3 main types of liquid jewelry cleaner readily available in the store. Silver Cleaner, General Purpose Jewelry Cleaner, & Delicate Jewelry Cleaner.
Delicate Jewelry Cleaner or Pearl Cleaner-The safest bet of the 3 types of liquid cleaner for any gemstone jewelry. I think most of these are diluted soap, but they work without damaging most gems.
General Purpose Jewelry Cleaner- This is a general purpose jewelry cleaner to use with caution—many stones cannot tolerate this jewelry cleaner, most contain Ammonia. Ammonia is acidic and can pit or damage many gemstones.
Silver Cleaner- I do NOT recommend using silver cleaner on any jewelry containing gemstones or pieces that are not solid sterling silver! It is a very harsh acidic cleaner! I almost never use silver cleaner;
Cleaning Methods:
Household Products:
Baking soda or tooth paste. A traditional cleaning solution for silver items particularly has been to use a paste made with baking soda or toothpaste. This will clean your jewelry or other silver items, but it’s really not recommended. This is because these methods are abrasive and will damage the surface of the metal. Believe it or not Ketchup will clean Brass and Jewelers Craft Wire easily and it's non abrasive.
Professional Cleaners:
Ionic Jewelry Cleaners:
Ions are attached to dirt and grease rather than metals and stones. Surface tension is reduced permitting dirt, tarnish and oxidation to be lifted away from jewelry or other metal pieces with gentle bubbles - without abrasion. No metal is lost. Stones are safely cleaned without potentially damaging friction, heat or abrasion that other cleaners produce. Rinsing and drying after immersion naturally enhances renewed luster. Now, with Speed Brite Ionic Cleaners, not only can you clean gold and silver, but also emeralds, opals, pearls and all other soft or water porous stones safely in only one minute.
GemOro Brilliant Spa Personal Steamer
The personal size steamer that professionally cleans diamonds, gold, silver and platinum jewelry. Powerful high-pressure steam safely blasts away dirt, grime, oil and more
My Personal Favorite (This is what I use on all my jewelry before the clear costing is applied)
3 Lb. Rotary Rock Tumbler ( Best Price Harbor Freight)
Get a smooth, polished finish on rocks, semi-precious stones, glass, even metals! Quiet low-speed tumbler is designed to run for days at a time, ensuring a smooth, lustrous finish. If you need instructions for this type of cleaning Contact Us
Stainless Steel Shot for Tumbling (Great Price Fast Shipping)
Highly polished stainless steel shot mixture known as the "Jewelers Mix" is a combination of three shapes: diagonal, round and pin. Each does a different job in burnishing metals to a mirror bright finish in the minimum amount of time. Stainless steel requires only occasional cleaning and gives great uniformity. And since it's stainless steel, it is rust and corrosion resistant and able to stand up to strong compounds.
Enjoy and God Bless!
