CLEANING TURQUOISE AND STERLING SILVER JEWELLERY
Turquoise is by nature a porous and soft gemstone but with a little care it can be a lifelong accessory.
Also, sterling silver will oxidise with exposure to air and moisture so this will also require a little care.
Follow these few tips to keep your jewellery looking like new.
Avoid water and humidity as much as possible. Remove before washing hands or showering etc. Both the water and the soap will cause the turquoise to slowly discolour and go a greener colour.Avoid wearing while doing heavy work – being a softer gemstone it can break if knocked hard.
Only clean using a silver or soft polishing cloth. Don’t use chemicals
Where possible store separately in a soft jewellery pouch
Sterling silver is best cleaned with silver polishing cloth only and stored in an airtight bag when not being worn. If you prefer an aged patina look cleaning wont be necessary.
CLEANING COPPER JEWELLERY
You may have noticed that your copper is less of a traditional bronze, and more of a blue and green color. What's happening to cause this? Copper jewelry starts out a brilliant, reddish-gold, but it starts to develop a blue-green patina over time. Sometimes this is intentional, sometimes it's not. Let's take a look at how you clean your copper jewelry.
Copper Patina
Over time, copper develops what's known as a "patina." The oxidization of the material turns into a lovely blue-green shade. In many copper pieces, this type of patina is actually intentional. But in others, you would rather keep it with its original luster. Copper patina doesn't harm the material, and it can be safely removed. You can reduce the chances of copper patina by keeping your copper clean and dry, but ultimately most copper is going to start to patina over time.
Cleaning Copper Patina
Copper patina can be gently cleaned off using an acid and an abrasive. The most common at-home treatment is lemon juice and salt. Use a soft brush such as a toothbrush to work the lemon juice and salt around the patina until it starts to dissolve. You don't want to brush hard because that could scratch the delicate material of the copper. Instead, just continue to brush in gentle, circular motions. The lemon juice and salt should eventually wear away the patina.
Keeping Your Patina
If you want to keep your copper patina while still cleaning the jewelry, the process is easy. You would wipe down your copper jewelry with a microfiber cloth and soapy, warm water. Just gently cleaning your copper jewelry will remove any dirt, dust, and films on the surface, but it won't remove the patina itself. In general, the patina really needs an acidic solution to be removed easily; otherwise, it will feel like a part of the material. You should be aware that the patina is more delicate than the copper and can easily be scratched or scraped.
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