How to Clean Fashion and Costume Jewelry

There are several kinds of Costume and Fashion Jewelry. Blitz products can assist you in cleaning many of these. The broad categories are: Composites, Plated, Antique, Plastic and Metal.

Composite and Art Jewelry.

Art jewelry should never be cleaned without the advice of the artist who designed the item or their designated representative. It can be fragile, and any cleaning can cause irreparable harm if not done to exacting specifications.

Composite jewelry can be made of precious or non-precious metals, minerals, stones, cloth, wood, paper, plastic, pottery, or any other item the artisan can imagine. Therefore, each piece is unique, and manufacturers instructions should be consulted and followed.

Stage or Theater Items.

These items are usually limited use items. They can easily get soiled from actor's makeup and perspiration, or fade under the bright lights. It is best to consult with a professional theater artist who will examine your items and determine how best to clean them.

Specialty Items

Always consult with your jeweler. These items can be frosted, and if so, we do not recommend using Blitz products until you get permission from the selling or distributor agents of these manufacturers.

Plated items.

Gold and silver plated items must be carefully checked. It's usually not known how thick the plating is, nor if the plating has worn with use and age. We recommend that these items be cleaned one of two ways.

Use Blitz #661 Fashion Jewelry Cleaner according to directions. Do not soak longer than recommended. Excess exposure to moisture, or soaking in water, or swimming, with thinly plated items, or worn-plated items may result in the plating lifting off.

http://www.blitzinc.net/product/661/Fashion_Jewelry_Cleaner.html

Use Blitz MoonGlow ™ (#20464) cloths. These will gently clean your plated jewelry.

http://www.blitzinc.net/product/20464/Blitz_MoonGlow_Buffing_Cloth.html

Antiques.

Whether you have antiques heirlooms, or coin jewelry, you should consider several factors.

Is the item for resale? If so, then stop. Consult with an antiques expert. In many cases cleaning an antique will reduce its value.

Is the item fragile or one of a kind? If so, then stop. Consult with an expert in estates, antiques, or art specialist. There may be some uniqueness that mandates special cleaning techniques.

Does the item have sentimental value? Cleaning may not be the most important factor in these items.

After you've decided you want to proceed, and you choose to gently clean an antique then we recommend that you start with our safest cloth: #7808, microfiber cloth. Very gently clean one small area and judge results before you continue.

http://www.blitzinc.net/product/7808/Microfiber_Cloth.html

Plastic and Metals.

Many costume jewelry items are made of plastic beads and inexpensive metals that have a lacquer, paint, or plastic coating. If the material is durable, you can use Blitz #661 Fashion Jewelry Cleaner according to directions. Do not soak longer than recommended.

http://www.blitzinc.net/product/661/Fashion_Jewelry_Cleaner.html

Use Blitz MoonGlow ™ (#20464) cloths. These will gently clean your plated jewelry.

http://www.blitzinc.net/product/20464/Blitz_MoonGlow_Buffing_Cloth.html

While you clean examine carefully for worn spots. Once the coating on beads and metal is worn, missing, or frayed, the life of the item is reduced and subsequent cleaning may be increasingly more difficult.

Wood and Wooden Beads.

Treat wood-based jewelry as if it were a delicate piece of furniture, and as carefully as you would a wooden musical instrument. Some wooden jewelry has a lacquer coating, some may be oiled, and some may be untreated (teak, mahogany, cherry, etc.) hardwoods. If coated or natural, don't immerse in liquids. Gently wipe with a dry, or very slightly damp : #7808, microfiber cloth. Very gently clean one small area and judge results before you continue.

http://www.blitzinc.net/product/7808/Microfiber_Cloth.html

Glass beads.

Clean with #7808, microfiber cloth. Use gentle rubbing. Use care not to break the silk, fiber, or other string.

http://www.blitzinc.net/product/7808/Microfiber_Cloth.html

Painted surfaces.

Use #7808, microfiber cloth. Very gently clean one small area and judge results before you continue. Do not clean if paint is flaking. Do not immerse in liquid.

http://www.blitzinc.net/product/7808/Microfiber_Cloth.html

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For other articles, consult:

http://www.blitzinc.net/category/info.how_to_clean_your_rhodium_plated_jewelry/

http://www.blitzinc.net/category/info.jewelry_care_and_advice/

http://www.blitzinc.net/category/info.how_to_clean_and_care_for_alternative_metals/