Caring For Antique Gold Jewelry

Antique and vintage gold jewelry are priceless collectibles and should be cared for properly. Keeping your jewelry clean and stored in a suitable location helps to prevent deterioration of the jewelry. Additionally, to maintain the invaluable features of the jewelry, it is beneficial to take proper caution when wearing and otherwise handling the gold jewelry.

 Causes of Deterioration
 The general wear and tear of antique gold jewelry is the major cause of deterioration as the jewelry ages over time. Temperature changes in the environments where the jewelry is stored can cause the jewelry to lose its value, especially in hot storage spaces that may contribute to the result of moisture in the air. Some of the dangerous hot storage spaces for jewelry are near household vents and windows. Some of the well-known indications of deteriorated jewelry are the loss of stones and metals, rust damage and scratching.

 Cloth Wrapping
 Place your gold jewelry for safekeeping within a pouch or wrapping made of cloth. Ensure that the cloth material is very soft in its texture. There is no need to spend a lot of money on the cloth wrapping. Any soft cloth or pouch that fully covers the jewelry is an appropriate safekeeping method. Wrapping your antique jewelry with cloth prevents the jewelry from being exposed to moisture in the air and scratching from rough surfaces. If you are storing more than one antique gold jewelry piece, it is important to keep each piece separate from each other, and beaded jewelry should lay flat.

 Jewelry Cleaning
 When searching for products formulated to clean jewelry, be sure to purchase cleaning products that are designed to clean gold jewelry. Although keeping your jewelry in a safe location is the best way to make certain the antique gold jewelry keeps its sparkle and shine, the jewelry should be cleaned periodically. It is best to use cleaning products that are free of ammonia, vinegar, alcohol and acids. Be sure not to use soap and water to clean your gold jewelry, because it could result in large amounts of residue left on the jewelry. If your jewelry contains stones, do not use Windex. Windex can cause more damage to the stones. Otherwise, Windex sprayed on a soft cloth is appropriate for cleaning antique gold jewelry. Let your gold jewelry dry completely to prevent any damage from moisture. Afterwards, you may choose to polish your jewelry with a product designed for this particular purpose. Also, polish your jewelry using a soft cloth.