How to clean Marcasite Jewelry – Polishing marcasite jewelry.
HOW TO CLEAN MARCASITE Its glittering beauty and vintage feel has made marcasite jewelry a favorite for generations. To keep marcasite jewelry looking its best, it is necessary to clean and care for it properly. If you clean marcasite jewelry as you would with any other type of jewelry, then you may find that it completely ruins the antique look of the silver. Here are the easy steps to follow:
1. Wear Marcasite Jewelry Regularly
Wearing your marcasite jewelry regularly can help to slow down the process of tarnishing as the metal moving against your skin and itself will help to keep it clean. It is also important to keep pieces out of flowing air and humidity when not being worn. In particular it is not a good idea to store your jewelry in your bathroom. If you live in a humid place you should take extra care to protect your jewelry from humidity. Keeping a humidity absorber near where you store your jewelry can help.
2. Polishing with a Silver Cloth
Reusable polishing cloth gives jewelry long-lasting shine with amazing ease. We use silver polishing cloths to polish all of our jewelry before packing them into the plastic bag. Polishing cloths are treated with a mild solution. You just buff the silver and continually adjusting the spot you are polishing with until it’s clean and reach a high shine. You will see the cloth start to get filthy. But do not wash silver polishing cloth. The polishing cloth is reusable for very long time until it is absolutely filthy.
Do not polish some certain gemstones with silver cloth including pearls, turquoise, lapis lazuli, rose quartz, opal, and other soft gemstones as they are porous.
3. Silver Polish Paste
If what you need to polish is heavily tarnished, we would recommend a silver polish paste that is designed to clean silver that is oxidized instead of a polishing cloth. Apply a small amount of silver paste all over the surface with soft toothbrush. Buff surface with a soft dry cloth or silver polish cloth to loosen tarnish and restore silver to its original brilliance. You can use a silver polish cloth alone, but it will take more time and elbow grease than you really want to spend.
4. Cleaning with Washing Liquid when the dirt has built up
Step 1 – Mixing the Ingredients
Start by mixing the warm water and dish detergent liquid in a large bowl. You should stir the liquids together, but not so vigorously that they form a mass of bubbles. Use warm water rather than hot, as warm is less likely to affect the oxidized sterling silver.
Step 2 – Add the Silver
You can then place the silver into the bowl, moving it around occasionally. Let it soak for about 3-5 minutes. Using a soft toothbrush gently brush the silver setting and on marcasite stones, particularly the back of the piece as there is were dust can build up. Do not brush on the gemstones. You can use your finger to cover the gemstones.
Step 3 – Dry the Silver
Rinse really well under cold water. Once the silver is clean, take it out of the soapy water, and place it onto some bath towels. Gently wipe the silver with the towel until it is dry, or use hairdryer to get rid of any water that is caught in small crevices. You can use silver cloth to rub the jewelry until it is shiny and new looking again!
Tips:
– Always remove your marcasite jewelry before doing any activities involving water, such as washing dishes, cleaning, bathing, swimming, etc.
– Always spray perfume and hairspray before wearing your jewelry.
Warning :
– Avoid dipping in water / dish detergent for too long. If you must spot wash a part, do so with a damp cloth and dry immediately after.
– Most jewels attached to marcasite are set with water-based epoxy and this will come off if immersed in water for too long.
– We recommend that you don’t use silver dips for removing tarnish from your marcasite jewelry as it will damage the antique look of oxidization and silver dip will dissolve the glue also. Some stones will be damaged by a dip depending on their hardness so it’s best to err on the side of caution.
– Never use Ultrasonic Cleaner with Marcasite jewelry
5. STORAGE
Store your sterling silver jewelry in a cool, dark place away from sources of sunlight, heat and moisture. To reduce scratching and tarnishing we recommend you store your pieces individually in small zip-lock plastic bags, removing as much air as possible. You may also want to put a small strip of anti-tarnish paper in each bag with the jewelry. You can find these strips at many jewelry, craft, and hardware stores. Do not store your jewelry in paper, cardboard, or cotton filled boxes as these may contain traces of sulfur which will cause tarnishing.
