Today we will be offering practical advice on cleaning, storing, and maintaining antique clip-on earrings to make sure you can enjoy them for a long time to come!
Cleaning
Similar to all jewellery, you want to clean precious items gently. We suggest cleaning with a soft bristled toothbrush and water, which will allow debris to be gently lifted without being too abrasive to the gemstone or setting. Be especially gentle with softer gemstones like pearl earrings and opals when cleaning as they are more precious than strong gemstones such as diamonds.
We recommend using water with a drop of washing up liquid or soap to clean your jewellery, and strongly advise you against using anything like bleach or corrosive solutions to clean diamonds and gemstones as this can cause irreversible damage. Carefully dry off jewellery in paper towel and polish with a jewellery cloth. For gold pieces you can use a gold cloth that will remove any tarnish, and pay special attention to the earring backs. If you really want to get in their use a pair of tweezers and an eye loupe to pluck out any leftover cloth fibres that might be trapped under claws or other settings!
Ultrasonic Cleaning
The best and most thorough cleaning method is having your earrings professionally cleaned using an ultrasonic machine. An ultrasonic machine is a specialised tank which is filled with liquid – which the jewellery is submersed in – and then produces high frequency sound waves. These sound waves can remove the tiniest dirt particles that may otherwise be unreachable. Some earrings with softer gemstones may not be able to go in the ultrasonic but a professional jewellery will be able to tell you prior to cleaning.
Care
Besides cleaning, you can look after your earrings in other ways. Handle your earrings with care avoiding excessive pressure on the gemstones. Once you’ve taken your earrings out, keep them in the protective box you received them in or alternatively another jewellery box. We have a range of impressive antique and vintage silver jewellery boxes to suit all tastes and styles of décor that are perfect for protecting and presenting your special pieces.
Maintenance
AC Silver we provide an annual service for all jewellery bought from us to be professionally cleaned and checked annually. It’s important to have professional servicing who can professionally clean and service the piece, looking out for things such as all settings being secure to avoid losing any precious gemstones! Antique pieces have been around for multiple generations, and can last even more with a little extra care.
We hope this blog has helpful in advising how to clean, store and maintain your clip-on earrings so you can keep loving them like the day you got them!
