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How to Clean your Vintage Costume Jewelry
Treat your vintage costume jewelry and rhinestones even better than fine jewelry and gemstones to
ensure their survival for future generations.
Costume Jewelry Self Destructs
Because costume jewelry was meant to be cheap or throw away type jewelry, it has built in self-destructive
features—it was not made out of materials that were meant to last. This means all the more care must be
taken when cleaning or storing your jewelry if you mean to preserve it for future generations.
Prevention is Easier than Cleaning
The first step in making your jewelry last is preventing it from getting dirty or hurt. Do not wear jewelry
when you're doing housework, or out for a jog or building a deck. Lotions and perfumes, hair sprays,
mousse, etc. can wreak havoc on the delicate metal platings and "stones" on vintage costume jewelry.
Make jewelry the last thing you put on when you're getting ready (do hair, make up, lotions, etc. first) It
only takes a few seconds but it will save you lots of time cleaning or repairing your jewelry later.
Tarnished Metal
First try cleaning tarnished metal with a clean cloth like an old t-shirt. Do not use baking soda or other
gritty materials that often leaves surfaces scratched and looking more liked "brushed silver" than shiny. If
this does not work, move up to special metal polishes, designed for the type of metal you are using. Be
wary of any product containing grit that may scratch or dull the surface.
When jewelry has a green or patina'd surface it is a sign that oxidation has occurred. This is not simple
tarnish and should not be polished off (see How to Repair Vintage Costume Jewelry.)
Jewelry with Adhesives (Rhinestones, Beads, Coatings, etc)
Pieces of jewelry with glues or adhesives should not be cleaned with water or other solvents. Instead, a
soft cloth or sometimes a soft brush can be used to clean these items.
How to Clean
Step 1: Try the Dry
Always start to clean a piece of jewelry in the least intrusive manner. That means a clean, soft, dry cloth to
dust and remove fingerprints, oils, etc., without using excessive rubbing which could damage platings or
loosen stones. A clean Q-tip can be handy for getting into tighter spaces. If that adequately cleans the
piece, great. No further cleaning is necessary.
Remember, of course, if your jewelry is made of a substance that cannot withstand water (paper beads or
feathers for instance), you must stick to the Try the Dry method and never get them wet.
Step 2: Dampen and Dry
If the soft, dry cloth is not doing the trick, or if you've got something nasty like old cigarette smoke smell, or
some kind of residue on your jewelry piece, the next thing you could attempt to use a damp piece of cloth
(some people use Windex or watered down ammonia to dampen the cloth—but remember never to use
these or other commercial type cleaning agents on pearls). A little soapy water (on a barely damp cloth)
could be used as well, although I find soap needs to be rinsed off, and we know how vintage costume
jewelry hates moisture, so the less you use, the better.
Alcohol pads (sold at drug stores) can be used to clean the face of bigger rhinestones that have no
coatings. But be careful not to use on alcohol soluble plastics, stones, or coatings. Alcohol pads have the
advantage of air drying quickly, but be careful not to let any liquid run along the edges or get underneath
rhinestones or other "stones" as it will loosen stones and dissolve adhesives easily too.
Step 3: Throwing Caution to the Wind (Emergency Cleaning)
If you don't care about keeping the piece for future generations, but only want to wear tonight…or if you've
got a piece of jewelry that's so dirty and gunky it can't be worn any other way, or you're just dead set on
trying to immerse it in water anyway, then there are some water cleaning ways to clean jewelry (but be
warned, you could cause damage to stones, platings, beads, coatings, etc.) Remember, even with the
emergency method, your objective is to get the piece dry as fast as possible.
Emergency Method: (Use only after trying Step 1 and 2) Put some cool water (not cold) into the sink
with a drop of dishwashing soap. (You really only need a drop here) Immerse jewelry in the solution for
only a few seconds, swirl around, and immediately take out. DO NOT SOAK JEWELRY IN WATER. Rinse
with cool water (not cold) (significant temperature differences like hot or cold water could cause more
damage) and immediately pat dry with clean, soft cloth. Place on a towel. Quickly use your blow dryer and
on it's lowest (not hot) setting, dry the piece as fast as humanly possible. Once you are sure it's dry turn
the piece over so any rhinestones or cabochons are face down, and blow dry again. Leave the jewelry
face down on a dry towel for a few hours or overnight to be sure any water that got behind the stones has
drained away.
Note: Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners and solutions can cause great distress on costume jewelry adhesives and platings and
stones. Please use those only for fine jewelry like diamonds and gold and never on rhinestone or costume jewelry.
ensure their survival for future generations.
Costume Jewelry Self Destructs
Because costume jewelry was meant to be cheap or throw away type jewelry, it has built in self-destructive
features—it was not made out of materials that were meant to last. This means all the more care must be
taken when cleaning or storing your jewelry if you mean to preserve it for future generations.
Prevention is Easier than Cleaning
The first step in making your jewelry last is preventing it from getting dirty or hurt. Do not wear jewelry
when you're doing housework, or out for a jog or building a deck. Lotions and perfumes, hair sprays,
mousse, etc. can wreak havoc on the delicate metal platings and "stones" on vintage costume jewelry.
Make jewelry the last thing you put on when you're getting ready (do hair, make up, lotions, etc. first) It
only takes a few seconds but it will save you lots of time cleaning or repairing your jewelry later.
Tarnished Metal
First try cleaning tarnished metal with a clean cloth like an old t-shirt. Do not use baking soda or other
gritty materials that often leaves surfaces scratched and looking more liked "brushed silver" than shiny. If
this does not work, move up to special metal polishes, designed for the type of metal you are using. Be
wary of any product containing grit that may scratch or dull the surface.
When jewelry has a green or patina'd surface it is a sign that oxidation has occurred. This is not simple
tarnish and should not be polished off (see How to Repair Vintage Costume Jewelry.)
Jewelry with Adhesives (Rhinestones, Beads, Coatings, etc)
Pieces of jewelry with glues or adhesives should not be cleaned with water or other solvents. Instead, a
soft cloth or sometimes a soft brush can be used to clean these items.
How to Clean
Step 1: Try the Dry
Always start to clean a piece of jewelry in the least intrusive manner. That means a clean, soft, dry cloth to
dust and remove fingerprints, oils, etc., without using excessive rubbing which could damage platings or
loosen stones. A clean Q-tip can be handy for getting into tighter spaces. If that adequately cleans the
piece, great. No further cleaning is necessary.
Remember, of course, if your jewelry is made of a substance that cannot withstand water (paper beads or
feathers for instance), you must stick to the Try the Dry method and never get them wet.
Step 2: Dampen and Dry
If the soft, dry cloth is not doing the trick, or if you've got something nasty like old cigarette smoke smell, or
some kind of residue on your jewelry piece, the next thing you could attempt to use a damp piece of cloth
(some people use Windex or watered down ammonia to dampen the cloth—but remember never to use
these or other commercial type cleaning agents on pearls). A little soapy water (on a barely damp cloth)
could be used as well, although I find soap needs to be rinsed off, and we know how vintage costume
jewelry hates moisture, so the less you use, the better.
Alcohol pads (sold at drug stores) can be used to clean the face of bigger rhinestones that have no
coatings. But be careful not to use on alcohol soluble plastics, stones, or coatings. Alcohol pads have the
advantage of air drying quickly, but be careful not to let any liquid run along the edges or get underneath
rhinestones or other "stones" as it will loosen stones and dissolve adhesives easily too.
Step 3: Throwing Caution to the Wind (Emergency Cleaning)
If you don't care about keeping the piece for future generations, but only want to wear tonight…or if you've
got a piece of jewelry that's so dirty and gunky it can't be worn any other way, or you're just dead set on
trying to immerse it in water anyway, then there are some water cleaning ways to clean jewelry (but be
warned, you could cause damage to stones, platings, beads, coatings, etc.) Remember, even with the
emergency method, your objective is to get the piece dry as fast as possible.
Emergency Method: (Use only after trying Step 1 and 2) Put some cool water (not cold) into the sink
with a drop of dishwashing soap. (You really only need a drop here) Immerse jewelry in the solution for
only a few seconds, swirl around, and immediately take out. DO NOT SOAK JEWELRY IN WATER. Rinse
with cool water (not cold) (significant temperature differences like hot or cold water could cause more
damage) and immediately pat dry with clean, soft cloth. Place on a towel. Quickly use your blow dryer and
on it's lowest (not hot) setting, dry the piece as fast as humanly possible. Once you are sure it's dry turn
the piece over so any rhinestones or cabochons are face down, and blow dry again. Leave the jewelry
face down on a dry towel for a few hours or overnight to be sure any water that got behind the stones has
drained away.
Note: Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners and solutions can cause great distress on costume jewelry adhesives and platings and
stones. Please use those only for fine jewelry like diamonds and gold and never on rhinestone or costume jewelry.
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