How to Care for Ancient Brass Jewelry

Ancient brass jewelry usually comes with a story. You can add to its history with proper care and cleaning of your brass jewelry. While brass tarnishes easily, it also returns to its original beauty with very little scrubbing. Care needs to be taken with any gems that might be mounted to the brass. Their care and cleaning should be addressed separately from the care and cleaning of the brass.

Brass cleaner
Worcestershire sauce
Ketchup
Soft cloth
Soft toothbrush
Anti-tarnish paper
Plastic baggies

Instructions

- 1
  Clean your antique brass jewelry properly. Using a soft cloth or toothbrush, apply a small amount of brass cleaner to the jewelry. This should wipe on and then wipe off. Rinse the jewelry item thoroughly with warm water and then dry completely with a soft cloth. In lieu of brass cleaner, both Worcestershire sauce and ketchup can be used. The acid in the tomatoes of each product react with the tarnish and clean it. Use either product straight from the bottle without diluting.
- 2
  Store your antique brass jewelry properly. Brass will tarnish more slowly if stored in a plastic baggie that has been lined with anti-tarnish paper. Special jewelry cases are also available for this purpose.
- 3
  Avoid harsh chemicals. The excessive amounts of chlorine in swimming pools and hot tubs can be overly harsh for both the brass and any mounted gems. Sports, cleaning and excessive sunlight are other things to avoid when wearing brass.

What Color Would Look Good on Bedroom Walls With a Black & White Decor?

How to Decorate an Airship Steampunk Bedroom

Decor Styles