We agree that costume jewelry is not made of the real deal, and so it is not as expensive as real gold and silver pieces, but that doesn’t mean it should not be shown some love. So, how do you clean costume jewelry that has turned green?
Why does Jewelry Turn Green?
First, what causes your costume jewelry to turn green? This phenomenon is mostly experienced on jewelry that has copper in it. Your sweat, when it reacts with copper, corrodes it, causing that green color that isn’t enticing at all. Good thing you can clean it and have your rings looking great again.
Other alloys that could cause the same effect include German silver when it is combined with another metal – such as zinc – to make jewelry. Oxidation is the main issue for the fact that the item comes into contact with sweat. This green color, though alarming at first, is totally harmless. Nothing will happen to your skin unless you are super sensitive to break out.
Can you Prevent that Green Color from forming in the Future?
Well, it forms each time your skin comes into contact with the piece of jewelry, thanks to sweating, and so the only way to prevent this from happening is by not sweating. Not a phenomenon that you control, is it? Still, there it this genius way of coating the piece. If it is a ring that you can easily coat with nail polish, then it will prevent contact with the skin and in effect, the color change. If you use colorless polish then no one has to know what you have done, which is great!
Is there a particular brand of jewelry that is affected this way? Most reasonably cheap jewelry will corrode when they come into contact with sweat, but those made of stainless steel and white gold are quite immune.
Bottom-line: don’t fret over that green color and you won’t have to throw your pieces away.
Cleaning the Green Gunk off your Jewelry
- Start Simply
Just start with a toothpick and try to get as much of the gunk off your jewelry as possible. If it not too strongly stuck, you will be able to get it all off and have them looking as good as new in no time. This mostly works if only a small part of your jewelry is covered in this green gunk.
- A Toothbrush for More Cover
If your toothpick won’t catch much of the gunk, it is time to bring in the larger tools. Try working with a toothbrush and see whether it gets out all the green you have on your jewelry. A pencil eraser does some good scrubbing too without ruining anything on the fragile piece of jewelry.
- Metal Polish to the Rescue
You have scrubbed the jewelry gently with a toothbrush and managed to get rid of some of the gunk, but now you notice your jewelry could use some shine. Metal polish has your back, as long as you apply it gently with a soft piece of cloth. This should also get rid of any green left and return the piece to its original color and shine.
- A Vinegar Soak
Say your pieces were fully covered in that green mess and so you have been unsuccessful in using any of the methods above. You can still try white vinegar as that is the one home treatment that hardly ever fails. What you need is a quarter cup of white vinegar where you will soak the tarnished jewelry for 20 minutes before removing, brushing off the remaining particles with a toothbrush, then rinsing it thoroughly in plenty of water and wiping it with a piece of cloth. Should look as good as new.
- Lemon Juice and Water
If you don’t have any vinegar in the house, you can still make an acidic solution at home using equal parts of lemon juice and water. Soak the tarnished jewelry in the mixture for 15 minutes or longer if the stain is proving difficult to remove, before brushing what remains off with a toothbrush. The solution will remove the stain without tampering with the jewelry’s shine and color.
- Toothpaste, Mild Shampoo and Toothbrush
There are still other ways to clean your jewelry using products you can find at home. Apply toothpaste on your toothbrush the way you would when brushing your teeth and then scrub the gunk off. Toothpaste has chloride and other agents that are quite effective at cleaning without ruining the jewelry’s makeup.
Mild shampoo will do to, when you apply the same method as that of the toothpaste. These products are ideal as they are not only easy to find, but they also retain the shine and original state of your jewelry.
Points to Note
Clean Before Storage: You want to clean your jewelry before storing it to prevent further damage. Try to clean the gunk as soon as you discover it as it becomes harder to clean the longer it stays on your jewelry.
Interaction: Some material such as fake pearls and those encrusted with rhinestones will react to vinegar and ketchup, and so you want to avoid cleaning them using these two products. If you have to, ensure that the cleaning agents do not touch these stones or they will be damaged.
Storage: The way you store your jewelry also matters. If you do not have a jewelry box – normally the recommended storage – then keep them in a zippered plastic bag. Chlorinated water, hair sprays, perfumes, and harsh cleaning agents are enemies of your treasured pieces, and so you want to prevent them from coming into contact. If all this is taken to mind, then you may never really have to worry about the state of your jewelry.
Conclusion
There you have it! A little TLC will go a long way in ensuring the health of your costume jewelry. Just so you know, even gold (except white gold) oxides at times, and so it’s not only the cheaper jewelry that fall victim.
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