I recently came across this method of restoring aged pearls to their original luster on a Web site that has been discussed here a few times (
Shecy Pearl Jewelry).
This is a quote from their site.
Quote:
11.Will my pearls turn yellow with age? If so, how can I return them to their original color?
If your pearls start to yellow, dipping them in hydrochloric acid may restore their color and luster. This will dissolve the outer calcite layer, exposing the aragonite underneath. However, if your pearls have been yellow for a long time, it may be difficult or impossible to restore their original color.
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Before any of your run out to you local chemical supplier to buy industrial-size barrels of hydrochloric acid, please note that I am posting this quote tongue-in-cheek! The pearls would dissolve into a bubbly calcium blob within seconds. Please, please do not follow their suggestion
In years past "pearl doctors" could treat dull spots with alcohol or a weak acid to restore some of the beauty of aged pearls. These are the same pearl doctors who could peel pearls with a small blade. This is not something you want to try at home on your $10,000 Mikimotos.
Often, the grease excreted from the skin's talcum glands will combine with a pearls surface aragonite platelets blocking the thin-film interference that creates the optical phenomenons known as luster and orient. This is why pearls need to be cleaned on a regular basis.
Mikimoto himself used alcohol on a cloth. This is not a great method any longer as so many pearls have been over-treated and the nacre has already begun to dry out. The best method for cleaning pearls today is a damp, sterile cloth. I say sterile because if the cloth has any acids on it, the pearls may be damaged. Leather, for example, has been treated with acidic tannins which can damage a pearl.