Removing tarnish from rondelles

[lary007]

I can't even imagine him being 17 I am thoroughly enjoying this stage!

 

[Heidi]

@JerseyPearl thanks for the warning!

I haven't had a chance to do anything with these yet - my 1 year old got diagnosed with strep and my husband got the flu all in the same week

I am definitely going to do the Dawn and water method first and then maybe try the Bar Keeper's Friend on a string. I keep that at my house anyway.

I will update once I get around to it!

I hope all are on the mend in your house!

Hopefully a nice soak on these rondelles does the trick.
Worth noting: Bark Keeper's Friend has oxalic acid in the ingredients which can be a bit of an etchant. For my own metalsmithing work I use Bon Ami if I am going to use a cleanser of any kind other than a soap or grease cutting detergent. And I keep it to metal, not ever on a gem. Using anything acidic, I neutralize with baking soda and a thorough rinse.

For gems, following is a handy list of Y/N from one of my fine jewelry teachers - as always, YMMV but these conservative guidelines are intended to prevent any damage during fabrication or repair. (And we all know that solid nacre pearls can be pretty durable - but they don't test as "tough" on the mohs scale.) If you try something after a soak to budge the gunk/whatever it is, either alcohol or acetone are worth trying before an abrasive method IMO.

Gemstone Toughness* Steam Ultrasonic

Alexandrite excellent yes yes
Amber poor no no
Amethyst good no no
Aquamarine fair no no
Citrine good no no
Coral fair no no
Diamond good yes yes
Emerald poor no no
Garnet good no no
Iolite poor no no
Lapis Lazuli fair no no
Opal poor no no
Pearl poor no no
Peridot poor no no
Ruby excellent yes yes
Sapphire excellent yes yes
Spinel good yes yes
Tanzanite poor no no
Topaz poor no no
Tourmaline good no no
Turquoise good no no
Zircon fair yes yes

 

[pattye]

Heidi, thank you for new cleaning tips and gemstone list reminding us gentle treatment is best. I didn't know about Bon Ami.