REJUVENATING JEWELLERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19215, 2 January 1926, Page 6 (Supplement)

REJUVENATING JEWELLERY.

Years ago it vras commonly supposed that all one needed to do to clean jewellery and add lustre to precious stones was to bathe them in honey. To-day, says a jeweller in the Christain Science Monitor, each gem calls for a special method. Diamonds which are dirty or faded are washed in warm soapy water for a minute. After drying on clean, soft flannel they are rubbed with good eau-de-cologne and wiped thoroughly. Turquoises are never washed in water; they are rubbed for a minute or two with a soft rag to which methylated spirit has been applied. This stone often changes colour. If one of them turns from a beautiful blue to sea-green, the method is to "skin" and re-polish it. Water is seldom used for_ cleansing pearls. If methylated snirit is not at hand they are gently rubbed with a little whitening on a camel-hair brush and polished finally with a chamois leather. The fact "that opals will crack when in contact with too much heat, calls for the utmost care in cleaning them. There are several preparations specially made for cleansing these gems, and the work can seldom he undertaken at home with any degree of safety. Jet is cleaned by nsing the merest trifle of good olive cil on a soft cloth. The oil is first thinned by warming it, and is allowed to go almost cold before application. Plain jewellery is washed in a soapy lather of lukewarm water. After drying, a few rubs with a chamois leather produce the desired lustre.

In cleaning gems a bright, dry day is always chosen. This is because damp and foggy weather makes all gems appear at their worst, and one cannot readily see the defects sufficiently to correct them. Cleaning may reveal defects which require treatment, by a specialist. No amount of cleaning will restore pearls which have lost their vitality or which have become black with age. Rubies also demand expert attention. Providing the deterioration is checked in time the lustre may be restored by massage.