Vintage Diamond Wedding Bands
strong>vintage diamond wedding bands
Old Vintage/Antique ring question? (Mostly about the metal used in it)?
While cleaning out my grams apartment, I found a ring, that was hidden in a jewelry box in paper.(She was put into a nursing home, and I'm supposed to get all her old jewelry) I was given the box no one knowing what was in it. It looked similar to this: http://www.jewelryexpert.com/catalog/graphics/Antique-Diamond-Ring-5.gif
The metal on it though was tarnished severly. The picture is almost an exact match. The only thing is the band was almost black in color and tarnished. Can white gold tarnish that bad if it is not taken care of for years? (All her other wedding bands are white gold...with the exception of one that is yellow gold). The actual band was in excellent shape, it was just black...has anyone seen sever tarnishing in a ring probalby bought in the 30's and never really taken care of? (No one really knows exactly how long it was in the jewelry box to begin with).
I'm no expert, but have been through this same exercise with my Gran's jewelry, and my Mom's.
My finding concerning very black tarnished metals [jewelry and tableware] is that the "black tarnished" material was SILVER, or silver plated.
Silver which is exposed to the atmosphere for long periods tends to build up a thick layer of OXIDATION [tarnish, the same as rust is to iron].
Do NOT try to remove this layer of Silver Oxide with abrasive polishes or cleaners like Brasso. That tarnish contains Silver and you don't want to remove it.
Instead use a product that chemically removes the contaminants that mix with the surface of the Silver and cause the black coating.
I have used a product called Tarn-X Tarnish Remover which "CONVERTS" the tarnish back to Silver without removing any Silver. This will leave the Silver, but will not leave a polished finish.
To restore the shiny, polished finished, they have a new product called Tarn-X Silver Glaze which is to be used AFTER using their Tarnish Remover.
Back in the "old days" years ago the only place to get Tarn-X was via TV infomercials. But today it is available at most hardware supply stores, and sometimes at home improvement outfits like Lowe's and Home Depot, and probably at Wal-Mart and K-Mart.
Here is info for contacting the Tarn-X manufacturer. Jelmar, 5550 W. Touhy Avenue, Skokie, IL, USA, 60077.
To prevent damage to the finish of those Silver items, DO NOT soak them in the Tarnish Remover. FOLLOW THE LABEL DIRECTIONS TO THE LETTER!!!!!
Also, on items with uneven surfaces do not try to remove all of the tarnish from within the cracks and crevices as that is what gives these patterns their character. To do this the instructions are to use a clean, damp cloth or sponge and work a small area at a time.
With those items that are tarnished so bad that they are black, IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF PATIENCE, cloth patches, and "ELBOW GREASE!!!!!!"
After the tarnish is properly removed, THEN use the Tarn-X Silver Glaze [a gentle polish and protective film] precisely according to the label instructions.
Do the job correctly and you'll be rewarded with magnificent Silver jewelry and Silverware.
 |
US $1,899.00
| Powered by phpBay Pro |
