If you have old, worn out, seen better days costume jewelry just lying around gathering dust don’t throw it out. You can revitalize those dirty, outdated and broken pieces by following a few simple steps:

Worn out gold or silver plating:

Because typical costume jewelry plating is very thin it can eventually rub off from wear or become damaged from the use of harsh chemicals, creams, or perfumes. If this happens there are several options in gold and silver re-plating solutions that can be found online. Some are fairly simple and can be performed without the use of heat or electricity while others are a little more complex. I found one website in particular that offers a very good variety of plating options (e.g. immersion plating, pen plating) and general plating instructions for precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, and rhodium. It is http://www.shorinternational.com. Click on the contents and search box and then plating gateway. One word of caution: I would recommend buying only cyanide free plating solutions as cyanide is poisonous. For silver lovers there is one product that I have personally used that has worked well for me and it is called Silver Brite. This easy to use cream polishes, cleans and re-plates in one step. It is very easy to use and fairly inexpensive. Just rub the cream on with an applicator sponge or a Q-tip for small items and rub off with the buffing cloth that is included with the kit. The result is a shiny, clean silver finish.

Tarnished or dirty:

Cleaning costume jewelry is simple but choose your cleaner wisely. Only use a jewelry cleaner that specifically states that it is safe for costume jewelry and read the ingredients to make sure that it does not contain alcohol, acids, or ammonia because these can strip the gold or silver plate. Use a children’s soft bristle tooth brush for cleaning around costume jewelry stones. I do not recommend submerging rhinestone jewelry as the stones may become loose and fall out.

If your costume jewelry items are only lightly tarnished a good buffing with a soft dry jewelry cloth may do the trick. For more heavily tarnished items a jewelry polish can work wonders.

Loose or missing stones:

If a stone such as a cubic zirconia, plastic, or glass has become loose or fallen out a drop or two of super glue will do the trick. Just be careful not to use too much. You certainly don’t want the glue to leak out and cause the piece to stick to your skin or another object. Most of the time a single drop will suffice unless it is a very large stone in which case you may want to use two drops. If you cannot find the missing stone there are companies online that sell loose cz stones if you have a special chain or ring band you want to salvage. Simply do an internet search for cz stones.

Broken clasp:

If your necklace or bracelet has a broken clasp make sure it is the actual clasp that is broken. Be sure to check the jump ring which is a small metal ring with an open spot where the clasp attaches to the chain. If this is the problem it can be easily fixed. First identify what kind of clasp it is. There are several types (e.g. lobster clasp which is shaped like a lobster claw and has a tiny spring loaded lever, a magnetic clasp which is just as it sounds) then visit your local craft store or do a search online for jewelry clasps and you should find what you need. If the clasp is soldered on you will need to contact a jewelry repair professional.

Outdated:

If you want to provide a more contemporary appeal to your older costume jewelry pieces its easy to mix and match. If you have a pendant with sentimental value bring it to life with a more modern chain. Add new charms to your favorite bracelet or re-plate that old silver necklace with a shiny new gold finish. Be creative!

There are people who by nature have the eye for the right jewelry. Just a mere look of a piece and they can easily identify if the jewelry is good or not and how much it is worth. But a big part of jewelry lovers still need to be careful and scrupulous so as not to be fooled by fancy trimmings and settings offered by designers. Celtic jewelry is quite the popular set of jewelry pieces nowadays. Men’s Celtic jewelry and silver Celtic jewelry are one of the most sought-after art pieces in the modern times.

The Celtic History and Celtic Jewelry

Celtic jewelry has a very rich history. Celtic ancestors have shown passion in symbols and myths bringing back great Celtic legendary heroes and heroines like Conan, Dierdre, Emer, and Bran. These great epics have become the inspiration of the different Celtic jewelry designs today. The intertwining and rich coloration added with visual geometric symbols are likewise seen in men’s Celtic jewelry.

Caring for Your Celtic Jewelry

Some types of jewelry do not require much attention in terms of taking care of them, like silver Celtic jewelry. Since silver is made up from soft metal, it cannot easily scratch. But it is always advisable to take off any jewelry when working with hard and sharp objects. And beaches are not so friendly with almost any type of jewelry. The sand can leave terrible scratches on fine pieces, and what’s worse is there is a great tendency for jewelries to fall off.

Chlorine is the worst enemy of all gemstones and jewelries. Repeated exposure to chemical can tarnish your Celtic jewelry. Silver Celtic jewelry will turn blue black or grayish. Should you wish to remove tarnish over a piece of jewelry using a liquid tarnish remover, see to it that there are no stones on the piece, otherwise, you will be adding damage to your Celtic jewelry.

Silver, by nature, can be bent easily but frequent bending can make the piece brittle and hard such that when it is being bent more, it can break. It can be remedied by simply bending back the silver carefully and slowly and using no pressure at all. The safest step for any damage in your men’s Celtic jewelry is to bring them to a professional jeweler. In this way, you can save your Celtic jewelry safely. Further, silver Celtic jewelry should be kept in individual cloth bags so that scratching from one another can be prevented. A good piece of jewelry of whatever kind should be treasured and taken care of to make it last a lifetime. Remember, just like any other material assets you possess, the value of jewelries increases in time.

The Celtic Jewelry Site

If Celtic jewelry is what you are looking for, then check out the website Irish Indeed! The site offers an array of choices, from bracelets, bangles, pins, brooches, earrings and rings, name it and you’ll have them at Irish Indeed! You will find men’s Celtic jewelry that is also available in a wide range of sizes.

I love silver jewelry! From chains, to charms, to gorgeous Native American pieces, Sterling Silver makes the most elegant jewelry. If you’ve had problems with rashes from white gold, toss that gold/nickel piece and go for the luster and glow of silver!

Ugly black or gray tarnish is the enemy of the beauty of silver. What is tarnish? Simply put, it’s caused by the surface of the silver reacting with sulphurous fumes. Where does that sulphur come from? Somewhere in the environment, and I don’t like to think that it’s in the air, but it must be. Tarnish can also form on silver that’s been stored with rubber bands (why??), felt or wool.

The best way to keep your silver jewelry from tarnishing is to wear it frequently. Now that’s advice that’s easy to take! Frequent contact with your skin will help to retard tarnish formation. Clean the jewelry with a soft cloth after each wearing.

The next best way to stop tarnish from forming is proper storage. If you’re a collector, and you can’t wear all of your silver jewelry frequently, store it in individual zip-lock bags with an anti-tarnish strip. They’re inexpensive and available online through jewelry supply companies, and at fine jewelry stores. The strips are safe and non-toxic, and last about 6 months.

OK, you’ve got a beautiful piece of silver jewelry that’s been in a box somewhere, or you just bought it at an estate sale, and it’s black with tarnish. What to do?

An easy and eco-friendly way to clean silver is with soap and water, followed by a baking soda treatment.

First, wash the piece with soap and water to remove surface dirt, dust, oils, perfume or hair spray. (be sure to put the plug in the sink first!)

Next, line a pot with heavy duty aluminum foil, or use a disposable aluminum pie pan. Put the piece of jewelry in the pan, and cover it completely with baking soda. The piece should be in direct contact with the aluminum. Carefully pour boiling water over the baking soda so the piece of jewelry is covered. This is also an interesting science experiment, since you are creating a chemical reaction. The kids might want to watch.

Before long you’ll see tiny yellow or black flakes in the water, and the aluminum foil will be turning black. The sulphur in the tarnish likes aluminum better than it likes silver, so it’s attracted away from the silver and turns the aluminum black.

After a few minutes, lift the piece out of the water with tongs or a fork, and see how it’s doing. It shouldn’t be long before your silver jewelry is sparkling and tarnish-free. Once it’s clean, rinse it in clean water to remove all traces of the baking soda and dry it with a soft cloth. Rubbing with the cloth may remove any stubborn dark spots that remain. If the piece is severely tarnished, you may have to repeat the procedure.

I’ve seen baking soda paste used to clean silver, but this is not recommended for your fine jewelry pieces. The paste is an abrasive, and will leave tiny scratches on the surface of the silver. Not a good idea. Also, baking soda paste will be very difficult to get out from the settings around pearls or stones.

Toothpaste should never be used to clean silver. Some toothpastes contain baking soda or other ingredients that are much too abrasive and will scratch the piece.

A very easy way to clean slightly tarnished pieces is with a silver polishing cloth, available at jewelry stores and on line. I’ve used one for years, and it takes tarnish off with a little elbow grease. Chains are particularly easy to clean with the cloth – just wrap the chain in the cloth and run it up and down the chain. Black streaks appear on the cloth as the tarnish comes off the chain.

Once your silver jewelry is tarnish-free, wear it often, store it properly, and you’ll see very little tarnish adding its ugly color to your beautiful silver.