Pearl Cleaning

After my MIL passed away, I found an open box with a broken strand of pearls
inside. They appear to be coated with hairspray and dust. I don't think
pearls can be soaked, so how can I clean them thoroughly? I'd feel terrible
if I ruined them but they may be ruined already...??

I'm sure these beads came from Germany and are probably 50+ years old. I
have no idea if the age or place of origin makes a difference.

Anna W. in Tx

On Tue, 25 May 2004 05:48:57 +0000, Anna W. wrote:

After my MIL passed away, I found an open box with a broken strand of pearls
inside. They appear to be coated with hairspray and dust. I don't think
pearls can be soaked, so how can I clean them thoroughly? I'd feel terrible
if I ruined them but they may be ruined already...??

I'm sure these beads came from Germany and are probably 50+ years old. I
have no idea if the age or place of origin makes a difference.

Anna W. in Tx

What I understand from having a strand of pearls is to wear as much as
possible and wipe down with a damp cloth every so often..

I wouldn't know about extreme measures of the cleaning kind 8-(

Hope they come up alright..

Mavis

Of course pearls can be soaked, think about where they come from! LOL

I use Efferdent tablets to clean pearls. Just put a tablet in a glass, let
it start fizzing, and drop in the pearls. When the fizzing is done, they're
cleaned. Once they're restrung you can still do this occasionally. Just lay
the pearls on a soft towel to let them dry and run a fan over them. They
should be dried quickly so the silk doesn't rot.

KarenK

" Anna W." wrote in message
...
After my MIL passed away, I found an open box with a broken strand of
pearls
inside. They appear to be coated with hairspray and dust. I don't think
pearls can be soaked, so how can I clean them thoroughly? I'd feel
terrible
if I ruined them but they may be ruined already...??

I'm sure these beads came from Germany and are probably 50+ years old. I
have no idea if the age or place of origin makes a difference.

Anna W. in Tx

I don't know about Efferdent, but you can swish them in a solution of mild
soap in warm water, rinse and air-dry on a towel. If they are on a broken
string, but the whole collection in a nylon stocking, knot it, and wash
that. If you google "pearl care", you will find a lot of useful information

Georgia

" Anna W." wrote in message
...
After my MIL passed away, I found an open box with a broken strand of
pearls
inside. They appear to be coated with hairspray and dust. I don't think
pearls can be soaked, so how can I clean them thoroughly? I'd feel
terrible
if I ruined them but they may be ruined already...??

I'm sure these beads came from Germany and are probably 50+ years old. I
have no idea if the age or place of origin makes a difference.

Anna W. in Tx

I use warm soapy water, and here is where it separates the real pearls from the
glass ones, LOL. If they are real pearls they will survive the washing. If
they are glass or plastic-based pearls (as many of my grandmother's were, with
lipstick on them) the coating will come off and you will have ruined your
beads. You will know very soon.


Becki
"In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling
difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

Thanks to everyone that posted and emailed. I have no idea why I thought
pearls couldn't be soaked. I probably had it mixed up with jewelry cleaner.

Becki, you're right. Once cleaned, I'll know whether they're real or not. I
just needed to know the best way to go about it and not ruin them in the
process. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thanks again, everyone.

Anna W. in Tx




"BeckiBead" wrote in message
...
I use warm soapy water, and here is where it separates the real pearls
from the
glass ones, LOL. If they are real pearls they will survive the washing.
If
they are glass or plastic-based pearls (as many of my grandmother's were,
with
lipstick on them) the coating will come off and you will have ruined your
beads. You will know very soon.


Becki
"In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the
crumbling
difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

Anna -- the reason I can tell you this is that I ruined my grandmother's
vintage jewelry (some of it) by trying to clean the lipstick off the plastic
pearls.

Since I adored my grandmother and everything associated with her, I was pretty
upset when this happened. Learn from my mistakes, LOL. If they have
sentimental value, leave the hairspray and dust intact.


Becki
"In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling
difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows