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Cleaning and repair tips for rhinestone jewelry by Tinayuan
Rhinestone jewelry is not the same as silver, gold or diamond jewelry and in spite of its name, it does not contain any precious metals. So in essence it is costume jewelry – but very beautiful costume jewelry. It is made from a base metal alloy and some of the more expensive pieces use brass as this base metal. The lifespan of such jewelry is shorter than that of jewelry containing precious metals and therefore the coating will wear off over time.
Rhinestones are usually glued in place in the settings of the metal. This method of setting the gemstones is called casting. Prong settings are also used for rhinestone jewelry with each stone set in an individual cap and held in place by means of four prongs.
Cleaning Rhinestone Jewelry
Rhinestone Jewelry needs to be cleaned on a regular basis and care must be taken in this process not to damage the stone itself. If you use a commercial jewelry cleaner you do have to read the label to make sure it is suitable for rhinestone jewelry because some of these contain caustic substances that could destroy the backing on the piece of jewelry. Water is not suitable for use either because it will cause the foil coating to tarnish and destroy the look of the jewelry or it could cause the foil to separate. The best course of action to take when cleaning this type of jewelry is to use a soft cloth dabbed with a small amount of rubbing alcohol.
Rhinestone jewelry does have a shorter lifespan and no matter how well you care for it, it will tarnish over time. When this happens there is basically very little you can do to reverse the process. Even if you rarely wear the jewelry and keep it separate from other pieces in your Jewelry Box or armoire, it will deteriorate over the years. It should be stored in an airtight plastic bag to reduce the impact that air has on the base metals. The interaction with the air is what causes the tarnishing to develop.
Repairing Wholesale Shamballa Bracelet
If you have a rhinestone chain that is broken you have two options in carrying out the repairs on your own. Sometimes the break occurs in the chain as a result of pulling it too tightly, which causes the T connector to snap. In order to repair this you must remove both the T connector and the cup from the chain by using a pair of needle nosed pliers to gently pull the cap apart. You will also have to gently pull the prongs that are holding the rhinestone apart and straighten the stone.
Once you have removed the stones closest to the break in the chain, you then must insert two “i’s” into the cup. Then squeeze the cup closed and bend the prongs to keep the stones firmly in place.
The second method of repairing rhinestone jewelry is to use a thin wire that you wrap around the link next to the break in the chain. Continue wrapping the wire until you cover the break so that you secure the rhinestones in place. You do have to be very careful with this procedure so that the repairs won’t be noticeable.
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January 12, 2012 5:40 am 
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