I'm making a copper wire and pearl necklace (along with some other things thrown in), and am wondering about cleaning the copper. I have heard that lemon juice can clean copper, but will it damage the pearls? I know ketchup can, but that stuff is hard to get out of the recesses of twisted copper, so I don't want to try that (it's way too messy anyways). Any advice would be appreciated!
Valerie Website:
Vinegar isn't good for pearls, so I'd hesitate about lemon juice as well even though they're different acids. You can buy commercial jewelry cleaners which are supposed to be safe for pearls and soft stones as well as metals.
Celine
Acids are bad for pearls. It eats away the lustre.
My favorite gentle cleaner is Efferdent tablets. It works fast and it's gentle on sensitive stuff like pearls and turquoise. Follow up a soak with drying with a soft flannel and then a quick buff with a polishing cloth (I loooove the new disposable wipes) and voila!
-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs
I never laugh at a good solution .
Deirdre
Thank all for replying. I'll try it out once I'm finished (copper can get very tarnished while you work, as some already know).
Valerie Website:
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