This is a emotionally difficult post to write, but if you've had this experience or know someone who has had their jewelry damaged but not melted because it was in a fire, I'm going to tell you how to save it and make it look new.
I can't give you a photo demonstration because our home burned 20 years ago, but the photo above is a few of my pieces I saved.
Just a couple of days before our fire, we had gone out of town. All my gold pieces I had packed in a plastic jewelry box for traveling. Other than loosing them, nothing could have been worse. My Son found this big chunk of melted plastic and jewelry.
Off and on for a year I would get the mess out and pry my jewelry of the chunk of plastic. It was still coated with black thick film of plastic and gunk. I placed it in a safe place and a couple of years after the fire I saw a commercial, I don't even remember what it was for, but they were offering a free booklet how to clean old gold with oven cleaner.
A light bulb went off in my head.....oven cleaner cleans really burnt on crud off the oven. I had nothing to loose by giving the oven cleaner a try.
Figuring out how to, was risky and frightening, but it paid off.
1) I lined a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
2) placed the jewels on the cookie sheet and baked it until it was hot to the touch (350 degrees)
3) Took them out of the oven when they got hot to the touch. Immediately sprayed them with the oven cleaner.
What was happening was a miracle ! I rinsed them good with water and repeated the process( changing the aluminum foil each time) until all the melted plastic and gunk was gone !
My jewelry looked as if nothing had ever happened and new again.
The cabochon Garnet ring didn't escape with out damage. The heat from the fire had cracked the Garnet, but I found the antique jeweler I had purchased the ring from and she was able to find another large Garnet and replace mine.
UPDATED INFORMATION
A few weeks ago my neighbor and her sister inherited some beautiful antique copper cookware. Really old....they were family treasures and had been used buy their Grandmother with many years of use. I gave her my tip ...to place the kettles out in the sun, let them get warm, then spray with the oven cleaner. It worked ! Their kettle had been used over open fires to make apple butter, so if you have a copper treasure that needs cleaned, this method works on copper too.
*NOTE.....I have not tried cleaning Silver with this
method
12 comments :
My dear friend left her diamond rings on the stove in a pot on high for hours until they were charred black. I will tell her about this article. This is awesome. Thank you.
Oh, no !
Let me know. Janet,, if it works for her.
Thanks for commenting
Glenda
December 15 2018 our house burnt. The inside was totally gutted. On February 14 2019 the demolition equipment operator and his son sifted through debris where our jewelry had been. I was amazed that they found some of them. Yes they are gross and look like crap, but I now have my class ring back. I graduated in 1976. I was so excited to find your post. I cannot wait to try this. I have nothing to lose. Let you know later how it came out. Thanks!
Hello.. Nice Blog and very informative. I think that the Best Way to Clean Jewellery is by using contact Lens Solution. I will definitely use these Tips to Clean Custom Jewellery.
Me & my mom just lost our home n the neighbor did too. We lost everything. I have been digging cause my mom can’t she has smoke inhalation and a infection in her lungs from the smoke. I need to clean jewelry and silver belt buckles. Please help!
Anonymous,
I am so sorry for your loss.
It's so hard loosing everything and the things you have will become precious memories.
Please take care of yourself, never say " what if" and embrace your new identity.
You can message me at gjrieck@hotmail.com with any questions I can help you with.
I think this is an informative post. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. gold jewellery
Thank you Alex. I appreciate hearing from you.
Very good tip!!
Thank you.
I lost my home in an arson fire about a year ago. I was able to sift through the rubble and find some of my family jewelry. Grateful for your advice and to know I’m not alone in this! ❤️
Anonymous, I'm so sorry for your losses. Experiencing the tragedy leaves such devastation on the heart, mind & soul. Good luck with the clean-up and my thoughts are with you.
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