How to Care for Ancient Brass Jewelry
- 1). Clean your antique brass jewelry properly. Using a soft cloth or toothbrush, apply a small amount of brass cleaner to the jewelry. This should wipe on and then wipe off. Rinse the jewelry item thoroughly with warm water and then dry completely with a soft cloth. In lieu of brass cleaner, both Worcestershire sauce and ketchup can be used. The acid in the tomatoes of each product react with the tarnish and clean it. Use either product straight from the bottle without diluting.
- 2). Store your antique brass jewelry properly. Brass will tarnish more slowly if stored in a plastic baggie that has been lined with anti-tarnish paper. Special jewelry cases are also available for this purpose.
- 3). Avoid harsh chemicals. The excessive amounts of chlorine in swimming pools and hot tubs can be overly harsh for both the brass and any mounted gems. Sports, cleaning and excessive sunlight are other things to avoid when wearing brass.
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