Beautiful Celtic Jewellery Galore

Taking Care of Celtic Jewellery

February 16th, 2008

It can be observed that most of the traditional Celtic Jewellery is made of plain precious metals. This means that there are no insets of precious stones and if there is, it is very minimal. The modern types of Celtic Jewellery are now made with semi-precious and precious gems that help enhance their appeal, appearance and value. Taking care of Celtic Jewellery will greatly depend on its style because plain precious metal jewellery and those that are studded require varying degrees of care.

Plain Precious Metal Celtic Jewellery

Be it Silver, Gold or Platinum your Celtic Jewellery has to be taken care of properly in order to preserve its value. The care for your jewellery should depend on the kind and design that you have. By its nature, Celtic jewellery has a lot of intricate designs. This is of course very attractive and adds to the visual appeal of the item. But it can also be a medium forgathering dirt and may even make cleaning difficult.

Well, there is no cause for worry. If your Celtic jewellery is made of Sterling silver, your utmost problem will be tarnishing – especially if it is not used regularly. For tarnish, you can use commercially available silver cleaners or polish to help remove the discolouration and to regain the metal’s luster.

For other metals like gold and platinum, you can expect less tarnishing. A periodic cleaning may be necessary in order to regain the luster and shine of the metal. For these preciousmetals, (also applicable to silver) you can wash the jewellery in lightly soaped water. Soak it for a few minutes, scrub it very gently with a baby’s toothbrush and dry it thoroughly.

Remember not to use a hard abrasive brush on your gold metal since it will scratch easily.

Jewelled Celtic Jewellery

Other variations to Celtic jewellery are those that are jewel encrusted or at least have a precious stone or two incorporated into the design. If you have this kind of Celtic jewellery then you have to take special care in cleaning them. If you are not careful, you can cause the stone’s setting to loosen.
The cleaning process would also depend on how the stone is set in the piece. Check if the stone is held with the traditional metal setting or if it is set with the use of jewelers cement.

If it is held in position with a prong type attachment, then you can clean the piece by soaking it in warm water and brush it lightly with no concern for damage. For this kind, always make periodic visits to your jeweler in order to re-fasten the setting. If it is set with jeweler’s cement however, you have to be careful not to soak it for longer than 1 or 2 minutes and you should not use hot water in doing so. Make sure that no jewellery cleaning liquid find their way near the setting as it can soften or dissolve the cement.
Taking care of your Celtic valuables is quite simple, always wear it with pride and give it a little care and respect.