[Jewelry making - Article 00920] - Re: [Orchid] Cleaning pearls

[Therese L. Hirko]

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    Dear All: I used to use Ivory liquid to clean pearls until I noticed
    that nowhere, on any Ivory products are the ingredients listed.  I'm
    not an expert on FDA regulations, but I believe that it is a
    regulation to list ingredients on all cosmetics, soaps, drugs, etc. 
    Be that as it may, I concocted my own cleaner that is pure with no
    harsh chemicals or detergents.  I take 4 ounces of pure glycerin soap
    (no perfumes, no dyes, etc.) or a bar of castille soap (olive oil
    soap with no dyes or perfumes).  Both of these can be found in the
    baby care section of a grocery store or in a health food store. 
    Unless you clean an enourmous amount of pearls, this concoction will
    last you months!  I use my food processor with its vegetable grater
    wheen and grate up the soap.  Then I put in in my crock pot with 1
    quart of distilled water, put the lid on, turn it on low and let it
    go all day.  I have it in my studio, and I only need to do this about
    once every six months.  I stir it every now and again, when I take a
    bathroom break.  When I notice that the soap is all melted, I turn
    off the crock pot, stir it well and pour it into an old coffee can,
    or anything that has a wide mouth.  I use one of my son's old baby
    bath towels (okay so I save everything!) and wet it with warm water
    and smear just a little of this glop on the washcloth.  I clean the
    pearls individually and then rinse the whole strand really well. 
    This also cleans the silk if it's not too dirty.  If the silk is
    dirty or I can see from my initial inspection that it has stretched
    or frayed, I usually recommend that they be re-strung also.  I
    actually show the customer what I see because I have a gem microscope
    right there.  I have found that this glop is very gentle on the
    pearls and basically is nothing but olive oil soal and distilled
    water.  I use distilled water, because of the chemicals that they put
    in the tap water down here in Mississippi to make the water
    drinkable. This is not a hard recipe, and the all of the equipment
    goes right into the dishwasher afterward.  Make sure that you don't
    use too much glop because a little goes a long way.  I figure if it's
    gentle enough for a baby's skin and cleans the baby well, it should
    be safe enough for pearls. 

Greetings from Therese Hirko at Pterne Designs in Brandon Mississippi.

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