[Jewelry making - Article 00118] - Re: [Orchid] Refinishing tortoise shell

[Dian Deevey]

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    A couple of years ago a box with a tortoise shell veneer was shown on
    "Antiques Road Show".  Much of the surface of the veneer was dry and
    dull looking.  The antique expert explained that the problem was very
    easy to fix, and she demonstrated by gently rubbing in a small amount
    of olive oil. 

    It worked on the TV program and I promptly tried in on a very long
    necklace of tortoise shell beads that restringers had "washed",
    removing all the shine and leaving a very dull surface that
    eliminated the beautiful play of colors the beads had originally
    had. (I suspect they "cleaned" the beads with an ammonia-detergent
    mix of some kind.) 

    I tried the olive oil trick, and the polished look and the glowing
    colors came back almost entirely after two treatments.  (Olive oil
    on a clean cloth rubbed on the beads.) 

Dian Deevey


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