Amber products are distinguished by their beauty and luxury; this stone is widely used in the manufacture of jewelry and handicrafts (for example, boxes, figurines, paintings) due to its unique shine and variety of shades. But often (with improper and irregular care) jewelry stops shining, becomes cloudy and acquires a patina, so in this article we will tell you how to clean amber at home quickly and effectively.
Amber jewelry always attracts attention
What makes amber cloudy?
Gem jewelry appears dull for several reasons.
Fracture
The impression of turbidity is created by cracks on the surface of the stone. They appear due to careless handling of the stone. Therefore, following the care rules is crucial:
- Store it in a box lined with soft fabric on the inside. Bags are not suitable - the beads will rub against each other.
- The box is placed away from heating sources, cold window sills, and places with temperature changes.
- Beads or a bracelet in a box are not placed together with other jewelry in a frame. Metal parts will scratch the amber, and in proximity to them it will become cloudy.
- Cracks will appear if the stone is dropped or hit.
You should not show off your jewelry in the cold, in a steam room, sauna, or similar places. Amber left in open space for a long time loses its luster.
Spotting, fading
For amber, interaction with cosmetics, household chemicals, and dirty hands is harmful: they leave stains or stains. Jewelry is put on when makeup and perfume are applied. Taken while doing household chores.
The stone has a special relationship with the sun. Prolonged exposure to the scorching rays of the sun is useless, but gentle baths will restore radiance.
Features of storage and carrying
The above rules are necessary to know for those who are interested in how to clean amber jewelry. However, it is equally important to comply with the storage conditions for such items. They are as follows:
- Amber jewelry should be stored separately from other items. It is recommended to cover the inside of the box with a soft cloth.
- Do not keep metal products near jewelry. Such a proximity will cause the stone to become cloudy.
- Should be stored in a dry and dark place.
- After wearing, it is recommended to immediately wipe the stone with a soft cloth.
- It is necessary to prevent perfume from coming into contact with amber.
In order for the sunstone to retain its original shine for a long time, a number of recommendations should be followed:
- do not keep amber products near heating and other devices that change the temperature in the room;
- remove jewelry when going to the sauna and steam bath;
- Before picking up the stone, you need to wash your hands;
- Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight and open air. Because of this, the amber becomes cloudy.
If the sunstone becomes cloudy, you can use the tips below for cleaning your amber.
General rules of care
In order for the stone to remain sparkling, it requires care. It is useful to learn how to properly clean amber jewelry:
- To care for amber, only soft fabric (flannel, velvet, fleece, microfiber) is suitable. It is recommended to use a new one.
- Smooth beads and cabochon inserts are cleaned with a napkin. Embossed, in gold, in a different frame - with a cotton swab, a brush with natural bristles, a soft toothbrush.
- After each water procedure, the amber is rinsed and immediately wiped dry. If you put it off until later, the stones will fade again.
- Stones cleared of dirt are polished. Oil is applied to fabric or palms, but not to stones. Each bead or insert is rubbed separately in a circular, leisurely motion.
- Polishing amber is time-consuming: to clean amber beads at home, you will have to sacrifice your weekend. But without it, restoring shine is problematic. New amber is polished at the factory to make it shine.
Cleaning natural amber at home will become less tedious if you wipe off sweat and dust from the jewelry immediately after wearing it.
Washing with clean warm water is beneficial.
PROCEDURE FOR SALON CLEANING
Like any cleansing procedure, cleaning with amber requires preliminary preparation: makeup remover, degreasing the epidermis with lotion or milk, and a wet compress to open the pores.
- It is recommended to steam oily skin for about 20 minutes, for normal skin 15 is enough, and dry skin will be prepared in 6 minutes.
- The peeling itself is carried out for 5 minutes on a dehydrated face and 10 minutes on patients with increased activity of the sebaceous glands.
- A light massage is carried out directly according to the composition, then the face is cleansed with a damp sponge with water or tonic using circular movements.
Types of amber rejuvenation:
- manual;
- using a mechanical apparatus with a brush;
- vacuum apparatus.
How often to exfoliate
When planning your budget, take into account the frequency of sessions by skin type:
- Fat type – up to 3 times a month (depending on the problem).
- Normal – 1–2 times a month.
- Dry – once a month.
How to revive clouded amber
Cloudy beads and inserts can be cleaned of plaque using different methods. Cleaning methods depend on the cause and degree of cloudiness.
Dustiness
Even a box cannot save amber from dust. If it starts to become cloudy, simply wash it off:
- The container is filled with boiled or filtered water and ice is added.
- The decoration is left in the water for 5–7 hours or until the morning.
- Take it out and blot it with a soft flannel napkin.
The container is chosen so that the jewelry is placed in one layer.
Soaking is beneficial: you don’t have to fuss with each bead. The use of ice adds shine to amber.
Pollution
Serious contamination makes the stone dark. There are several ways to clean it.
Oil
Each pebble is treated with a napkin soaked in olive oil (almond oil is also suitable). You don’t need to take a lot so as not to get it into the gaps between the gem and the frame or other recesses. Remaining oil will collect dust and dirt. When absorbed, polish. Oil levels out minor scratches.
Salt
To make amber shine, using salt is effective. The decorations are left in the solution (27–30 g of salt per 210–230 ml of boiled warm water) for 15–25 minutes. Dry on cloth. Polish with a woolen cloth and rub with oil.
Paraffin powder
For amber that has become very cloudy, use a mixture of paraffin and baby tooth powder. Paraffin is rubbed on a grater or rubbed on a cloth, and powder is poured on top.
Knead the mixed components until smooth:
- coat the stone;
- polish the surface;
- the remaining mixture is removed with a napkin;
- rub with a dry cloth.
The method is applicable for removing heavy stains, smoothing large scratches, and filling cracks on the surface of amber.
Soap
Children's or soft varieties are suitable. The order is as follows:
- Prepare a solution: a tablespoon of crushed soap or 27–35 g of gel per about a liter of warm water.
- The product is immersed for several minutes.
- Each insert or bead is wiped with a damp cloth.
This method is used as a last resort.
Ammonia
Heavily contaminated items are left in a weak solution of ammonia (9–12 drops per 210–230 ml of water) for 5–8 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and wipe with a soft cloth. Ammonia is used rarely and carefully.
Features of cleaning amber jewelry with precious metals
If your amber jewelry is framed in precious metals such as platinum, gold or silver, pay special attention to cleaning.
The most effective cleaning of such products is considered to be treatment with washing powder with ammonia. Use powder without active ingredients or bleach, as well as distilled or boiled cooled water and a soft brush for cleaning.
Progress:
- Add 2-3 drops of ammonia to a small handful of powder.
- Apply the cleaning solution to the surface of the jewelry and scrub with a brush for 7-10 minutes.
- Rinse off any remaining substance with prepared water.
- Polish the stones.
Please note that this method is not suitable for cleaning cut items made of blackened silver or rhodium. For such jewelry, only careful polishing is suitable, otherwise the surface of the metal will wear off over time.
How not to restore amber
To clean natural amber at home without spoiling it, follow the following rules:
- Strong household chemicals, alcohol, and pastes used to clean precious metals or other stones are contraindicated. Never use these products: their components will change the composition of the mineral, causing permanent whitishness.
- Products should not be cleaned with abrasives, brushes, sponges - scratches will remain.
- Do not wash or clean the gem with hot water.
- Cleaning with a steam generator (or steam from a kettle) or ultrasound is prohibited. The steam will destroy the amber, and cracks will appear from the ultrasound.
- You should not use toothpaste: it penetrates into the cracks, causing the mineral to turn green.
Luxury jewelry is not washed, but wrapped in a damp cloth, then wiped to enhance shine. We also recommend that you watch the video on what not to do with amber.
A split or crack in a stone is not yet a tragedy
If it happens that your amber splits or cracks form on it, do not consider the situation hopeless, but contact a jeweler as soon as possible. It is better not to try to correct such damage on your own, because you can damage the stone even more. You should not put off going to the jeweler, since the edges of a damaged stone may change its properties, and over time it will become more difficult to restore it. A master who has the necessary tools at his disposal will help repair the damage and give the stone its original appearance.
Amber is an unusual and somewhat magical stone, so it should be treated with love and attention. This is a real miracle of nature, which should not be hidden in boxes, so you need to carry it on yourself, take care of it, saturating it with sunlight and energy, then cleaning it with running water and carefully polishing it. And the amber stone, in gratitude for this, will give you its warmth and wondrous shimmer.
Cleaning from energy negativity
Adherents of the paranormal are sure that amber is affected by external negative energy. A porous mineral absorbs it more strongly than others; having accumulated, it becomes cloudy.
There are two ways to clean amber:
- Water . Rinsing a pebble under it, you imagine how all the blackness is washed away. The procedure is carried out on the waning moon, preferably on the final three days of the lunar month.
- Moonlight . Decorations are displayed in an open space or on a windowsill. The duration of the procedure is three nights, from the full moon.
The mineral, freed from negative energy, should shine. If the stones have not changed after magical or ordinary manipulations, it is most likely a fake.
Polishing
Sometimes it is not enough to simply clean the amber; it is also necessary to carefully polish it to restore the beauty and natural shine of the raw mineral.
First of all, you can only use soft cloth:
- fleece;
- flannel;
- velvet;
- lint-free microfiber;
- felt.
Movements should be neat, soft, circular. It is necessary to wipe the stone in this way until a beautiful shine forms on its surface.
To make the effect even more impressive, you can entrust the raw stone to GOI paste: apply a small amount of paste to a soft cloth and carefully wipe the surface of the stone with it.
Important!
You cannot use GOI paste if there is even a small crack in the amber, otherwise the entire mineral will turn green.
Complex products
Cleaning amber beads, bracelets or figurines is usually not difficult. How to refresh larger items - for example, amber paintings?
If you need to remove dust from the product, just carefully walk over it with a brush with natural bristles. But if it was not possible to get rid of dust in this way, the brush should be wetted and the procedure repeated. Large amber elements can be wiped with a damp microfiber, and then polished using a velvet cloth or flannel.
Amber chips often accumulate dust in the smallest cracks; getting it out with a brush is quite problematic, so you just need to carefully blow on the product. The dust will disappear, and all that remains is to simply brush over the surface.
Cleaning products containing amber inserts should be carried out with extreme caution; chemicals and alcohol-based preparations should not be used, as well as hard brushes and sponges. Only in this way will amber products be pleasing to the eye and retain their sunny charm for many years.
