Care and feeding of your vintage silver and turquoise

I am frequently asked about the best way to care for vintage silver and turquoise jewelry so I am happy to offer a few suggestions to insure the beauty and collectability of your historic southwest pieces:

1.  NEVER use silver polish on your old jewelry!  First and foremost it will remove all of the patina and stories about its past, such as who wore it, where its been and what is has experienced!

2.  Use a small clean toothbrush and warm water to lightly brush the debris from the jewelry on the top side and under side of the piece.

3.  Turquoise is a porous stone and will dry out if not taken care of over time.  I suggest that using the natural oils in your skin will be an excellent way to feed the stones.  I simply run the stones along my forehead, cheek or nose, to add a natural luster to the stones.  A Hopi friend and jeweler has suggested that crushed watermelon seeds produce an oil that has been used for centuries to feed the stones.  I have yet to try that method but look forward to the attempt next summer.  

Do you want to know more about Southwest historic art?  Send us an email or text and we’d be glad to post an answer that we can all learn from!