Cleaning cameo ???

Yep Marie, your method is how I use what I call amonia "windex" (in fact it is a professional cleaning stuff I put in a spray!), I usually never soak or wet rhinestones, but this desperately dirty and already damaged butterfly needed a quick all over spray and rinse
As you can see, it is far better looking now

 

I once unfairly accused a seller of passing off a plastic cameo as hardstone because of the way it felt to my fingertips. Naturally she was indignant. After I cleaned off her 'professional cleaning' I realized the fake feel was coming from the coating left by the product used.

 

Thank you so much

 

To clean cameo, first remove any accumulation of dust and then rinse using warm water. After careful rinsing, dry the cameo by patting with a soft, cotton cloth. It is not advisable to let cameos soak in water. Also, avoid contact with harsh chemicals or cleaners.
I hope this is useful!

 

Reading through these comments, I've realized that I need to start caring for my cameos more than I have been! I typically clean them with some dish soap and water if they are dirty when I get them, but I think I'll start soaking them occasionally too. I have a few questions:

1. How often should I soak my shell cameos? Would 1-2 times a year for a couple of hours suffice?

2. Do coral cameos need to be soaked?

3. Has anyone experienced problems with the cameo settings being soaked? From what I know, my cameo settings are gold, silver, or gold filled settings (although none are actually hallmarked).

 

Opinions/preferences on this vary, so hopefully some of our other collectors (@PepperAnna @mirana ) will share their practices too.

Seems as though very few cameos I buy are display-ready when I first get them. Nearly all need a wash & brush up. Shell & hardstone go in for a bubble bath, so shell pieces get hydrated that way.

It has not been my practice to soak the shell pieces again after that. It would be an ongoing rolling project to do it, but certainly wouldn't hurt them, at least I think not. There is a question in my mind as to whether pieces that have already developed stress fractures would be better or worse off, whether pressure from the bezel would be increased by the shell swelling slightly?

Coral may be dyed. Very deep red pieces are particularly suspect. Coral doesn't seem to get dirty or crack in the way shell does, perhaps because of its enamel-like finish & basic structure. I can't recall ever seeing a discussion of soaking coral pros & cons. Think con, in the name of caution.

Lava is very often dyed. Just getting a drop of water on a piece can leave a mark. It's porous, so will take water up. I have one little lava piece that does benefit from some time in water. The variegated color says it's not dyed. It has fractured; after a soak it does not rattle in its frame:



I have soaked ivory, not leaving too long, without a problem. Once checked on a piece only to find it was turning translucent. Was scared that I had damaged it, but when it dried out it returned to its original appearance.

For me, soaking is contradicted if the design of the mount is such that water is going to get in but have a very hard time getting out again. I have never had a problem with the metal of a setting itself getting wet, including silver and brass, as long as it can get dry again.

Oiling. Some people swear by it, with mineral oil being the preferred substance, applied after soaking. It can lessen the appearance of Byne's scars & does brighten up dull shell. However, as someone who lives in a place where 'dust' is black, I just see oiling as creating a grime magnet & of course you would not want to oil a piece you actually wear. Those who oil usually express the intention to wash & re-oil at least once a year, but have to wonder how often this plan is carried out.

That's my take. Will be interested to hear how others manage their menageries.

 

@Bronwen Thank you for such a well-thought answer! I appreciate the time it took you to put that together!

 

I think I have at least mildly soaked (say half hr) most all shell or hardstone cameos when I've gotten them, using Bronwen's recommendation of a drop of dishsoap in a bowl of water, and then a soft toothbrush. For big jobs like below, sometimes a much longer soak (overnight) still doesn't do the whole job, and I'm impatient. Then I'll put on magnification glasses and use dental picks (pushing against the dirt--not scraping) to pop stuff off.





If the shell still has a Byne's or a residue, then per Bronwen's advice, I use an eraser to remove it. She uses a type-writer eraser, I use a white rubber one. I'll trim a pointed and edged sliver off to get in the tiny areas and work at it.



I never soak them again after that and don't think they need it unless to clean. However, I live where it is about 100% humidity so there is plenty of ambient moisture. If you live in a desert YMMV.

I only have one coral brooch and I don't think I soaked it...just used dish soap, water and the brush to clean the faces because they were dirty. Coral is of the sea so I'm not to concerned about it. Bronwen brings up a good point about dying so you might test the back first?

I've never had an issue with a setting either. I think maybe the only time I'd be concerned is a closed-back piece, or something with foiled glass.

That is so interesting!! It makes sense if you think of it similar to how our nails will do the same thing...

I would never oil them. I tried it exactly once, with the above Juno, and it only succeeded in making the shell attract copious amounts of lint and dust literally immediately from the air and my handling it. It took several soakings to completely negate the oil. The minimal extra shine wasn't worth the grime attraction to me. I think oil being used with wood is where this idea comes from?

 

I don't know how it got to be recommended cameo care, but I wondered whether collectors of seashells oiled their specimens, so contacted a woman from whom I had bought a number of shells & asked. She was enthusiastic about it, although described a technique different from putting oil on a cloth & wiping it on.

She also believed in hydrating shells. What she told me didn't quite make sense, that she added oil to water in which the shell was soaking, since the oil would float on top, not mix in. But I can imagine the oil leaving a thin layer as the shell was pulled out of the water, so maybe this is a more efficient way to distribute it.

Guess the bottom line is that it doesn't harm them (not recommended for anything other than shell), can improve appearance, creates its own issues.

 

Yeaaah mixing water and oil is.....not a thing? And if what you're describing was her intention I feel she would have mentioned that specifically. Hmmm.

 

She may have been so familiar with the process that it didn't occur to her to explain that bit. Our communication was via e-mail, and not everyone is not good at giving written instructions. It really does sound like giving the shell a bubble bath.

 

@mirana Thank you so much! This is great advice and those before and after photos are amazing! I've seen some in the condition of your first "before" photo and have written them off as bad cameos, but now I see how much potential they have!

 

Just to add my 2 cents... I soak my cameos in tepid water with a couple drops of dish soap for 30 minutes or so, then brush gently with an old toothbrush to remove the dirt. Will repeat until all dirt is gone. Sometimes I use a long straight pin to carefully remove dirt in cracks if it has not been removed with the toothbrush. I don't oil my cameos because I found it just collects more dust.

 

This is the before & after I always show:

 

Thank you! They're very satisfying to "save" and uncover the surprise underneath. To be completely fair, the Bacchante I waited to buy for several months because I could tell she had a little damage on the right and she was priced quite high (to me) for her deplorable and unknown condition. But she haunted me. I could see the carver put great detail on her, she had nice proportions, and a fairly raised leaf effect. So I made an offer that was accepted and I crossed my fingers.

The second one came in a very cheap lot of what the seller thought was costume cameos. So I knew if she was too far gone the investment was low.

The more of them you see, the more you can identify the grime you know you can beat or reduce, I think.

 

Here is my best "before" and "after"

 

This one taught me to keep an eye out for grimy pieces and I scored my first hardstone (seller thought glass) for ridiculously low money that way. The difference in her is amazing!

This one I always think it looks soooo delicate that the flowers look like porcelain instead of carving. Amazing.

 

What a fantastic transformation! The detail on it is stunning and the before and after is so satisfying. What was the black residue on the back?

 

It seemed like it was some kind of paint. It took a long time for it to soften in water. Some of it really took a strong scrubbing. I decided to stop because I was worried about breaking it. It is very satisfying to see what the artist really intended for it to look like. The carving is so lovely.

 

Blimey. I need to get the Fairy liquid out.