Why do the wash off water comes out so black with black particles after soaking gold in it?

Why do the wash off water comes out so black with black particles after soaking gold in it?

Just warm soapy water I soak for a day

It's so so satisfying, I washed it second time again still comes out super black and gross with black particles at the bottom but the gold was pretty shiny the day before? What gives?? Where is the black stuff coming from? Oxidizable? I tried to search online and found no answers.

They are antique gold chains.

Such a satisfying experience when I wash off the black stuff from gold and silver by soaking and brushing ahhh.... And watch it sparkles more and more

 

what karat are the chains ?

 

Haaah don't look at things with a loupe if you aren't prepared to see some uh human....debris. There can be things caught in crevices. But a lot of black off a somewhat clean solid gold piece that has no other bits attached is concerning. I usually see some debris when it has a setting with old glue or...human....crud.

 

I think the nine carat kept having black stuff coming off. It's the second time I soaked and washed already and it still keeps coming out. So oddly satisfying and gross though!

 

I washed it with a new to me 18 carat one it came out so black and disgusting, I'll try washing the 18 one alone and experiment next time, maybe it's some kinda alloy. 9 carat longer guard was like pooing out of black ness, so gross it feels like it's a living thing purging feces

 

Eww lol..

Hmm could it be my chains are all fake? I'll go get it xrf today

How to clean the foil back pieces? Cannot touch water right? I don't want to think about how dirty it actually is, I'd rather just not know then..

 

could we see a photo....or two.....or 27..

I can't even picture what you're going thru....

 

You should see what happens with an ultrasound bath.

 

Hahaha I saw one when I was researching! So disgusting yet satisfying!

Like those cringe pimples popping videos online were


But I wonder how? It looks clean so where did the black stuff come from?

 

Of the chains? I'll wear them and take a photo for you later

 

I'm quite fascinated by it

It's so disgusting I can't stop thinking about it

 

Chains have lots of tiny crevices, all sorts of gunk can get lodged in there. You can soak real gold chains for a couple of hours, days even. It won't hurt them.

I can tell.

 

Speaking of dirt in chains.... the worst are snake chains! They seem shiny and polished till you let them soak in soapy warm water, if there is no other material than metal, I boil them!

 

This thread is gross

and satisfying

 

Yup, like cleaning crud from bling.

 

Or cleaning 70 years of accumulated beeswax polish+dirt from an intricately carved Javanese box. (Like carving it all over again, this time using pins.)

 

I have a set of dental tools that I use in sculpting and they (very gently, pressing not scraping) came in handy on 170+ years of crud on a piece with tiny carved details so I know the feeling. Definitely gross but satisfying!

 

Cleaning the Javanese box involved a lot of headshaking too. At my grandmother, although she never knew.
The box was gifted to her when she was a young girl, and she was responsible for the accumulation of beeswax. At least she polished it regularly, so now that it is clean it is in good order.