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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bronwen, post: 289708, member: 5833&quot;]Yes, you absolutely must get rid of the verdigris as much as you can.&nbsp; Think some of the other members can give you tips on how best to do this, but since it is a corrosive process that spreads, you do not want to let it go.&nbsp; If you think you might put your new wall decoration under glass, please read this (it&#039;s good to know anyway):</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/byne-s-disease" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/byne-s-disease" rel="nofollow">http://cameotimes.com/index.php/reference/byne-s-disease</a></p><p><br /></p><p>The matter of oiling is personal preference.&nbsp; It can make aged shell look shinier.&nbsp; It does not protect against Byne&#039;s &amp; makes the cameo a dirt magnet.&nbsp; If your new decoration will leave the shells exposed to the air, you may not want this.&nbsp; It also has to be redone periodically to maintain the effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>I asked a dealer in seashells about this, since shell collectors have the same issues.&nbsp; Her recommended method was to let the shell/cameo soak overnight to rehydrate, add baby oil, which will form a thin layer on top of the water &amp; spread itself around on the shell/cameo as you slowly draw it out.&nbsp; Then comes the soft, dry cloth.</p><p><br /></p><p>Caring for cameos is an unsettled issue.&nbsp; Everyone has their own way.&nbsp; Some try to be as stringent as museum curators are, using deionized or at least distilled water instead of chlorinated tap water to clean; oiling/not oiling; trying to control humidity of air; trying to control acidity of surroundings.&nbsp; I am lax.&nbsp; Only a few of my cameos are ones a museum would actually want, and they are all hardstone.&nbsp; As beautiful as many of the others are, I am not charged with preserving the cultural heritage of a nation.&nbsp; If chlorine takes off a few molecules of shell...&nbsp; I am careful not to put them in the conditions that can lead to Byne&#039;s.</p><p><br /></p><p>That&#039;s all I can think of right now.&nbsp; I&#039;m a bit flustered and would have gotten back to you sooner, except a friend&#039;s cat who has been staying with me suddenly bolted out my opened apartment door, ran down the stairs to the lobby &amp; before I could get her a neighbor came home and she ran out of the building &amp; up a tree.&nbsp; You can see her and some of my other cameos on my introduction forum thread:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.antiquers.com/threads/time-for-cameos.21433/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/threads/time-for-cameos.21433/">https://www.antiquers.com/threads/time-for-cameos.21433/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>I will either get back to you myself or ask one of the people with more general knowledge about jewellery to be in touch on the verdigris.&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie100" alt=":writer:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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