Cleaning Vintage Costume Jewellery

[pastafreak]

What is the best method...that will not harm older materials? I recently bought a pendant that is about 45 years old. It's a base metal that looks like pewter. The back of the piece has some verdigris,and there's some dark deposits on the front. The front is also quite itricate-with inset glass and cabochons,and incised decoration of the metal.

[tonyav]

If it's pewter then how you clean it will depend on what finnish the pewter is, pasta.
http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-clean-pewter/

[pastafreak]

I should have said...it's a base metal *made to look like pewter*. I think the base is actually copperas I can see a hint of it on an edge that may have been cleaned too enthusiastically in the past.

[tonyav]

Does that mean the base metal has been electroplated, pasta ?.

[pastafreak]

I'd assume so...I don't really know much about the manufacturing process.

[tonyav]

Probably is, pasta. So just use some soapy water on a soft scrubbing brush, don't use anything abrasive or it will wear whatever it is plated with.