Skip to main content

Cleaning Copper Plated Leaf Earrings

On our last visit to Canada in 2014, DH bought me 2 copper plated maple leaf pendants that I turned into earrings. I had chosen this patina (orange tinted) copper plated ones because it reminded me of their fall colours. Weren't they pretty?


Little did I know, copper does not do well in humid areas, as they tarnish very easily. In a short couple of years, my beautiful copper plated maple leaves turned ugly black and green... :(


This morning I Googled cleaning tutorials for these types of jewelries and came across Frosted Leaves.   They had various care instructions on their page, and Wanda kindly responded to my inquiry regarding my earrings. She also warned me that the patina earrings cannot be cleaned without removing the patina so after cleaning there will only be the regular copper colour left.

I tried their aluminum foil and baking soda method, but it didn't help that much. This was how it looked afterwards...


So I became desperate and tried the lemon juice method...

What I did was put them in a small glass (about 200 ml) and cover them with hot water. Then I squeezed a quarter of lime (I think it was about 1/2 tablespoon) into the glass. It took about 30 seconds for one and twice longer for the other one. The difference was visible right away. Then I used the white toothpaste and toothbrush just because it felt like I should. Haha...
Then I rinsed them well with tap water (not hot) and dried them. This was how they look afterwards... Not bad, eh? They are still wearable even though the patina is gone. Maybe I will do it again one more time and get more shine out of them.

If you know of any other method, please let me know!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nintendo Switch Sleeve Tutorial

Hi! I'm Kirana from woofkiki.blogspot.co.id . I am going to write an introduction for this blog post. We bought a Nintendo Switch in Japan.  I really liked it and played with it almost everyday. If you're wondering what a Nintendo Switch is, it is a video game where you can basically  "switch" everything. The joy-cons and even the game! You can also connect it to your TV. It would be nice to bring it around with you, but when you put it in your bag... Oh no! The screen scratched! So, this is a sleeve that will fix that. Let's get started!😊 Kirana Now the tutorial (by Kirana's mom)... 1. Make your pattern according to the picture below. It is basically a 6"x24" rectangle with a semi circle at one end. Note: this is not a printable pattern 1. Cut your outer fabric, lining, and batting(optional). In this tutorial, I used minky for lining and a pre-quilted fabric for the cover, so I didn't need extra batting. For batting, I recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where To Eat in Medan, North Sumatra

  If you talk to anyone about Medan, the number one thing that comes up is definitely the food. The distinguished Chinese-Medanese cuisine is known to Indonesians as exceptionally delicious. Just as famous is the Batak cuisine with its pork dishes and others. Now that we've been to Medan, these are our recommendations! Macehat Coffee Macehat is famous for their Avocado Coffee drink, but they also offer snacks and coffee beans. I've heard so many rave reviews for this coffee shop, but my final verdict is: it's ok, just so so.
Post a Comment
Read more

Nasi Tumpeng - Yellow Rice Mountain Recipe

Last week, one of my friends posted a picture from her daughter's birthday with a "Nasi Tumpeng" in it. Traditionally, in Java and some other places in Indonesia, this mountain-shaped rice dish is served for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations. Below are some pictures of full blown Nasi Tumpeng platters. From satelitnews.co From bundatwinskitchen.files.wordpress.com From indochili.com Impressed yet? Well, the fore-mentioned friend offered me to come over to her place and learn how to make it so of course I gladly went! I am well aware of my cooking capability (and patience) so we made a much simpler (and smaller) version of it.  For the rice you need: 2 cups uncooked rice 1 cup coconut milk (you can put more or less depending on your preference) 1 stem lemongrass 2 bay leaves (dried or fresh) 2 lime leaves (dried or fresh) some turmeric (powder or fresh) water Here's the how to: ...
3 comments
Read more