Jewelry Cleaning Equipment
Whether a statement of personal style or a piece that holds sentimental value, jewelry is often very important to the wearer. This is why we craft beautiful jewelry boxes to house our precious things and why we want them to retain their shine, luster and sparkle. There are a wide variety of cleaning methods, from homemade cleaning solutions to special jewelry brushes. However, as technology has advanced, so has jewelry cleaning equipment. Now we have professional quality machines available to the public, such as steam, ultrasonic and ionic jewelry cleaners. Does this Spark an idea?
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Jewelry Cleaning Racks
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A cleaning rack is made especially for hanging rings, necklaces, earring and bracelets that need to be cleaned, usually in a machine such as an ultrasonic cleaner. The purpose of the rack is to keep your jewelry in place, so that it doesn't get tangled up or damaged. Racks either have a polycoated or stainless steel surface to further protect your jewelry. If you have a lot of gold, silver or platinum chains, then a rack might be the best option to keep them from tangling together. You should also inspect your items before putting them into a jewelry cleaning machine to make sure there are no loose stones or settings.
Steam Jewelry Cleaners
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Steam jewelry cleaners use blasts of steam to clean dirt, oil and grime. The advantage of this cleaning machine is that it needs absolutely no chemicals to work--most steam machines simply run off of tap water. Steam cleaners normally come with a basket to hold all your jewelry items, along with tweezers to safely extract items once they are cleaned. A water funnel and measuring cup will make the machine easy to fill with water.
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Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaners
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Ultrasonic cleaners not only clean jewelry, but sterilize medical equipment and clean delicate items such as eyeglasses. The word ultrasonic comes from ultrasonic energy waves that create microscopic bubbles either with cleaning solution, or with pure water. These energy waves effectively loosen dirt particles from jewelry with small crevices or intricate detail.
Ionic Jewelry Cleaners
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Ionic jewelry cleaners utilize an ionic cleaning process instead of steam or ultrasonic waves. This machine uses an electronic charge to clean jewelry, which works very similar to an ionic air filter or hair dryer. When you switch the machine on, positive ions attach to the dirt particles, grease and oil on the surface of your earrings, rings or chains. The ions are then pulled away toward a negatively charged container, effectively carrying away the dirt and grime as well. Ionic machines are considered safe for cleaning softer gems such as pearls and opals.
Polishing Cloths and Wipes
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Jewelry polishing cloths come imbued with a chemical that cleans jewelry by removing dirt, grime and tarnish, while protecting it from future tarnishing. This chemical is called jeweler's rouge, a buffing and polishing compound developed by jewelers specifically to clean jewelry. It is also called 'red rouge', and is mostly used to polish metals, but can be used for other surfaces as well. Combination cloths have one side with the chemical and one side without. The side without the chemical cleaner is meant just for polishing and wiping off any excess residue. Jewelry wipes are made for the same purpose, but these wipes are disposable and come in a pop-up dispenser.
Baskets and Tweezers
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Baskets vary in size from small hand-held versions that are meant to hold small jewelry items such as rings, to large mesh baskets that can hold a large amount of necklaces and bracelets. The baskets are normally made to fit into ultrasonic, ionic and steam cleaners and in the larger machines you can fit two baskets side by side. The baskets are made from mesh so that dirt particles loosened during the cleaning process can slip through the mesh to the bottom of the machine. With steam cleaning machines, tweezers and pliers are used as clamps or holders for jewelry, and most have plastic coating on the end to insulate and provide protection from the chemicals or heat.
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