How to Care for Pewter Jewelry

Care for pewter jewelry with gentle cleaning products.

Pewter combines a mixture mainly of tin with other complementary metals. As long as pewter is a product manufactured in the United States, it will not contain lead and will, therefore, not tarnish over time. The anti-tarnish feature of pewter makes it an ideal metal for jewelry because it takes little maintenance to keep pewter looking beautiful. Care for pewter jewelry with gentle cleaning techniques to maintain its quality and beauty.

Things You'll Need

• Soft cleaning cloths
• Mild hand soap
• Pewter polish
• Old rags
• Tissue paper
• Jewelry box

Instructions

How to Clean Pewter Jewelry

1. Moisten a soft cloth with water and wring out the cloth so it is merely damp.

2. Apply a small dot of hand soap to the cloth and work the soap into light bubbles.

3. Rub the moistened cleaning cloth carefully over the pewter jewelry. Handle the pewter jewelry with extreme care because pewter is a soft metal that could easily bend or break if you exert too much pressure on it.

4. Rinse the cleaning cloth with water to remove the soap from the cloth.

5. Wipe the rinsed cleaning cloth over the pewter jewelry a second time to remove soap residue.

6. Dry the pewter jewelry with a dry cloth.

How to Polish Pewter Jewelry

1. Polish pewter jewelry only infrequently when you feel it looks dull. Apply a small dot of pewter polish to an old rag and apply the pewter polish to the pewter jewelry in gentle strokes along the grain of the pewter. Rub the polish in gently with the rag.

2. Rub the polish off the pewter jewelry with another rag to remove all remnants of the polish.

3. Buff the pewter jewelry with a soft cloth to finish cleaning the pewter.

General Care of Pewter Jewelry

1. Keep pewter jewelry away from extreme sources of heat because pewter will melt easily.

2. Remove your pewter jewelry and do not wear it while you engage in activities that may damage the pewter. Examples of these harmful activities include sporting activities, housework, gardening and construction.

3. Store pewter jewelry carefully by wrapping it in tissue paper or a soft cloth and placing it in a jewelry box where it will not be bumped or scratched.

References

• Vintage Jewelry Lane: Pewter Jewelry
• Blue Nile: Pewter