Native American Indian Jewelry Information

Let’s move on to a slightly harder subject to clean; a bolo tie.  Bolo ties add a bit of complexity to cleaning turquoise jewelry because of their leather braided cording.  If you spray this cording with the silver polish spray you will find that the leather seems to absorb the polish spray making it hard to wipe away.  Also, the braiding of the cords make it additionally difficult to remove the dried spray polish.  So what to do?  I have found a fairly simple way to attack this problem; take the bolo tie apart!  Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds!  First, the tips.  Bolo tips are typically held on my nothing more than the sharp grooved teeth at the top of the tip.  When the artist slips the tips over the braided cord, he gently bends the little teeth inward to grab the leather and stay put.  To remove them, simply reverse this process.  Gently bend the teeth away from the braided cord.  Once you get them all, you should be able to easily remove the tips.  Once removed, the tips can be cleaned as simply as the turquoise ring example from earlier.   Once clean, simply slip them back onto the corded braids and gently bend the teeth back into place.  In my next blog I’ll explain how I clean the reverse side of the bolo tie without getting spray on the tips.

Now for the basics of cleaning.  Let’s a take a turquoise jewelry example, like the turquoise ring pictured here.  To clean this ring with the Hagerty’s Silver Spray you will need a few other items; a clean dust free cloth (I use my old cotton t-shirts), a small cleaning brush (old toothbrushes work great!), and some q-tips.  When using Hagerty’s spray, always be sure to have adequate ventillation.  Also, the spray may stain some fabrics, so don’t use the spray over your favorite Persian rug!  To begin, I wrap my hand in the t-shirt.  This helps to keep my hands clean as well as protect the ring from the oils found on hands and fingers.  Next, shake the spray can.  You will hear a marble inside the can mixing all of the contents.  Spray a generous amount onto the ring, remembering to get the inside and back.  Let the polish dry for a few minutes.  You’ll know when it’s dry by the spray changing from a clear glaze to a white / pink film.  You can use a common hair dryer to speed the process along.  Once dry, use the old toothbrush and Q-Tip to gently brush away the polish from the grooves, nooks and crannies.  Finally, use the t-shirt to wipe the remaining polish away, and then continue to use the t-shirt to buff the silver to a high mirror finish.  You’ll probably be surprised by how easy it is.  Not hours of rubbing until your arms are tired and spent.  Nope, just a few little rubs and there you have it!

This is a common question, and as such, there’s lots of answers.  I’ll talk about what I do to clean turquoise jewelry, but it’s not the only answer; just mine.  Feel free to experiment and to research other methods.  No matter what kind of turquoise jewelry you are cleaning, such as turquoise rings, the process is pretty much the same.  First the “what” for cleaning jewelry.  For simple everyday cleaning, believe it or not, soap and water will do wonders.  Since turquoise is soft, and absorbs liquids, the simple and mild hand soap or dish soap with a little water will get rid of most built up dirt.  To get rid of tarnish, however, I use Hagerty’s Silver Spray Polish.  It does a great job, it’s easy, and it’s safe on stones.