Coral: the most useful tips for cleaning and storing it in the right way
Coral jewelry and sculptures are increasingly a rarity: once collected without any regard to damage to the seabed, today they are protected creatures in most of the world and this plus changing tastes in terms of jewelry and design, has made it so that worked coral products are now quite rare - the same thing happened with fur. Therefore, anyone who has at home some object made with this now precious material needs to take special care of it - both in terms of cleaning and storing.
Even products that have not been treated in a particular way, given the porous nature of this material, are prone to damage by scratching or light abrasions. In addition, coral is damaged by substances such as chlorine, alcohol, ammonia, nail polish remover and other chemicals that are often used in normal house cleaning tasks. So, how do we clean and care for coral-based jewelry? Read on to find out more:
- Whenever you wash your hands, apply cosmetics, spread creams on your skin or spray perfume on your body, you should never be wearing your coral jewelry. These, therefore, must be worn only after completing any beauty regime, and in any case should always be taken off when you go to the bathroom to rinse your hands - including after lunch or dinner. It is also highly recommended not to wear coral on very humid days or when there is a risk of sweating a lot.
- Coral objects should be kept in cloth bags, and even those that are padded or a little resistant velvet, so as not to be damaged when coming into contact with other materials or to risk scratching the other surfaces.
Cleaning coral
Coral should never be submerged in water, ultrasonically cleaned or cleaned with precious metal and jewelry cleaning solutions or creams.
- If the coral is covered in dust, use a compressed air cleaner (there are also some very handy ones that are used for computers and ventilation fans in office supply stores)
- If you need to clean the coral, use a very soft and clean cloth (microfiber, wool), rubbing the item gently. If necessary, you can rinse the item with a little water and a drop of soap, but make sure you dry it perfectly immediately afterwards, and without leaving it wet for a long time. It is also possible to use, for cleaning, a slightly damp (not wet) soft cloth to be wiped on the item gently, then always followed up by manual drying with another clean cloth.
There are also various stories (anecdotal, it should be noted) about coral polishing at home, but many can actually damage the soft and porous surface of objects, and, if in any doubt, should be taken to a jewelry cleaning expert.
