Cleaning Vermeil

[bijoux.expert]

Vermeil, which is solid silver coated with a thin layer of gold, sometimes displays black oxidation and this can be unsightly.
Polishing it off will work, however this also removes some of the gold plating and can lead to its total loss in some areas.
The best solution is to dip the item in one of the commercial silver dips that are readily available.
This will transform the oxidation without touching the layer of gold.
It's worth bearing in mind that 18th century vermeil objects were very expensive at the time. In most cases, the gold was applied in the form of a gold/mercury amalgam and the mercury was subsequently burnt off. The amount of gold applied was a good deal more than what the later electroplating process could apply, and with the process being complicated and dangerous, the price was high.

[dognose]

with the process being complicated and dangerous, the price was high.

viewtopic.php?t=16653

Trev.

[bijoux.expert]

Thanks for that.

[JayT]

What I use to clean vermeil is a product made for cleaning “gold” bathroom fixtures. These are much less toxic to the environment and to people, and are much less abrasive than commercial silver dips, which I never would consider for cleaning silver or vermeil.