You might collect vintage Omega watches, antique jewellery, or vintage trinkets. There are a lot of different types of antiques that you can collect. Whatever it is that you collect, it is important to look after your antiques and keep them in the best possible condition so that they maintain their value. You do also have to be careful not to reduce the value by doing repair work as sometimes an item is worth more in a tatty state than if you got it fully restored, so it was in an almost new condition. This is something that you will learn with experience and knowledge. If in any doubt at all, you should contact your local antique dealer, who can give you some advice on the subject. There is also a wealth of information available on the internet, which should help to steer you in the right direction.
Jewellery
Image by Zawezome via flickr
If you do a quick search on the internet, then you will find a lot of tips and tricks for cleaning your jewellery using basic supplies that you can find at home.
- Soda Water
- Washing Up Liquid
- Bicarbonate Soda
- Toothpaste
- Ketchup
- Vinegar
All of these products can be found in the average home and can be utilized in cleaning your antique jewellery. You should know what materials your jewellery is made of before you try using one of these home treatments to make sure it is not going to damage any precious metals or stones in the piece. If you are really unsure about this, then you can always take your piece to a local jewellery or antique store that should be able to help you. If they do not offer a cleaning service themselves, they will most likely be able to put you on to a local reputable company that can offer this service for you.
Furniture
Furniture is also a lot different to other forms of antiques. You can easily use a French Polisher and Reupholster your furniture if needed, but this can reduce the value of the item by quite a lot. Any craftsman who is good at their job will tell you the best type of restoration for your piece to make sure that it retains the maximum value. If the value is not the most important aspect for you, and you rather have a good looking practical piece of furniture, then you may even find that some craftsman will refuse to accept the work. If this is required then you will find someone who is willing to do the work for you, but it may take a bit longer to find. These craftsmen can bring back to life a piece of furniture, which is a couple of hundred years old. And somebody who is good at their trade can get the piece looking as it did when it was brand new. It can be quite a long process depending on the state of the piece before you start the process. But in the end, it can be worth it. It might not be cheap either depending on the amount of restoration needed, so you need to weigh this up against the overall value of the item and see what it would be worth if you did do the work. Sometimes you may find having an item repaired will not really add too much value to it, but does make it more aesthetically pleasing to look at.
Watches and Clocks
Watches and clocks are different to jewellery when it comes to cleaning them. You can easily clean the outside of a watch or clock to make it look nice, but you also need to keep in mind the inner workings of the piece. This is something that should not be attempted unless you are experienced. Just like with cleaning jewellery, you will be able to find lots of websites that offer advice on how to clean the inside of your timepiece. Be warned that you may damage the inner workings if you do not know what you are doing, and you may drastically reduce the items’ value. By all means clean the outside of the item yourself, but it is best if you use a specialist service to clean the inner workings. This is not that expensive and your local jeweller or antique dealer like KalmarAntiques.com.au should be able to point you in the direction of a good company that will do guaranteed work.
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Rowena Anderson has written this article, and she is a keen collector of both antiques and also jewellery. Rowena loves to share her experiences and thoughts in the articles and blogs that she writes. Rowena will quite often pay Kalmar Antiques in Sydney a visit when she is looking to invest in a new piece.