| The earliest civilisations of China, Egypt, Greece and | | | | treated effectively with a proprietary silver dip. Great |
| Rome made bronze coins and statues, ad bronze | | | | care should be taken when cleaning the antique with |
| was later used to cast bells and cannon - the original | | | | silver dip, especially when the base metal is exposed. |
| Victoria Crosses were made from bronze of Russia | | | | Just a quick in-and-out dip and rinse with clean warm |
| cannon captured in the Crimean War. It finally became | | | | water. Clean any remaining bad spots with a paste of |
| extremely popular with British and Indian craftsmen in | | | | French chalk and methylated spirits, or in warm water |
| Victorian times for casting small statuettes and art | | | | with a few drops of ammonia added. The older the |
| objects that today, have become rare and sought | | | | antique piece is the more likely the silver or silver plate |
| after antiques. | | | | will react to the cleaning process, so care should be |
| Bronze ages well and acquires its own patina in | | | | taken to apply cleaning agents in small doses. |
| various shades of brown or blue-green. It needs no | | | | For polishing silver antiques it is best to use a long |
| polishing, but wipe it occasionally with a soft, dry cloth. | | | | lasting silver polish, this will save the piece from |
| Corrosion, however, is common. Bright green spots - | | | | continual cleaning and prolong its life. Scratched |
| sometimes called bronze disease - starts in a small | | | | antiques can be remedied by rubbing with jewellers' |
| area and spread swiftly like a rash to cover the whole | | | | rouge or fine crocus powder. Wrapping silver antiques |
| object. Remove the corrosion either by scraping | | | | in tissue paper and placing it in a polythene bag will |
| carefully with a knife or by heavy rubbing with a brass | | | | protect and keep it shiny indefinitely. |
| brush. Do not use a steel or wire bush, which can | | | | Craftsmen throughout time have also fallen for the |
| damage the antique surface and cause the corrosion | | | | shiny allure that gold presents. Antique gold jewellery |
| to reappear later. Swab heavily corroded areas with a | | | | has been found dating as far back as 3000BC in |
| 10% solution of acetic acid solution in water. If the | | | | Mesopotamian burial hoards. The purity of gold is |
| antique has a broken piece, soft solder it and colour | | | | expressed in carats. A carat is a 24th part, so |
| the shiny solder joint with a bronze-coloured lacquer | | | | 22-carat gold contains 22 parts of gold and 2 parts of |
| until it blends in with the adjacent bronze. It is also | | | | other hardening metals. This evaluating system is what |
| possible to use bronze wax gilt, but this is not as | | | | gives gold antique pieces its value. Period and |
| durable as lacquer. | | | | craftsmen also have a lot to do with the value of a |
| Silver has been used for making jewellery, ornaments | | | | specific antique piece. |
| and utensils for at least 5000 years. Valuable antique | | | | Because of the value of gold, its repair and restoration |
| pieces should be taken to a specialist craftsman for | | | | is best left to an expert goldsmith. If gold antiques |
| repair or re-plating. Silver is usually hard-soldered at the | | | | become dull, the shine can be restored by, polishing |
| joints, but the soldering temperature, especially of the | | | | with either a jewellers' rouge or chamois leather. Small |
| surrounding metal and the base metal under silver | | | | items such as rings can be burnished with a piece of |
| plate, is crucial. The work is tricky and much damage | | | | polished steel, such as a knitting needle, but this method |
| can be caused to antiques by inexperience. | | | | should not be used on engraved metal. Clean gold |
| Both silver and silver plate tarnish and corrode quickly, | | | | antiques by washing them in warm, soapy water and |
| especially in coastal areas: salt in the atmosphere | | | | polishing with a soft cloth or chamois leather. |
| causes silver chloride to form. Corrosion can be | | | | |