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About Thomas
Expertise
Have a question about jewelry repair or working with precious metal jewelry and gemstones? I am a working professional bench jeweler, involved everyday with setting stones in mountings, designing and making jewelry, repairing and limited custom manufacture. Over 30 years experience. If you work with jewelry as a hobby or as a profession, I might be able to help. I deal with the retail business, not mass production. Ask privately if you wish. See the box for that: It keeps your question between us. Please DO NOT ask MAKER'S MARKS, but metal quality marks are fine to ask. Please DO NOT ask diamond prices. See a gemologist for that.

Experience
I have near 35 years experience at the sort of jewelry work I do.

Education/Credentials
Education is English/Physics! Started in human resources, to advertising, to jewelry...wow, what a road. Now a jeweler for many years. I have had formal training in jewelry work and many shared experiences with top grade jewelers. We just never know were we will go or be. Follow your best, your dreams, with some discretion! Don't let the work tear up your body along the way.

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Jewelry, Gems, & Minerals - White Lustrium

Expert: Thomas - 11/9/2009

Question
My daughter has a white lustrium class ring. She tried to clean it with Tarnex...AAAAGGGGHHH! Now the metal is all cloudy. What can we do to bring back the luster. Can we buff it? and how do we get the inside shiny again? Please help. The ring was too pricey to sit in a drawer.

Answer
Nancy, with the higher prices of precious metals traditionally used in class rings, manufacturers have developed substitute metals to provide a durable and attractive ring at a much lower price than charged for gold or silver.

I have always thought gold class rings were certainly overpriced but you have to pay the price if you want the ring. The substitute metals are not precious metals but do provide a viable alternative to precious metal rings. Redoing finger size on these substitute metals is a definite factory job and in some cases a new ring is made in the correct size rather than try to size these metals. Then again, many jewelers will not size the traditional heavy styled class rings in gold either due to problems in duplicating the finishes of the factory item.

Ok, so it is time I got directly to your question. I suggest this ring be taken to a jewelers and be buffed with a polishing compound. The metal is a chromium/nickel alloy and I do not know exactly what effect the strong Tarnex™ might have had on the metal surface. A jeweler should be willing to try and polish the ring with your understanding that all might not come out perfect.

For the future, try to find a good chemically treated polishing cloth of the sort you use
"as is" and simply throw away many polishings later when it quits working. Sunshine Cloth is one brand but there are others. These are sold by silver tableware sellers, jewelers and some crafts shops.

Best wishes. It should work out ok. God Bless and Peace. Thomas.

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