Featured Worth A Cleaning? Single Earring

I bought a pile of singles and broken jewelry recently for a very reasonable low price. Trying my hand at repair and learning what things are has been a new endeavor of mine.

One among many, this little earring caught my attention because it looked elegant. I think it’s a base metal, perhaps brass coated in something? The hook does not look original. The top adornment looks like marcasite. The middle I can’t tell if it’s green glass or a sliver of chalcedony. It bares resemblance to a ring I have which I know is chalcedony. The bottom is iridium glass and glows beautifully under black light.

My question to you lovely folks is, do you think this is worth trying to clean up and string on a necklace? Or is it best to leave in the condition it’s in and string it anyway?

 

Did you forget your photograph?

Debora

 

Technical difficulties

Fixed it.

 

That thar's a loong dangly one!!!! But PRETTY!!!!

 

Huh, the ear wire itself looks like silver but the rest doesn't. Maybe the wire was a replacement for another wire that fell off.

Anyway, not sure how well you'd be able to clean that without running the risk of the marcasite and other piece falling out. Maybe try wiping with a damp cloth; anything more than that and I'm afraid the glue might come undone. Though if it does, a little jewelry glue would secure it right back in.

Love the color on it!

 

That was my fear too. The pieces look glued on, I would hate to weaken the hold. However your right that a few little tweaks would fix that easily. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

 

I'd vinegar that. Won't hurt the glue.

 

I looked at it closer under light and magnification and the marcasite is clamped into place by the setting, surprisingly.

Do you just rub vinegar on a rag and wipe it down?

 

So it is, in a millegriffe setting. After the vinegar wipe, I would give it a rub with a sunshine cloth.
It would make a pretty pendant.

 

I stick it in an egg cup full if it's really cruddy.

 

Here is the cleaned piece. I removed the earring hook and gave it a vinegar bath and this was after a bit of rubbing down with the shine cloth. I am satisfied, I like some patina in the cracks to emphasize the design and still show some age. I’ve got some green beads I think would compliment this as well. Thank you everyone for your recommendations!

 

That's come up nicely!

 

Great result, B.

It may have been made that way.

Are you going to make it into a necklace? Will you show us?

 

Absolutely! It may be a bit while I rummage for a chain and bail among all my repurpose knick knacks but once I get something I’m satisfied with I would be delighted.

 

Wow! Great result! Keep on the good job, on the way for nice BMRTisations

 

Hello everyone, it took a good while but here is the finished necklace. I took a plain chain that had no adornments but seemed close to the finished look of the earring. I removed a small round jump ring from another old earring that has that same brassy look and used it to attach the earring. The small glass flowers I had from ANOTHER old earring. Those I fixed onto the two tiny chains which came from a broken bracelet. They are also uranium glass. I may add more to this later but for now I am satisfied with it.

 

Thank you!

I feel justified for my “keeping all that old junk.” I catch grief sometimes from the Mr. because I have a small sack full of old broken pieces of jewelry. They came in handy this time ha ha!

 

Only a sack full!!

 

Nice work, that looks excellent.