Restoration of coral or turquoise jewels
More people are contacting our historic company in Torre del Greco to request advice or an intervention for the restoration or restoration of jewelery in coral, turquoise, cameo or other materials.
Over time, even precious objects tend to wear out, losing their luster or weakening, until they are completely broken. Precisely to meet the new needs of our customers, we have chosen to specialize in the restoration of jewels, acquiring important skills for the recovery of the natural beauty of necklaces, mounted jewels or statues. Our precious restoration and restoration service concerns the materials that we have always been used to dealing with, such as coral, turquoise, lapis and cameos.
Deterioration of coral
The causes of the change in the appearance of the precious can be different. In most cases it is due to the organic nature of the materials. The organic elements that compose them and that push us to consider them alive, change with the variation of certain conditions.
In the case of coral, the loss of luster is relatively recurrent. Natural coral has a dull appearance. The glossy finish that distinguishes coral necklaces and coral jewelry is obtained at the end of the manufacturing process in an artificial way. Over time, the glossy patina tends to disappear, and so it becomes necessary to act on the surface of the coral, to restore the brilliance present at the time of purchase. This is a minimally invasive, simple and quick step. It takes a few days of work to regain its initial splendor.
Oxidation of turquoise
Similarly, also for turquoise jewels there could be a change with respect to the initial luster, but not only. In this case you might notice a real color mutation. Turquoise, the natural stone used to make the turquoise used in jewelry, is a stone with a high copper content. This means that natural turquoise artifacts not only lose their surface luster with the passage of time, but are also subject to a real change in color: shades of blue will gradually tend to green. This transformation is caused by the oxidation process of copper, accelerated by contact with air, humidity and acidity of perfumes and skin sweat.
It is not said that with a restoration intervention it is possible to restore the beautiful blue color, but in our laboratories in Torre del Greco we have specialized in restoring a color similar to the original one with specific techniques, which involve the use of hydrogen peroxide in very high volumes. The hydrogen peroxide adequately used for recovery baths and some precautions, will allow you to revive the color with a few days of work. This is just an intervention phase. The entire process is characterized by specific recovery actions, essential for restoring shine.
Restoration of coral and turquoise
The restoration of the initial conditions of any artifact is closely linked to the wear of time, but also to the use made of the jewels. It is important to treat your precious items with extreme care and keep them in suitable places, especially for living materials such as coral and turquoise. Not infrequently we are commissioned to restore objects in coral or turquoise that are little worn or little exposed, but kept in inappropriate places, such as safes placed in very humid environments. This will speed up the alteration process.
In the case of jewels or statues that have undergone considerable alterations, such as in the case of breakages and other damage to the structures, a few days will not be enough for their restoration. It will be necessary to understand the most appropriate type of intervention, starting with a careful study of the object and clear communication with the owner. In this way it will be possible to objectively evaluate all possible solutions, taking into account intervention times and costs.
Recovery of coral statues
Among the more complex cases we have worked on is that of a large coral statue that fell as badly as accidentally and was reduced to many pieces with conspicuous shortcomings. In this case, the photo of the original statue was essential, thanks to which we were able to reconstruct the statue piece by piece as a puzzle and to create pieces to fill in to fill the gaps. For the realization of some components from scratch, it is essential to have coral of the same type and the same color available, so that an optimal final result can be achieved.
Another noteworthy case concerned a prestigious coral statue, the breakage of which was so fragmented that the cost and time required for its restoration were not congruous with respect to the final value. In this case, to optimize the damage, the owner has chosen to transform the fragments of statues into other objects, from smooth to engraved.
The restoration and restoration of jewelry, necklaces, statues or other coral and turquoise artifacts require a long practical experience and in-depth knowledge of the raw material, as well as a lot of love and true passion for this work.
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