The Process
About Our Medals
Antique and vintage Sacramentals and religious pendants from the past were uniquely crafted, not mass produced like they are now. That’s why we find medals in so many different shapes, sizes and styles.
Most of the medals we find have signs of wear from past love, which makes them even more precious. We find some hidden treasures that are so tarnished and dirty, they are unwearable...until we clean them!
It's so rewarding to discover the beauty beneath the layers of tarnish. The most special part is that each one carries forward love and abundant blessings from the past.
However, having them blessed by your parish priest will only add to their spiritual significance.
Here is a gallery of some of the medals we have cleaned up.
Routine Maintenance
Most types of metal will tarnish over time, except for solid gold, platinum, aluminum and several others. Perfumes, oils, makeup, sweat, humidity and other elements can cause jewelry to tarnish more quickly.
Since each medal we find is vintage/antique, we don't always know what they're made out of. When we know, we will tell you in the description! We always use high quality chains that are made out of metals from which tarnish can be removed.
When you bring home one of our necklaces, regular maintenance is recommended. Here are some quick step-by-step instructions for removing daily tarnish due to routine wear
For weekly cleaning, you can soak your necklace in a gentle cleanser like this solution. Do this for about 2 minutes at a time to remove light debris. It is gentle enough for all metals.
We love this cloth for slightly heavier tarnish. Use the white side first and then the grey side. Again, this is safe for all metals.
We highly recommend that you do not shower or exercise while wearing our necklaces! But life happens, don't sweat it! These gentle products will do the trick.
For the really old and heavily tarnished medals (like the ones pictured above), we use a more specialized process than the one used for routine maintenance.
If you keep up with routine maintenance, you will not need to do heavier cleaning down the road.