Medals, tarnished medals

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fin

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i wear religious medals, inexpensive ones. i don’t know from what material they are made from, (metal, aluminum,copper, etc). but how does one improve or clean their appearance when they start tarnishing?
also, is only a medal made from real gold the one that won’t ever tarnish?
seems like i want to invest in an expensive, real gold, but good quality medal.
 
fin said:
i wear religious medals, inexpensive ones. i don’t know from what material they are made from, (metal, aluminum,copper, etc). but how does one improve or clean their appearance when they start tarnishing?
also, is only a medal made from real gold the one that won’t ever tarnish?
seems like i want to invest in an expensive, real gold, but good quality medal.
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Hey,

I suggest you soak them in dish soap as a first effort. Depending on the material that might help. If that doesn’t work…you can buy a mild acidic cleaner or polisher…you know…the ones you dip your silver in and it cleans them. Beware though, these acidic cleaners can damage the medals over the long hall.

Best,

Iowa Mike
 
I also wear inexpensive medals. So far the tarnishing has not bothered me. I think they are generally a thinly plated base metal. When the plating wears off the base metal becomes visible.

If you like your medals, perhaps you should visit a jeweler and ask about having them re-plated. Perhaps with Gold. I don’t know how much it would cost, but I think most capable jewelers could do it and that it may be much less than buying new medals. And medals adequately replated by a good professional may not need any subsequent work.

jmm08
 
Avoid wearing them when you shower too – this will make them last longer.

I think if you get them made out of real silver they will last a very long time. I don’t think the cheapest ones are actually silver–which is why they tarnish (don’t take it personally 🙂 )
 
As to your question about gold medals, they do not tarnish or discolor.

I have worn mine daily for 25 years and it is a pretty as the day I received it. Though with real gold, you will need to be careful of eroding away the part that the medal hangs from. I have had to have mine filled a few times to rebuild and strengthen it so that the medal does not all off one day.
 
yeah, i actually wear them when showering. i don’t take them off, but i’ve done that lately, so as to delay the tarnishing.
 
Silver, it polishes well with toothpaste and a bit of terry cloth (spent lots of time polishing my mom’s silverware with toothpaste 🙂
 
another thing, does aluminum fade or tarnish? does ordinary silver cleaner work on aluminum?

are there any Catholic online stores that sell Stainless Steel miraculous Medals? hope they have, i think they don’t fade.
 
The best thing to do is to take your medal to a reputable jeweler and ask them how to clean it. They could probably tell you what the medal is made of and the best way to clean it.

I had a 10k gold medal that was from Mexico. I accidentally left it soaking too long in a jewerly cleaner that I bought at my local Wal Mart. My medal had turned dark brown almost black. I thought it would never be the same. A friend suggested I have it re-plated. I took it to a jeweler and he was able to buff away the tarnish and I didn’t need it re-plated after all. It looks brand new.

So if you are going to shell out $$ for gold get at least 14k.
 
If a medal is made of pewter (or if you even think that it may be pewter),** do not use silver polish**!!! Any silver cleaner will turn the pewter black, & there is:( no way to bring it back to its original color again.
(Every so often, I notice that some rosaries are made from part silver, part pewter, & I :eek: shudder at what will happen the 1st time someone decides to give it a little polish!!
 
Mine are sterling silver. I have one of St. Michael, one St. Benedict and one of John Paul II. I bought a silver polishing cloth and about once a month I give them a good rub with the cloth. It works great.
 
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