Protect Jewellery
Protect Jewellery from blackening and tarnish
Use our coatings to protect jewellery from discolouration, tarnish and corrosion.
The coatings adhere well to highly polished mirror finish metals like brass, copper, silver, pewter, chrome, gold, stainless and bare aluminium and hard plastics. The coatings are also widely used as a stiffening agent for beading projects.
Coatings
We have two coatings to protect jewellery.
ProtectaClear®
- ProtectaClear protects bare metals and adheres well to highly polished mirror finish metals like brass, copper, silver, pewter, chrome, gold, stainless and bare aluminium and hard plastics. This is an extremely tough, scratch resistant coating for items subject to abuse and where abrasion can be a problem.
- Available in either natural gloss or satin finish.
CrobialCoat™
- CrobialCoat™ is Protectaclear coating but with antimicrobial additives to inhibit the growth of viruses, bacteria, mould, mildew and odour causing microbes.
- Available in natural gloss only.
Features
- Protect metal jewellery from fingerprints and tarnish including Copper, Brass, Silver and Wire-wrapped jewellery
- Protect jewellery made from Metal Clay
- Stop skin discolouration caused by copper jewellery
- Help prevent Gold and other Plated metal jewellery from wearing down to their base metal.
- Used for stiffening Beading designs so they do not lose their shape.
- Protect jewellery made from Resin. (like hard plastic)
- Safe to use on Jewels and Glass Beads and on Stones and Minerals to enhance their look.
- Preserve Patinas from discolouring and wearing off.
- Seal the metal to stop human allergies and prevent skin discolouration.
Metallic abrasion occurs when tiny metal particles rub off a gold ring, necklace, watch, or bracelet to form a black substance on skin. Gold jewellery can cause a blackening of the skin underneath a ring, but there are several reasons beyond the purity of the gold that can cause this. Because gold is a relatively soft metal, most jewellers mix it with other metals such as silver, copper and nickel to increase its hardness and durability. - Protect jewellery from harsh detergents and lotions
When wearing a ring while using harsh house detergents or in a pool or spa that has been treated with chlorine the ring (or other jewellery pieces) will experience corrosion. When these chemicals react with the metal alloy in the jewellery it will cause those metals to corrode and turn black, thus blackening the skin underneath a ring.
Which jewellery should NOT be coated?
- Opals & Pearls ** DO NOT COAT **
- Coatings should NOT be used on opals and pearls as these require oils from our skin to maintain their appearance.
- Opals and pearls should not be coated with anything.
How to protect Jewellery with Artwork
Inkjet Ink
- The coating can have a difficult time with some inks which are also solvent based.
- Some customers have been successful by misting a very light coating on little by little building up very light layers to create a protective coating layer.
Sharpie Permanent Markers
- Coating an autograph or other writing made with a Sharpie Permanent Marker is not recommended as the solvent in the coating will blur the writing.
- But coating over indented crevices that have been darkened using a Permanent Marker is usually successful.
Darkening Agents
- It is best to use a darkening agent like Liver of Sulphur to darken areas.
- The surface can be polished up and the darkening will remain in the indented crevices. It can then be coated.
Enamels and Epoxy
- Epoxy enamels and enamels can be coated to ensure that the entire piece is protected.
- Ensure that the enamel is cured before coating. (Two part epoxy enamels are instantly cured)
Coating Application Methods
Spray, brush, wipe or dip the coating on?
- This is a matter of personal preference and somewhat project dependent.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: It is advisable to pour the coating out of its can into in a metal or glass pan or jar so that the coating in the can does not become contaminated when you are brushing, wiping or dipping the jewellery.
Brushing or Wiping
- Use a natural bristle paint brush as opposed to synthetic nylon or plastic products that will melt, or use a lint free pad or a high density foam makeup wedge.
- When brushing or wiping on the coating; lay the jewellery on baking paper or aluminium tin foil; do one side, let it dry for about an hour, turn it over and do the other side. Repeat until the required number of coats have been applied.
- The coating may fill detailed spaces. When dipping or spraying with fine detail – Some people blow on after coating or use canned air to blow out the coating from tiny holes.
- Using a small natural bristle brush for detailing and brushing away excess coating also works well.
Dipping
- Dipping is ideal for jewellery; however it is important not to dip directly into the original can of coating to prevent contamination. Pour the coating into a metal or glass container before dipping.
- Hang the jewellery piece on a thin metal wire. A bent metal paperclip or ornament hanger works well.
- Dip the piece completely into the coating, lift out, and hang to dry. The coating will drip so make sure to have cardboard, aluminium foil, or a pan to catch the drips and protect the surface underneath.
- The drips will slow and if a final drip hangs onto the piece, it can be absorbed with the corner of a paper towel or a small artist brush. Just touch the drip, do not wipe off the bottom of the piece. Once the piece has dried for at least an hour or is dry to the touch, you can apply another coat. Most jewellery needs several coats for long-lasting results.
- If there are intricate areas that the coating fills, you can use canned/compressed air to blow out the coating.
- Using a small natural bristle brush for detailing and brushing away excess coating also works well.
- Once the coating is touch dry after hanging, if there is a slight ridge where the wire held up the piece, smooth out the ridge with some coating using a small artist brush. Lightly brush the ridge with the brush which is wet with ProtectaClear coating.
Spraying
- The Preval Aerosol Sprayer is a small atomizer spray gun ideal for small projects. It can be purchased locally from NZ Suppliers. It is suitable for most projects but for very fine finishes a fine finish sprayer would be required. For details go to the USA Manufacturer Website com and take a look.
- The easiest way to spray jewellery is by hanging it with metal wire, ornament hangers or bent metal paperclips. Then it can be sprayed on all sides without touching anything.
- Many jewellery designers lay their pieces on a non-stick surface such as aluminium foil or baking paper and spray on the coating.
- After drying for at least 90 minutes, the piece can be turned over to repeat the coating process on the reverse side. Repeat this two to three times, so that each side is well coated.
Troubleshooting
Drip runs, Markings, Holes and Ridges
- Once the coating is touch dry (dried) after hanging, if there is a slight ridge where the wire held up the piece, or a drip run/mark or a hole; these can be smoothed out using some more coating on a small artist brush.
- Lightly brush the ridge with the brush which is wet with coating. If required recoat after the repair has dried.
- As ProtectaClear and CrobialCoat are self-annealing coatings they are able to ‘melt’ the ridge/imperfection even after the coating has dried.
- It is important to attend to imperfections asap because you cannot use this remedy after the coating has cured.
Bubbles, Ridges, Eneven Finish
- If the coating dries too quickly bubbles or ridges may appear. Drying too quickly affects the self-levelling process by not allowing bubbles, ridges, un-even surfaces/imperfections to level out.
- Remove the coating and recoat.
Advice on Coating different types of Jewellery
Chains
- Chains always present a challenge. Dipping, spraying, wiping and brushing all work well, but spraying is easier and creates less adhesion between the links.
- Spraying Chains For spraying a chain, either hang it or place on a piece of baking paper or tin foil. If hanging, spray the chain and let it dry to the touch which will be in about an hour. Take the chain down and gently move the links around in the palm of your hand and through your fingers to break any seals that have occurred. Hang it back up, coat once more and go through the same process. Once it has dried to the touch the second time (and you have moved the links around) place it in a low oven (80 deg C) and bake it for an hour. The chain is now cured and ready to wear. You don’t have to bake to cure. But air curing will take 4 to 5 days.
- Dipping Chains Dipping would use a similar method as for spraying, except dipping gets more coating into the chain, the dry to the touch time is a bit longer and breaking the seals is a little more difficult but this coating procedure still works well. A good way to get excess coating out of the links is to use a can of compressed air (canned air) with a narrow tip to blow it out.
Rings
- Rings require three (3) or four (4) coats as they are usually worn continuously and are subject to the most abrasion, wear and tear.
Filigree
Filigree jewellery can be dipped into the coating or the coating can be sprayed on. If the filigree is very tight, blow on it gently to break the surface tension of the coating so it adheres to the metal.
Jewellers often use canned air to blow out the coating from tiny holes.
Beaded Jewellery
- The coatings are widely used as a stiffening agent for beading projects.
- Click on this link to see a video demonstration.
Cure Time for Coating
Oven Curing
- During the curing process the coating is delicate. This is why oven curing is popular for small items like jewellery.
- Once the final coat is dry to the touch (about 90 minutes) place the jewellery pieces on aluminium foil in an oven at very low temperature (80°C) and bake for an hour. Oven curing is the most popular way our jewellery customers cure their pieces.
- IMPORTANT: Do NOT increase the oven temperature heat past 80°C during curing process. Increasing the temperature will NOT speed up the curing process. If the oven is too hot the metal will turn yellowish colours, especially with silver-plated brass. NOT
Air Curing
- Once the coating has dried (dry to touch) the coating begins to cure.
- This will take 4 to 5 days in warm conditions with air circulating.
- Drying in the sunshine with a warm breeze will hasten curing.
How long does the coating last on Jewellery?
Oven Curing
- The length of time the coating lasts depends upon how often the pieces are worn and the degree of use or abuse. Earrings and pendants tend to last much longer than rings as rings wear down more quickly.
- Hair products, sunscreen lotion and hand sanitizer can also affect the coating as they may contain solvents or petroleum distillates. The body chemistry of the wearer is also a determining factor.
- Generally the coating can last anywhere from one year up to many years, before the pieces require a recoat.
- Multiple coats initially applied and bake curing can help the coating last longer. We are unable to provide more definitive answer, but there are too many variables to give an exact length of time.
After Care for coated Jewellery
When to Remove Coated Jewellery from the body?
- Remove jewellery prior to bathing, exercising, cleaning, swimming, gardening, and applying hair and body products. Do not use abrasives to clean.
How to clean coated jewellery?
- Jewellery can be wiped with soft cloth and water only or wash with a mild detergent.
When jewellery is repaired, engraved or a ring resized with a torch what happens to the coating?
Parts of the ring that are affected by a torch repair would need to have the coating touched up due to the severe heat generated during the repair.
Since the coatings are self-levelling, only the affected area will need to be treated.
Likewise, if a piece is engraved, added or removed and the ring is welded, these areas will need to be recoated.
What happens if the coated jewellery is treated with an Ultrasonic Cleaner?
Ultrasonic cleaners use a process called cavitation in order to get jewellery shiny and looking like new very quickly.
Cavitation is when alternating positive and negative pressure creates micro-bubbles. As these bubbles form and collapse millions of times against the jewellery, the pressure, heat and velocity created knocks all kinds of debris off the jewellery. This same process would remove our coating as well.
These jewellery cleaners are great at removing dirt but it will be necessary to recoat jewellery pieces after being cleaned using this method.
Can the coating be removed without harming the gems, stones & metals?
- ProtectaClear and CrobialCoat coated jewellery is completely reversible. The coating can be soaked off or wiped off with a solvent like xylene or acetone without harming the metal or the stones.
- But beware of any artwork on the jewellery that could be removed by a solvent while removing the coating.