Words of the Week
What is Verdigris?
We have all seen that horrible green junk on jewelry, but you may not know that the term for it is verdigris. Verdigris is the common name for the chemical Cu(CH3COO)2. It frequently occurs when vintage jewelry is exposed to moisture, makeup or other contaminants over a period of time. If not caught in time, it can severely damage your jewelry. The color of verdigris can range from dark green to bluish green. Verdigris can also be passed from one piece of jewelry to another, so damaged pieces should be separated from those that aren't. Be especially careful to inspect large messy jewelry lots purchased from auctions, garage sales and thrift stores to separate any infected jewelry from those which have no damage.
This must be stressed - if you have green gunk...you have damage. How severe the damage is will determine how successful the attempted repair will be. Even if you only have a tiny amount of green on the jewelry, it means that a tiny amount of the plating is damaged. Severe verdigris means severe damage, with the result that the metal is compromised. Verdigris on prongs means that they may not be able to hold stones in place. On clasps, it means that you take the risk of the piece coming apart from brittleness.
You can read more about verdigris and how to clean it if you find it on jewelry in this verdigris article in our resource library.
Example of Verdigris on jewelry:
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