Well Steve,
The only things I can think of may compromise the value of the beads and darken them. David uses penetration epoxy on wooden boats for the stability aspects. And apparently such stuff is used by some museums to stablilize fractured glass. What about spray-on polyurethane type stuff? I used to use Krylon matte-finish to keep patina-green metal from "shedding" with minimal darkening effect. ALWAYS use such stuff with maximum ventilation or even a respirator. Beware of ingredients such as Xylene and Tuluolene - anything with an "ene" - one spray can even had a warning that pregnant women should not use it, as it "may cause miscarriage". Seriously bad stuff.

Hi Steve,

I would consider spraying the beads with matte fixative, used for coating charcoal drawings (from the art-supply store). You could also try ArmorAll--which is made for PVC, but which provides a semi-gloss coating that is basically temporary (and therefore reversable).

Good luck. Jamey

Although it may darken them, you could paint them with a coating of paraffin wax. I've done it on ancient Mississippian shell beads that were really chalkey and they turned out very well. Not too shiney, stable, and no nasty chemicals, which is nice. You might try a few different methods on one bead at a time. Best of luck, Stephen Parfitt in Springfield, Illinois.

...absorbed? Let me know what the surface of your shells was like. I really don't mind them darkening a bit. That's not a problem. Take care-Steve

Thanks for bringing this up again Steve!
I know that Jamey has covered this subject and we have all discussed it before but I still have questions.
I recall some years back when Ancients and Venetians were to be found in Tucson at the big show, these beads looked like they were soaked in a liquid nylon and they looked kind of fake! The luster, finish and texture didn't make sense to my eye and I stayed away from them for fear that they were fakes. I believe they came from somewhere in the Mid East as most of the dealers that handled them were Afghani. Last number of years the beads are looking more rough again and they have that "just excavated" look rather than the "new" look. Does anyone know what they were using at the time to stabilize the glass beads? My other question is about "water-glass" and "Opticon" has anyone ever used these products on old glass to help preserve it or bring it back to life? And lastly, Jamey you mentioned a product that people were using to "fix" their old beads that seems to work quite well, could you refresh my memory please?
Thank you, Thomas

Hi Thomas,

Sorry to take so long to reply to this.

There are two things that I think are helpful, in dealing with old compromised glass:

1) Apply oil to counter the white or off-color decay of glass. Any oil will help. However, my friend (anonymous) in the bead business SWEARS that the BEST oil is Regal Diamond Compound. This is made for oiling diamond trim-saws. It absorbs wonderfully well into old glass, and makes the colors stronger, and yet does not feel greasy afterwards. This is what I used on the early Venetian star-millefiori bead from the 16th C., that I showed a couple of weeks ago. It can be used sparingly (repeatedly), or you can fill a small jar and actually soak the beads in an oil bath.

2) For beads that have iridescence that you want to protect, there is a new product that is reversible and does the job. Unfortunately, I haven't committed the commercial name to memory. (But I can find out.) This stuff comes as white flakes (basically, it's resin), that you dissolve in acetone and apply to the bead. It dries totally clear, and sort of congeals or stabilizes the flakes of iridescent glass, so they won't break away from the surface and fall off. Yet, unlike other products, it does not counter the iridescent effect by "wetting" the glass. It's reversible by being soaked-off in acetone (of course).

In terms of what's available in the marketplace, related to ancient beads, I think a LOT of beads are recovered in good condition, and don't require much work for presentation. Those that are compromised, no doubt, do receive some work. However, most of the time, this is fairly apparent. What exactly they are doing or may be doing is almost unknown. (The folks who do this stuff are not going to tell anyone what it is they do!) A lot of it is (reasonably careful) abrasion. Basically the light sanding of the surface to scale-off discolored decay. I don't doubt that oil is used, perhaps liberally....

All of this is separate from the reverse situation, where fakers will take new beads, and dirty-them-up to look old. There are likewise a number of approaches or procedures to do this work too.

Jamey

You are most helpful, and regarding "Unfortunately, I haven't committed the commercial name to memory. (But I can find out.)", if you find out would you let me know please, Thanks again!

For African beads with a similar problem I use pure unprocessed shea butter(beurre de karité): people use it there to take care of their magnificent velvety complexion...Just smear the palms of your hands with some of it and rub the beads.

Hello Nishedha,

Organic oils, such as shay butter (also palm oil, coconut oil, etc.), are best used on organic materials. For instance, amber, ivory, bone, horn, and wood. For amber, I recommend canola oil (because it has the same specific gravity as amber, and is what was traditionally used in the German and Polish amber trade 100 years ago). For wood, I recommend walnut oil. It dries very hard, and brings out grain wonderfully well.

For applications onto minerals or artificial products, the oil should be mineral oil. See my reply to Thomas, above. If one were going to apply animal oil to a mineral, I recommend nose grease. (No kidding.) Rubbing a discolored lapis bead along the length of your nose (and particularly at the juncture of the wings of the nose) will make it immediately look much better, and it persists well.

Jamey