Taking care of your Dhokra home decors and jewelry
For owners of these exquisite bell metal traditional handicrafts, the primary means of keeping the artefacts looking good is to dust regularly with a soft, clean cotton cloth like a handkerchief. For the crevices, you can clean gently with a soft toothbrush or paintbrush. If using a duster, please make sure that the material is soft and is not fibrous as that can get stuck on the metal. Most users find a dark greenish brown patina forming naturally (due to exposure to the atmospheric moisture) and this often embellishes the look of the artefact.
In case you are particular about retaining the lustre of your Dhokra artefact/ jewellery piece, then please follow the steps below for best results:
- First clean all the dust on the article as described above with a soft cloth and a soft brush.
- Thereafter, pour a little bit of brass polish after shaking (like Brasso) and apply on a soft cloth and then rub onto the artefact gently. This should reduce the dull discolouration.
- Once done, take a fresh and clean soft cloth and clean the artefact gently all over.
- In the case of jewellery, you could also use a paste made of lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda and rinse the jewellery piece with it to give it a nice lustre. Again, once rinsed with this paste, please use a fresh and clean soft cloth and clean it all over.
- Similarly, you could also use a little amount of toothpaste on a cloth and rub it gently all over the artefact and then clean it with a fresh clean soft cloth.
- Please do not use water or any other liquid based cleaning agent.
- Jewellery pieces should be stored in a covered box, preferably wrapped in a muslin or cotton cloth or in tissue paper.
Finally, these handicrafts should be primarily cleaned just by dusting with a soft cloth. Avoid too much of cleansing since it could corrode the bell metal as well. Do remember that the darkish patina often adds its own allure to the look of the artefact and is often preferred!