There is nothing I don’t like, or I wouldn’t recomment it of course. As Nicola says, just google for Everbrite and and you will find it right away. I don’t find it time consuming, after all, hand crafted jewelry takes time too and to finish it with a protective coating cannot be seen as time consuming. Its part of the creation process and the valuable time and energy that I invest in creating hand crafted pieces is worth every minute for protection.
And it takes only a few minutes to clean e.g. neutralise the piece and dip it into ProtectaClear. Drying happens by itself while I’m doing other things.

I don’t know how old this post is, if it’s still actual, but I found a great solution for this problem and thought I share it with you all.
Everbrite ProtectaClear is a jewelry protection that prevents tarnishing as well as peel off on plated components. It is not a laque but a real coating that lasts for years. After application the piece of jewelry needs only be cleaned with mild soapy water every now and then.
I am using it since quite a while now on plated clasps etc. as well as on bare copper wire jewelry and have no tarnishing or peel off anymore. ProtectaClear comes in a set with a neutralising solution that should be used before coating, to neutralise acids from previous polishing, as the acid can turn the piece black once the coating is applied. After that and drying you can dip the piece into ProtectaClear or apply it with a brush or a soft cloth, let dry 24 hours and apply one more time. Let dry again 24 hours and ready.

I have also read and tried Nu Finish, which is a car polish on polymer base, that can be used to protect jewelry. But was not so happy with the result, maybe I was too impatient and haven’t applied it thouroughly enough, but find it difficult to apply on delicate chain and other delicate pieces. On bigger pieces that can be polished after application, it may be fine.

Hope that helps.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/market/jewelry_roll
http://www.lacytools.ca/Jewellery-Rolls-s/2123.htm

If you sew, these are very easy to make.

Re charging for replacing a clasp, if it’s to replace the clasp of something I’ve made, then… probably not, unless it’s an upgrade (better quality, larger, different metal, etc.). If they bring me someone else’s jewellery, then yes, I charge. I’ve found it’s best to have a “menu” printed up of service charges (restringing, new clasp, etc.), then you’re not put on the spot. Obviously, don’t lock yourself into a too-low price for a complicated repair job, so I say something like, “Bracelet restringing (note: NOT designing/redesigning!) starts at $5 and necklaces start at $15 and that includes a basic base metal clasp, stringing wire, crimps, jump rings. However, if you’d like to look at these clasps…”

As a side note and a warning: if someone wants you to do a repair and it’s a technique you’ve never tried before, be very, very careful about accepting the job. Personally, I won’t take on anything I don’t know how to do. (It might spur me to learn that technique sooner rather than later, but doing a repair is not the time to learn a new technique that might involve buying new tools and materials.) I keep a list of people who do great work in particular techniques and pass their email or phone number along, or suggest a bead store who might know of someone.

Sometimes it’s just a jump ring that’s come open and it takes you longer to pick up your pliers than to fix it. How do you charge for that? My experience has been that because people are so grateful that they’ve found you and that it didn’t cost them $100 to fix their favourite necklace like they imagined, they’ll insist on paying you $5 when you’re only asking $1 or $2. One lady brought me four bracelets she’d bought at a big craft show, beautiful chunky things, but made with absolutely the cheapest, tiniest base metal clasps available, making the bracelets completely unwearable and impossible to put on. I tried. I couldn’t do it. The lady was just about crying, “Don’t jewellery designers ever try their own jewellery on???” I said, “Nope. They don’t. That’s why I do,” and told her all my jewellery is test-driven by experienced and hyper-critical jewellery-wearing pals. I replaced the cheap clasps with chunky, large but inexpensive pewter toggles and told her $7 or $8, something around that — she gave me $20 and told me it was totally, totally worth it.

Even for sterling, I’ll always ask if the person would like a larger clasp than the original broken one. They’re usually amazed that something like that exists and they’re grateful for the suggestion. I show them my bins of clasps (sterling, pewter, base metal, all styles, all priced) and they can decide how much they want to pay. Again, because there’s no design time on my part, I can charge less for repairs.

Earrings are more problematic. Still working on an optimal way to store, transport and display them.

I did a quick search and you can get the silica gel packs online at Amazon and just about anywhere. You could maybe try Bulk Barn or Michael’s. I find them in bottles of gel cap vitamins and meds and in a lot of boxes of things where humidity would wreck the contents, things like leather goods and even shoes. You could ask friends to save them for you — no point in spending money on something that everybody tends to throw out. I’ve read many times online that people save them to use them in their jewellery bins.

Consider storing your jewellery between shows in small plastic bins. I use the large rectangular airtight food storage bins that are about two or three inches deep with the blue lids from Dollarama and they’ve kept my market jewellery (mostly plated findings) in fine condition for over a year since I started using them. I use packing foam and/or bubble wrap to separate layers of bead strings or necklaces. The important thing is to keep air and moisture away from your jewellery and these work beautifully for me. It’s the sulphur and other air pollutants that are the big culprit. Also, because you live on the water and damp air is also a problem, consider finding those anti-moisture packs or saving them from items you buy and putting them in your storage bins.

As well, I keep like jewellery with like so I know which is higher end show/retail store jewellery/bead strings and which is el cheapo market jewellery. These bins stack, and it’s so easy now to grab and go or find something quickly if someone comes here to look at beads or jewellery.

Whether you try this method or another even better one that someone else might proffer, I wish you happy creating and great success.

Hello from Woodstock!

I tell people that there’s not much they can do about the plating eventually wearing off, but in order to extend its life they need to take their jewellery off when they’re doing dishes or taking a shower and definitely not store it in the bathroom, use a non-tarnish strip or bag and/or keep their jewellery in a ziplock plastic bag (which I provide) away from the air and to not use creams and perfume/hair sprays after putting on their jewellery, etc. There’s a lot of corrosive stuff in the air and water these days and tarnishing is unavoidable; also plating is generally getting thinner and thinner, to the point that I see components are already tarnishing in the packaging in the stores. The worst, though, was when one of my pieces came back for a minor alteration from a heavy smoker. I almost cried when I saw the condition of my sterling silver Sleeping Beauty/Castle Dome turquoise necklace. You would not believe the tar buildup in the silver links and wrapping and on the beads themselves after only six months.

I also tell my customers that no matter how careful they are, because a plated clasp in particular will eventually tarnish (or corrode inside from water), to bring their piece back when the clasp gets really gungy and I’ll replace it. I also have started using pewter clasps where possible except on my really inexpensive items. Pewter is a little more expensive, but once I explain the benefits, cost and characteristics of plated, pewter and sterling, a lot of people will go for pewter. But all the care caveats above still apply.

Barbara