How to Care for a 24K Gold-Finished Artwork
Gold does not tarnish. It does not oxidise, does not rust, and does not react with air. Left alone, a 24K gold surface behind glass will look the same in thirty years as it does the day it arrives.
Which means the entire care instruction is, essentially: leave it alone. But there are a few specifics worth knowing, and one thing that ruins pieces.
The one rule
Dry microfibre cloth. Nothing else. Ever.
Dust the glass and the frame with a clean, dry microfibre cloth. Light pressure. That is the complete maintenance routine for the life of the object.
What ruins a gold finish
Not time. Not air. Not sunlight, within reason. What ruins it is people trying to help.
- Metal polish. Brasso, silver polish, and every product of that kind works by abrasion - it removes a layer of metal. On a gold surface, it removes gold. Never.
- Glass cleaner sprayed onto the piece. Ammonia and alcohol run down behind the frame and reach the mount and the velvet. If you must clean the glass, spray the cloth, never the glass, and never near the edges.
- Paper towel. Wood fibre scratches. It is harder than you think and softer than it looks.
- Fingers. Skin leaves oil and salt. On glass it is a smudge. On an exposed metal surface it is an etching problem that develops slowly.
- Any abrasive, at all. Baking soda, toothpaste, magic sponges, the internet's favourite remedies. All of them cut.
Sunlight, humidity, heat
Direct sunlight will not harm the gold. It will, over years, fade the velvet backing and can warm the sealed air inside the frame. Hang the piece where it catches reflected or raking light rather than a beam of direct sun through a window for hours a day. This is an aesthetic decision as much as a conservation one - gold looks better in raking light anyway.
Humidity is the real consideration in this climate. Do not hang a framed piece in a bathroom, a steam room, or a poorly ventilated kitchen. Condensation inside a sealed frame has nowhere to go.
Air conditioning is your friend. Ordinary conditioned indoor air, anywhere in the UAE, is a perfectly stable environment.
If something goes wrong
If the glass breaks, do not attempt to clean the exposed surface. Contact us. A gold surface that has been touched, wiped, or picked at is a much harder repair than one that has simply been left as it fell.
If you see marking under the glass, contact us before doing anything. Nearly everything is recoverable at that stage and nearly nothing is recoverable after someone has tried to fix it.