Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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How to Fix mercury damage to gold jewelry
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Contact with mercury instantly ruins jewelry, but boiling it in coconut oil can fix it! Read on . . .
Q. Mercury was spilled on my gold ring -- what can I do?
Vanita Sharma- Chandigarh, India
June 30, 2012
A. Hi Vanita. Please start by reading this page, where many readers swear by boiling in coconut oil :-)
Do it outside.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 2, 2012
Hi, and thanks Ted
- Chandigarh, India
July 6, 2012
A. To clean your mercury contaminated rings check out the below url:
www.learngoldprospecting.com/index.cfm?var_file=separate-gold-concentrates.htm
You need to follow from step 5.
- Bradford UK
September 1, 2012
Hi, Laurie. Thanks.
Most links break in short order, so it's probably best if I describe the thrust of the link -- which is to dissolve the mercury in nitric acid. But I think I'd rather go with the coconut oil. Thanks again.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 1, 2012
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Ed. note: Indeed, as usual that link quickly broke and the site is now a 'link farm'. We'd suggest avoiding it because bad folks buy up such broken but widely quoted links to install malware on your computer.
Q. The same thing has happened to my mother's gold ring.
I actually want to ask Anusha Raj if her idea of "boiling in the coconut oil" really works. And if it does then what kind of container should be used?
Help me!
- Pune, Maharashtra, India
July 15, 2013
A. Hi Ritesh. I don't quite understand your question: She already said it really works. A dozen other people have also said it really works. As I mentioned earlier, please use a disposable pot liner or at least a plastic bag inside the pot so you don't contaminate the pot with mercury. Best of luck!
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 15, 2013
From this page, I got the solution. The gold jewelry was kept aside the Mercury tablets (to be kept inside the grain). The jewelry was kept in a plastic pouch in the grain tin. The jewelry was not in direct touch with the mercury tablet and also the tablet do not contain the real mercury in its original form. Even then, the jewelry turned white to some extent. After, getting solution from this page, the jewelry was boiled in the Coconut oil for two/three minutes, thereafter, allowed to cool down and washed with soap leather. To my surprise, the original gold shining returned. Thanks a lot.
- Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
November 2, 2013
Coconut oil really worked, thanks to all for this solution. My diamond and gold. Ring that turned white due to contact with mercury turned back to gold colour after I boiled it in coconut oil and to bring back the shine on the gold I rubbed dry Colgate tooth powder ( you can get it in Indian stores in a Colgate tin packing) and the ring is now shining like before.
I usually use Colgate powder to clean all silverware, it works very well to clean gold as well,
- Kingston Canada
November 20, 2013
Q. My wife broke a thermometer and it got into gold chain and bracelet ... and it changed its color ... can I get its original condition?
sobuj oni- dhaka, bangladesh
November 20, 2013
A. Hi Sobuj. I realize people sometimes want hand-holding and personal assurance when faced with a serious issue like damage to their gold -- but I can't even easily count all the people who have already told you that they boiled their rings in coconut oil and it worked. What can anyone possibly add or detract in light of such a massive response except to say, yet again, the sooner the better :-)
Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 21 2013
A. Hi. I work in the Dental field and all of my co-workers are Indians with full gold around their body :-)
Anyway, one of my workmates tried to use our old BP Apparatus and it seemed that it was broken so mercury went directly to her wedding ring covering 75% of it. She cried the whole morning because she recently just got married :-(
Fortunately, one of our Dental Interns is so bright. She rubbed this ALGINATE (powder used to take impressions or models for teeth) towards the ring and it went back to its normal condition in just few minutes! Just go to a nearby Dental Clinic and ask for Alginate or Pumice powder. Afterwards, just a little polishing is needed. Hope this helps :D
JM VilladarezDental - Mabalacat Pampanga, Philippines
December 17, 2013
Q. How can we get original gold ring from the reacted gold ring with mercury which is turned totally white? Is it possible to get quantitatively & qualitatively the same amount?
anupa wastistudent - nepal
April 14, 2014
Q. I have my ring half dropped in mercury of 24 carat gold what do I do?
Stanzin chospel- haldwani uttarakhand India
September 20, 2014
A. Hi cousin Haldwani. Please see my reply of Nov. 21, 2013. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 2014
Before & after use of coconut oil, photos courtesy of Yesha Duggad:
A. Hello all.
I see many of you are having issues with mercury ruining jewelry. I just so happen to be first a chemist and second a jeweler -- still learning though! For anyone who has jewelry that hasn't been completely destroyed and would like it repaired I'd be happy to do so. Worst case scenario if I can't repair your item I will issue a full refund and mail back your jewelry, I am no expert jeweler by any means I'm more of a hobbyist but I am a chemist with my masters and full lab for handling these issues with ease. Small damage I can say comfortably I can repair but if half your ring is gone I hate to be the bearer of bad news, most likely it's beyond repair short of melting down and making an entirely new piece. Feel free to contact me and I'll be glad to see what I can do to help. If it's just a simple discoloration and no damage I can repair your jewelry for right around $30.00 US dollars; however, size has a lot to do with my time involved. I really hope I can help some of you for I too know how it feels to lose jewelry to mercury: my father gave me a beautiful 18kt gold ring with an onyx stone for graduating high school many years ago and I lost my ring from a broken mercury switch, aka thermostat. And my ring literally fell from my hand, malformed, which intrigued me to be a chemist and here I am today.
Adam efthimiouGold'N'Years 603-677-2254 - Ashland New Hampshire
February 11, 2015
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Ed. note: As we said early on, it is a shame that professional jewelers tend to refuse to address this issue of mercury damage ... because that refusal leads to inexperienced but desperate individuals attempting chemical treatments they are not trained or qualified to do! So, although this site is for technical discussions, not for commercial offerings or free ads ... we've made an exception. But we don't know Adam, and are neither recommending nor dis-recommending his service.
Thanks to the website. Coconut oil really works.
- Kunming, China
February 22, 2015
Apparently Coconut oil works 100%. Thanks.
- mumbai India
April 5, 2015
Took out a broken thermometer from the medicine cabinet and the mercury was drawn like a magnet to my wedding and engagement ring which turned grey in font of my eyes, I was distraught. I looked on Google and found this site -- so glad I did -- decided to try as suggested put my rings in coconut oil after all I had nothing to lose, my rings were ruined. We put my rings in the oil in a foil container on the BBQ outside and it was amazing within 5 mins my rings were back to gold. Thank you so much.
- West Byfleet, U.K.
June 22, 2015
A. I just tried a simple procedure today. I asked one of my friends, and he advised me. Heated up the gold using gas or others suitable for you and sinking into the water. Repeat it two or three times and clean the gold using brush & soap. I completely removed the mercury within 15 minutes. Take necessary precautions: Mercury is hazard to health, i.e., poison!
Good luck
- New Delhi, Delhi, India
August 8, 2015
Today my wife broke the thermo and started playing mercury like a kid :P , in a matter of seconds, the gold (wedding and one more) turned into silver color. Thanks a ton to the guys who posted this remedy; this remedy really works.
THANKS A LOT ...Srini
- Bangalore, India
November 22, 2015
Hello everyone,
I LOVE OUR SIMPLE COCONUT OIL.My new year was well started, but it turned out to be a disastrous one as my husband broke a thermometer yesterday and did not realise that some of the mercury fell into his drawer where he had kept his chain -- (it is of 6 tholas approx., worth more than 1 n half lak). We were devastated today morning when we found his chain totally damaged and turned into silver color.I immediately searched google and find out this page. A million thanks to google and this page, this simple oil saved my loss of laks. I boiled the chain in coconut oil, maybe for 2 minutes, on my normal cooking gas stove in a steel vessel in my kitchen; chimney exhaust was on and my face except eyes were covered. Thick fumes came out, gradually chain turned into its original color. Steel vessel I simply disposed of.
- Delhi, India
January 3, 2016
Thanks to Allah's great gift coconut oil which restored my engagement ring diffused with mercury.
- Pakistan
January 9, 2016
Thank you so much.... The coconut oil thing worked out :)
- Amman, Jordan
March 7, 2016
Thanks to this page .. Coconut oil trick worked out well to get rid of mercury on my wedding ring.
- Telangana, India
May 20, 2016
Coconut oil works ... Thank you so much...
- Navi Mumbai, India
May 29, 2016
Q. There was a thread that spoke of mercury spreading through the ring- thus the ring appearing to return to dull gold colour. So the mercury is 'diluted'? throughout the ring.
Does coconut boiling remove mercury only from surface blemishes or from 'deeper within' also?
So if the former dull/ silver ring is gold& shiny on the outside again after boiling, does that mean all the mercury that spread deeper in is out also?
- Swakopmund, Namibia
September 22, 2016
A. Hi Hanna. Can't say, but fix it immediately and then the question is moot.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. How long can gold be left in the mercury after amalgamation? Can it be left indefinitely or should it processed as quickly as possible?
Ron Porter- Flin Flon Mb Canada
June 1, 2017
A. Hi. It should be fixed immediately. The damage continues and the ring can crack.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Don't know what happened to my gold ring after I used beauty cream. One side turned to silver colour! After reading above experiences I understand that beauty cream contained mercury! I didn't try coconut oil experiment ... is it possible if stones are present in the ring?
Ihsana muneer- Kerala, India
June 10, 2017
A. Hi Ihsana. I'd be quite surprised if any beauty cream contained mercury. Boiling probably won't hurt diamonds, but it's probably not good for pearls and some other stones.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 2017
Q. This happened to my ring 5 days ago and it cracked at one place is coconut oil still going to work? Please I need an answer quickly!
Tasneem Alkilany- Cairo , Egypt
June 30, 2017
A. Hi Tasneem. It will minimize the continuing damage, so do it as soon as possible ... but it can't turn back time :-(
If the ring is cracked, it's cracked. Best of luck with it though.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
June 2017
My wife had a filling replaced at the dentist today and was wearing her bi-metallic Rolex
[affil links] watch.
When she got home, two or three of the gold middle links in the bracelet had gone a sort of grey colour.
It seems the drilling out of the old dental filling must have caused some debris spray and as she had her hands clenched across her chest, this spray got onto the links.
We now know that dental fillings include mercury, so don't wear any gold during such procedures!
I have managed to use a metal polish wadding to get the gold colour back and I assume it was not too hard due to the minimal amount of mercury that is used in dental fillings.
We will let the dentist know so that he can advise patients to remove any gold under such procedures.
- Brentwood, Essex, UK
July 19, 2017
A. And 15 years later:
Coconut oil will only give off some color so it looks like gold. The only way to get rid of the mercury is to boil it off. Mercury boils at 356 °C. Gold melts at 1060 °C, so do not heat it up that much. Remove any stones, etc. Use a propane torch, and be a little careful to not melt the gold. Keep it well ventilated, and do not breathe in the fumes.
Any high school chemistry lab would have everything you need.
This is by the way, the way the old goldminers did it.
- goldendale, California, usa
Hi, thanks for the input. I doubt that you've used your real name as requested though, and your IP address is from outside the USA and apparently spoofed; so, although your advice might be good, we have to urge people to think very carefully about whether to follow it.
As you say, though, it's "15 years later" and we've had not a single report from anyone that the coconut oil turned out to be only a temporary cure. Thanks again.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
August 2017
I must be the luckiest person in the USA! When I watched, horrified, as the mercury from a broken thermometer spread over my 24 carat gold heirloom bracelet, I had no idea what I would do! I called a jeweler; he told me to bring it to him right away. Two days later I picked up the bracelet, restored! The jeweler is retired now, but I am forever thankful! I am submitting this note to let you know there are some jewelers who might help. Call the older ones in your community.
- Louisville, Kentucky USA
August 17, 2017
Q. Can we boil the damaged gold ring in coconut oil by closing the pot's top with a lid?
Aysha Fateena- kilakarai, tamil nadu, India
February 10, 2018
A. Hi Aysha. I don't think it would hurt much to put a lid on the pot, but don't do it inside, period.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 2018
Before & after use of coconut oil, photos courtesy of Yesha Duggad:
A. I broke a thermometer in the early 1980s and got mercury over my wedding ring. Our family jewelers cleaned it no trouble and at no cost. It was no big deal to them; this was in Mudgee NSW Australia at Byrnes Jewelers. I was very happy.
Maggie Consadine- NSW Australia
May 16, 2019
Q. I spilt a small amount of mercury on my gold rings. One had a small area of damage, less than a cm and the other was about half damaged.
I tried the coconut oil method and it worked perfectly.
However, I boiled it on my kitchen stove with the extractor fan on full but the smell of the oil permeated the whole house!
With hindsight I should probably have worn a mask!
Will the small amount of mercury fumes have been harmful?
- Newport, South Wales
February 17, 2021
A. I think that it can be removed with liver of sulfur solution too -- mercury sulphide is non-toxic mercury compound. Can be used on yellow 22 an 18 ct gold alloys; for 14 kt I am not so sure. Repeat process if needs and then polish with gold polishing rag or finest precipitated chalk.
Hope it helps and good luck!
- Zagreb Croatia
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