Vintage Clan Badge Advice Needed

[creagdhubh]

Greetings,

I recently purchased two lovely vintage, Clan Macpherson/Chattan badges from Timothy at House of Labhran. They are both made of silver, in good condition, and date from the 1940's-50's. My question is, should I clean these badges up? Polish them perhaps? I'm a huge fan of Antiques Roadshow on PBS and the BBC, and many of the experts on there advise against any sort of polishing or "cleaning" up of certain items, however, these are simple clan badges of a bygone era, would it be okay to restore them? If I decide to do so, what would be the best method?

As you can see from the two photos, the badges have considerable darker areas, which definitely add a vintage look to them. I am unsure if the so-called, 'darker' areas are original to the design of the badges, or if it is simply dirt and grime that has accumulated for the past 60+ years. It may prove advantagous to leave them as they are, but I am keen on learning what suggestions the 'rabble' have.

It is also very interesting to note (According to Timothy) that these badges originated from traditional Clan Macpherson lands in Inverness-shire, which makes them all the more special and meaningful to me. Who knows how many Macpherson (Chattan) clansmen from the past wore these badges. I don't know how Timothy finds these wonderful items, but I am sure glad he does!




Thanks mates,