Cilifene, do you have a trick for cleaning the mirror of a Bal bag? My pre-loved Anthracite Town, which is in beautiful condition everywhere else, has a dirty mirror, and I cannot get it clean! It has sort of a "haze" over parts of it, and regular window cleaner does not work. I am afraid to try soap and water, because I do not want to hurt the leather. Any thoughts?Pewter Balenciaga First with grey top ... and dirty mirror..
METALLIC BAGS - Show me your metal...
- Thread starter Cilifene
- Start date
we must find you some metal 
I hope it's okay to post some thoughts re: regarding stubborn mirror haze. One potential cause is that the former owner may have inadvertently chemically etched the glass by using a harsh, inappropriate cleaner. Many of the more successful "home remedies" for cleaning stubborn haze (eg rubbing newspaper on the mirror) are actually working b/c they are mildly abrasive and are buffing out damage, rather than removing actual dirt. I would suggest taking it to a jeweler who can quickly look at it under the loupe and tell if the surface has been etched. If so, they should be able to fix this for you with a special polishing/buffing cloth or fine jeweler's rouge.
Another potential cause of patchy haziness is when there is separation or deterioration of the silver backing beneath the glass, which is more likely in very old mirrors or those in chronically humid environments. (I would not suspect this to be the case with your lovely bag's mirror, just including the possibility for the sake of completion.)
Thank you so much for the great advice! I have a very good local jeweler who does repairs for me all the time... I will definitely take it to him and see what he can do. One additional question about the Bal mirror in a 2912 bag: does the mirror slide out from its leather holder, or must the jeweler work with the mirror in place? I can see where this would be difficult, but I do NOT want him to force the mirror out if it is not supposed to come out!
What a pretty pewter clutch! What year is it from? It has almost a taupe-y undertone... very lovely. I would imagine that it would go with nearly any outfit.
By all means, SQ! You must get a metallic so that you match Petey the peacock!
Truth be told, I never saw myself as a metallics gal either, and now suddenly I own two of them! It all goes to show... um... what, exactly? "Never say never," I guess!
Thank you so much for the great advice! I have a very good local jeweler who does repairs for me all the time... I will definitely take it to him and see what he can do. One additional question about the Bal mirror in a 2912 bag: does the mirror slide out from its leather holder, or must the jeweler work with the mirror in place? I can see where this would be difficult, but I do NOT want him to force the mirror out if it is not supposed to come out!
oh I'm a nervous nelly, so I'd have him work on it intact, esp since he'll be used to working in itty bitty nooks & crannies.
The glass isn't very thick so I feel like the leather gives some support. (Tangent-- Years ago I read about cracked bal mirrors & recall they will sell replacement mirrors for authentic bags, but it was/is costly, so some people elect to have cosmetic mirrors cut or repurposed for their bals.)
Welcome...Thanks very much.!
I didn't know if I could pull off metallic, so started small & silly. This gold and ivory Fossil Owl coin purse is actually larger than my puny palm (4.25 inch diameter cp), so I've used her as a wallet/clutch on occasion
stock image:
This is SO adorable.!!
That's a mighty sweet owl! She has real purse-onality.I didn't know if I could pull off metallic, so started small & silly. This gold and ivory Fossil Owl coin purse is actually larger than my puny palm (4.25 inch diameter cp), so I've used her as a wallet/clutch on occasion
stock image:
So tell us what happened next!!! Have you "graduated" to another, slightly larger, metallic bag? Or are you sticking with Ms. Owl for the time being?
