Water Marks on Wood

[Bokky]

DH has a beautiful presentation box that he keeps all of his precious things in. It means a lot to him as it was bought for a significant birthday and has personal engravings on it. It's a dark wood and is polished/varnished.

We are having some work done to our house and the box got lots of plaster dust on it. We think it was wiped with a damp cloth and now has some what we think are water marks on it that can be seen in a certain light. They are dark marks rather than light.

We've tried to get them out but to no avail. DH is gutted. Has anyone any tips on how to remove them without ruining the box further?

Water marks are usually lighter than the wood.
What have you tried?

Might this be of interest:
www.instructables.com/id/Removing-Black-Stains-in-Wood-Furniture-With-Oxali/
If the box is precious maybe a french polisher could advise.

Thank you for your reply and taking the time to share the link. We've only tried polishing and waxing it out for fear of damaging the wood. Perhaps speaking to an expert will be the way forward. DH is gutted. It's a beautiful box and one he treasures.

I would ask a french polisher for advice and a quote.
They will probably advise you how to look after it too.