Guide To Keeping Your Jewelry Clean

 A collection of fine jewelry is precious and to keep it looking its beautiful shiny best, you need to take care of it. Gold jewelry, silver jewelry, and anything with gemstones should be stored correctly as well as it needing to be cleaned regularly.

We all love to wear our best rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings on special occasions, but if you don’t put in the care and attention that precious metals and all types of jewelry need, then you are going to end up with a sub-par collection that doesn’t hold its beauty or its value.

When not looked after, gold jewelry can become dull while silver jewelry can tarnish.

Jewelry care is not onerous. You do not need to have your pieces cleaned by a professional jeweler (although once or twice a year is a good idea) and cleaning your jewelry is something you can easily do at home. The fundamentals of cleaning a piece of jewelry are simple and common sense.

Here is a step-by-step care guide on the cleaning methods that will turn you into the best jewelry cleaner in the house!

1. Check Your Jewelry Pieces

The first thing that you need to do is have a thorough check of all of your various jewelry pieces. It can be very easy to miss pieces that need a good clean, sometimes because of their size, sometimes because of their color, and sometimes because of the intricate crevices they might have.

Check everything under a bright light to see which of your pieces are looking duller than they should be. Some will have more dirt and grime than others. Rings can get dirty from things like lotions you use on your skin while the links of bracelets and necklaces can easily be clogged with detritus of all kinds.

This is also a good time to check your settings to see if any stones have come loose. If so, it is best to go to a jewelry store for them to be tightened.

2. Perform A Simple Wash

For many pieces, especially items made from gold, you might find that all you need to restore them to their original glory is a simple wash.

Jewelry should be washed with warm water with the addition of mild dishwashing soap. Your mild dish soap should also be colorless and scentless. Castile soap, soap for woolen, or hand soap works best. Avoid any kind of soap that contains any type of antiseptic or harsh chemicals. Cool water won’t be as effective as warm, and hot water might just be that bit too hot for you to be able to handle with care.

Leave the jewelry in the solution for a few minutes then agitate the water to help loosen any stubborn dirt. Gently remove the dirt from each piece using a special jewelry cleaning cloth, other soft cloth, or a soft-bristled brush (a clean toothbrush will be fine).

Once clean, make sure that you rinse them in plain water and allow them to air dry. You can also use paper towels to speed up the drying process.

3. Sometimes An Ultrasonic Cleaner Is Ideal

If you find that the dirt isn’t coming away as easily as you hoped, then you might want to try using an ultrasonic cleaner. Following simple instructions, an ultrasonic cleaner can do a fantastic job of dislodging stubborn dirt and debris, even from spots in the jewelry that is impossible to reach with fingers.

It is important to note that ultrasonic cleaning won’t remove tarnishing, but it can do a wonderful job of getting into tricky crevices.

4. But Not Always...

However, an ultrasonic cleaner is not always an appropriate choice. For example, if your jewelry is silver and it has blackened (tarnished) or patinated areas in its design, or soft gemstones like opals, pearls, or turquoise, then you need to avoid ultrasonic cleaning.

This is because ultrasonic cleaning can result in damage to soft gemstones and certain metal finishes.

5. Use A Polishing Cloth

Sterling silver in particular is a metal that is prone to tarnishing over time, but the same can be said for other precious metals to different degrees including the lower carats of yellow gold. Tarnish is common and easy enough to clean, but it is good to clean silver to keep on top of the build-up.

If your jewelry is tarnished, use a jewelry cleaning cloth to remove it. Try to buy a professional quality polishing cloth or a lint-free cloth. Once you are happy with the look of the pieces, rinse and carefully dry them to restore the luster to their original beauty.

6. Sometimes A Silver Dip Is Needed

If you want a quicker way to remove tarnish from silver jewelry, then there is nothing better than a silver dip. This cleaning method works particularly well with things like silver chains that can be more difficult to clean with a polishing cloth on its own.

You can find tubs of silver dip on Amazon, in any good supermarket, hardware store, or sometimes even larger pharmacies, and of course, if you have a jeweler near you, then you will be able to find it there.

7. But Not Always! ...

Silver dip isn’t always appropriate! Just like an ultrasonic cleaner, you need to be careful with which pieces you choose for silver dip treatment. If your silver jewelry is tarnished or incorporates soft gemstones like pearls, lapis lazuli, or turquoise, then you should avoid using a silver dip due to the risk of damaging the stones and/or ruining the finish.

8. Don’t Be Too Rough

You mustn’t be too rough when you clean fine jewelry. Some of it will have intricate settings and clasps that won’t take too kindly to a hard hand.

Most definitely avoid the jewelry cleaning hacks and tips you read on the internet. You would never find a professional jeweler using things like toothpaste, baking soda, or even tomato ketchup to clean gold jewelry and neither should you.

These ingredients contain chemicals that will remove tiny amounts of metal every time you use them. In particular, gold-plated or vermeil jewelry should never be cleaned in this fashion.

It is important to be firm but gentle when using a polishing cloth or brush, as you want to dislodge the grime without having a negative impact on the metal itself. Too much enthusiasm can be a bad thing when it comes to cleaning precious fine jewelry!

Stay away from harsh chemicals, and also avoid putting your jewelry and loose stones like emeralds and sapphires into direct contact with things like hairspray, because it will lead to invisible buildup.

9. Be Careful With Silk Thread Necklaces

If you are cleaning a necklace that has a silk thread, then you can do so using soapy water as directed above.

To dry it, lay it flat on a paper towel, or alternatively hang it up to drip dry. It should be positioned to allow the silk thread to rest straight.

10. Store It Properly Once Cleaned

When your jewelry is nice and clean, it needs to be stored to avoid dirt and debris building up again.

Avoid storing precious metals in humid places, so the bathroom is out because this will speed up tarnishing. If you live in a constantly humid place, then you will probably need to clean your jewelry more often than in other climates.

Ideally, the jewelry should be stored in a place that is free from flowing air, as it will keep dust at bay and also slow down the rate of tarnish. Keeping pieces in pouches and small jewelry boxes is perfect.

Any jewelry that you choose to keep on display will need to be cleaned more often.

You should also prevent metals from rubbing against one another, as well as against harder gemstones. To avoid scraping and scratching, store your more problematic pieces individually.

How to Clean Pearls

The above applies to most gold and silver jewelry but pearls need a little different attention because pearls are delicate.

• You should never wear your pearls when showering and if you have a pearl ring, take it off for doing chores that involve water.

• To keep your lustrous pearls looking their best, wipe them with a soft cloth after every wear. This will help prevent the buildup of oil and dirt.

• Damp cleaning should only be as needed. If they are or look dirty, Dip a soft cleaning cloth in a solution of mild dish soap in lukewarm water and gently wipe the pearls. do not put it into the water to soak.
• Allow them to dry completely before you put them back into storage.
• Pearls should never be cleaned with steam or an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner as this will damage the outer layer of the pearl.

We know that any cleaning is a chore, but if you want to maintain the integrity of your fine jewelry and keep it looking its best, make time to look after it properly.

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