How To Clean Gold Jewelry At Home

From your everyday jewelry to unique pieces you only wear on special occasions, chances are, all of your jewelry could use a good polish. Lotion, soaps, and everyday dust and dirt are just a few things that can clog jewelry settings and make stones, chains and pearls appear dull and lifeless. And it’s usually not until you’re getting ready for a night out on the town that you notice your rings, necklaces and bracelets need some attention.

The good news is that this article by GemTags has been put together to aid you in your jewelry cleaning. Cleaning your jewelry at home is easier than you might think and as jewelry label providers, we know what catches a customers attention. Be sure to contact us for any enquiries.

How To Clean Gold

Give solid gold bracelets, chains and earrings a gentle bath in a solution of a few drops of dish soap and a little warm water. Put small jewelry pieces into a strainer before placing in the solution; large pieces can go directly into the bowl to soak for about five minutes. Swish the items around, then take them out, lay them on a soft cloth and go over the crevices and chain links with a soft toothbrush to dislodge any dirt trapped there. Return small pieces to the strainer and rinse everything under running water. Buff dry with a soft cloth.

How To Clean Gemstones

It’s easy to restore the sparkle of precious and semi-precious stones, like diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires set in gold. You can use the same instructions as the ones above for cleaning gold, but instead of using regular water, mix the dish soap with seltzer water. In Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab tests, the carbonation helped loosen soil and removed debris trapped in the settings and on the facets.

Brush stones and settings with a soft toothbrush; then, dip in clear water to rinse or place the pieces in a strainer and rinse under running water. Buff dry and admire the sparkle.

For Silver Wearers

The best way to clean tarnished silver pieces and keep them from re-tarnishing as quickly is with a good silver polish, like Good Housekeeping Seal holder Weiman Silver Polish, which contains ingredients that dissolve and remove tarnish while leaving behind a protective coating to prevent new tarnish from forming.

Liquid polishes can be a bit messy to use, especially if you’re in a hurry, so wipes (like the ones below) can be a more convenient alternative. Specially treated multi-layer cloths, which have one side to clean and remove tarnish and a second one to shine, are also a good option.