Quickly, our favorite jewelry can get smeared, soiled and dusty. The look of jewelry will easily be ruined by body lotions, powders, soaps and oxidant chemicals in the air. We are not limiting jewelry exposure to these conditions because we simply don’t want to. We enjoy wearing our precious earrings, bracelets, rings or pendants every day. Still, can you remember the sparkling look of your favorite piece of jewelry when it was first bought? With proper caring will ensure a long and beautiful life for your jewelry.
Cleaning all jewelry
Even if it is advisable to visit the jeweler in order to have or jewelry clean we can get almost the same result at home! We just need to follow some simple rules. For making the job easier, here are some tips on how to clean your tarnish jewelry and to maximize its beauty.
Cleaning Tips:
1. First things first! Always check your jewelry before cleaning to see if there are any loose or damaged gemstones. You would not want to cause any further damage, try to discover if there are any cracked or broken, discolored or pitting metal.
Pearl used in fine jewelry mountings
2. You must use a cotton cloth to gently wipe the pieces of jewelry. Ensure that you always use fresh cloths because the dirt left from previous usage will leave scrapes and pits on the piece of jewelry you want to clean and polish.
Rub jewelry with soft cloth
3. If you want to use commercial cleaning products from jewelry stores you always have to remember to read the instructions before you first attempt to clean. Otherwise use reachable tools that can be found in your own bathroom (toothbrush, bowl of water, soap and towels)
Jewelry Cleaning at home
4. Do not clean your jewelry in bleach. It is highly oxidant and reacts with metal causing it to become fragile. Also keep in mind that denatured alcohol, turpentine, acetone, and ammonia are also harmful in contact with your jewelry.
Brushing jewelry
5. When using tissues or paper towels in stead of polishing cloths be sure that are very soft because fibers can scratch your favorite piece of jewelry.
Tissues for wiping jewelry
6. Use a soft old toothbrush to clean metal or mounting stones. You must try to get to the hard to reach areas of your jewelry in order to make it sparkle completely.
Jewelry cleaning home products
7. Metals like gold and silver should be dipped into a bowl of soapy water. Brush gently then rinse with water and buff with a clean cloth until shiny.
jewelry cleaning
8. Only diamonds may be cleaned with toothpaste while brushing with an old and soft toothbrush. Other gemstones do not have the same roughness and may be easily scratched. Rinse with warm water and pat dry with a clean towel.
Jewelry cleaning with every day products
9. When cleaning pearls use a mild soap and warm water. Dry pearls well with a soft cloth make sure they are completely moistureless before putting them away. Store pearls in special material bags.
Drying pearls
10. The best solution is toothpaste and baking soda. While rubbing the jewelry use caution not to touch the stones. Work in small areas until the piece is tarnish free. Rinse with warm water and dry immediately.
Jewelry cleaning and polishing
Tags: cleaning jewelry, diamond, gemstones, jewelry tips, pearls, top 10
April 8th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I found this article very informative! Thanks for all the tips. I have a lot of sterling silver jewelry that I store in plastic bags to avoid the tarnishing, but then I can’t see them when it’s time to select a piece for wearing. With these tips in mind it will be easier to leave them out and clean them every once in a while.