How to clean gold jewelry (25 easy tips)
Gold is an unalterable precious metal, sought after for its unparalleled brilliance and durability, yet you may have noticed that your gold jewels tarnished over time.
How is it possible ?
The sweat of our body, the dust, the friction affect the brilliance of the gold by dirtying it or damaging its polishing. Especially your gold rings and solid gold bracelets that are in contact with your skin get covered with dust and sweat.
Your lifestyle therefore affects the brilliance of your gold jewelry.
This article summarizes all the practical tips to remedy the loss of luster of your jewelry.
1. How to Clean your Gold Jewelry at Home?
Whether in your kitchen, your bathroom, or your ballet closet, your home is full of products that can clean your jewelry.
Know that in any situation you always have a backup solution.
In the kitchen ?
With bread crumbs: By rubbing the crumb of fresh bread on your jewelry, you will form small balls that will allow you to polish the metal. Gradually, the crumb of bread will come to "erase" the dirt of your jewel.
With baking powder: Mix the yeast with warm water, gently rub your jewel with a soft toothbrush. Rinse your jewelry and then wipe it with a lint-free cloth.
With Lemon and Cigarette Ashes: Rub your jewelry with cigarette ashes and lemon juice, rinse your jewelry and wipe it with a lint-free cloth. Lemon allows the dissolution of limestone, cigarette ash acts as a scrub.
With Coca-Cola: Soak 20-30 minutes your jewelry in Coca-Cola. The acidity of the drink will come to attack the dirt.
With an onion: Cut an onion in half, rub your jewel, rinse your jewel with water and then wipe it with a lint-free cloth. The onion disinfects and removes all traces of fat.
With dishwashing liquid: Put drops of dishwashing liquid in hot water, soak your jewels for 12 hours, rinse with water and then wipe with a cloth that does not lint.
With ammonia: In a container, mix hot water with ammonia, let stand for 30 minutes, rinse your jewel and then wipe it with a lint-free cloth.
In the bathroom ?
With toothpaste: Rub the jewel with a soft toothbrush, wipe the toothpaste with a cloth in circular motions. Rinse with water. With an electric toothbrush this technique works better.
With a scrub for the skin: Apply the product on your gold jewel, rub as you do with your skin, then rinse the product with water.
With foundation cream: Take a cotton towel, put drops of foundation cream on the cloth and then apply it on your jewel with circular motions. Once the jewel is well covered with the product wipe it with a clean part of your cloth.
With an effervescent tablet for dental appliance: In a container of water put the seal then introduce the gold jewel, wait one to two hours, rinse your jewel in water and then wipe it.
With Maintenance Products?
With Meudon white or Spanish white: Mix the powder with alcohol or cognac and then with circular movements apply the powder on the entire surface of the metal with a brush. Rinse with water and then wipe dry.
With baking soda: Sprinkle your jewel with bicarbonate, see droplets of water on the powder and then with a toothbrush rub the metal. Rinse with water and then wipe dry.
White vinegar: In a container of hot water and white vinegar, let your golden jewel stand for 30 minutes. Rinse it and wipe it clean.
Soap of Marseille, soap glitter: Put soap on a toothbrush, wash your jewel in gold on all its surface. Let it soak in warm, soapy water for 30 minutes. Rinse it and then wipe it dry.
2. What can your jeweler do?
Why Polish?
The tips listed previously allow you to clean the gold from your jewelry but do not polish the metal.
Your jeweler can polish your jewelry and give it back its original luster. But be careful, do not make especially polish your gold plated jewelry or white gold. The polishing will leave the thin layer of metal covering them.
Do not hesitate to ask your jeweler for advice.
What Jewel in Gold Clean with an Ultrasonic bath?
Ultrasound is a very good tool for cleaning dirt difficult to access. It is especially recommended for baskets rings, chains, earring ...
If you ask nicely your jeweler you may do it for free. (And with a smile you increase your chances!)
What are the cleaning products of my jeweler?
Your jeweler has three ways to do an express cleaning:
Chamois or Chamoisine skin: it is the irreplaceable tool to clean, wipe, remove dust and shine your gold jewelry.
The special gold wipes are dry wipes soaked in a special product, it's fast and convenient.
Ready-to-use baths are flasks containing a jewelry cleaning product. Inside a basket keeps the jewelry small. In just a few minutes your jewel shines.
The good news is that you can buy these products, either on the internet or in a traditional jewelry store.
3. How to clean white gold jewelry?
Unlike yellow gold and pink gold (the color of gold and its alloys), white gold requires special care.
We must know that 95% of white gold jewelry are rhodium-plated.
Over time, the thin layer of rhodium wears out and makes the glow of your jewelry dull. The only solution to overcome this problem is to redo rhoding every two years on average. For the rhodium of a ring, it costs between 20 -50 euros.
4.How to clean your gold rings with gems?
By their monetary values but especially their sentimental values, gold rings require meticulous care.
Unlike necklace and pure 18k gold earrings, our gold rings get dirty and spoil more quickly. Your hands are in action permanently and expose your rings to more risks: shock, stain, hanging, rubbing, perspiration ....
To this, the precious stones that compose it double the danger.
How to clean a ring basket at home?
Claws, kittens, fasteners make the ring head difficult to access.
To clean the basket of a ring: Soak your ring in hot soapy water, with a toothpick gently remove all accumulated dirt and then rinse thoroughly with water.
Then take a cotton swab soaked in soapy water or alcohol (only for diamond set) to recommence the operation. Rinse your ring and wipe with a lint-free cloth.
How to clean and care my precious stones?
Although they have a very high hardness, rubies, sapphires and diamonds can scratch or break. Therefore, avoid wearing two diamond rings on the same finger and store them separately to avoid any risk of scratches.
To clean your diamonds use the washing up liquid technique and get the soft toothbrush. Diamonds are very sensitive to the grease do not hesitate to clean them regularly for a better shine.
Of the four precious stones, Emerald is the most fragile, it requires great vigilance. With a hardness of 7.5 / 10 on the Mohs scale, it can more easily break or scratch.
To clean an emerald, use sweet almond oil. Store your emerald ring in its original box. Here are some recommendations:
- Never use toothpaste and toothbrush
- Never ultrasound or chemical baths.
- Do not wear your emerald rings every day.
- Emeralds do not withstand thermal shocks, avoid exposure to hot weather.
5.How to maintain and clean my gold watch?
Just like gold jewelry gold watches tarnish over time.
You can use all the house cleaning techniques listed above, but be careful that your watch is waterproof.
Only use water at room temperature, the movement of your watch does not like sudden changes in temperature. This is true also for your diamond rolex watch.
To avoid a disaster, we advise you to have your gold watch checked every two to three years.
A complete revision of your watch is expected every three to five years.
You should know that a jeweler-jeweler is not a watchmaker (Most often they subcontract work to a watchmaker). If you want expertise and high quality work we advise you to go directly to a watchmaker.
To discover how to make a watch bracelet, read this article describing the making of a watch bracelet in 14 carat white gold.
6. To take care of your gold jewelry
Why do you have to put your gold jewelry in their boxes?
It is important to always store your jewelry in their original box to avoid shocks and dust that tend to tarnish.
During risky activities, do not wear your gold jewelry:
- When you play sports or work
- At the pool and the beach, the sand spoils the metal
- Remove your rings while washing your hands and when doing the dishes (sponges alter the metal).
- Avoid the contact of gold with Abrasives products:
- Avoid cleaning your gold jewelry, bleach and abrasives abyss.
- Never clean your gold jewelry with silverware.
A check of your regular jewelry:
Take the time to check your jewelry, set, clasps, chain welds ... If you have any doubt have them examined by your jeweler.
For more information:
- Check our publications about Gold Jewelry
- Know our online service of custom made Jewelry
- Design your own emerald engagement ring