To keep jewellery in the best condition, you should regularly clean your jewellery. Cleaning your jewellery should not be an arduous task. To help you, we have outlined 5 methods to clean your jewellery.
Make sure to thoroughly rinse and dry your jewellery after each cleaning process.
SOAP AND WATER:
Solutions that remove tarnish from jewellery won't necessarily remove general dirt and grime, so simpler cleaning solutions are a good starting point.
A warm, soapy water solution (made using gentle colourless and odourless soap) and a soft bristled brush works great. Work carefully and only use the brush where it's needed: in crevices where grime accumulates in particular.
Take care not to leave soft gems like opals and pearls in this solution for too long.
Once you're happy the item is clean, make sure you rinse the jewellery well and thoroughly pat it dry before proceeding.
JEWELLERY POLISHING CLOTHS:
Jewellery cleaning cloths are generally the safest option to remove tarnish from your precious metal jewellery.
To remove tarnish with a polishing cloth, buff your jewellery gently with the cloth, doing your best to get it into crevices. You'll find the cloth will get black marks on it as the tarnish is removed. Take extra care to not damage any areas that have a patina or blackening applied to them: excessive rubbing of these surfaces may damage them.
Your polishing cloth will quickly develop black marks from the cleaning process, which is to be expected. Once your cloth is completely black it needs to be replaced as these cloths won't continue to remove tarnish after they've been washed.
Once you are finished, wash your jewellery in soapy water, rinse well and thoroughly dry it.
SILVER DIP:
For many silver jewellery designs you can instead use silver dip which will very quickly and easily remove tarnish, including in hard to reach spots. Having a pot of good quality silver dip on hand is a great idea as it will clean tarnish off in seconds, including in places you can't get to with a polishing cloth.
To use silver dip, make sure you follow the instructions provided with the dip. Then rinse the jewellery thoroughly and pat it dry.
EXCEPTIONS:
We generally don't recommend using silver dip on jewellery made with pearls, turquoise, opal, lapis lazuli or other soft gemstones as they are porous and the dip may damage them.
ULTRASONIC CLEANERS:
Ultrasonic cleaning removes embedded dirt, grime and debris by way of ultrasonic waves moving through water, often with a mild detergent added to it.
To use an ultrasonic, just follow the instructions that come with it. We generally recommend using a warm water solution with a small amount of gentle soap mixed into it, but if your device tells you differently, then go with that instead.
Once you're happy the item is clean, make sure you rinse the jewellery well and thoroughly pat it dry.
Be aware/ like using silver dips, using an ultrasonic can be risky when it comes to softer gems or delicate finishes.
We also don't recommend using them with jewellery that has a patina or blackening applied to the surface as part of the decoration. This includes gilded finishes which are created with very thin gold foil applied to silver. These finishes may be damaged or even removed by an ultrasonic.
WHEN TO GET PROFESSIONAL HELP:
If you have high value jewellery and especially complex pieces with settings of expensive gemstones, including pearls or opals, we recommend you talk to a local jeweller about having them clean these pieces for you. They will know the best and safest methods to use for each piece and will have specialist equipment to do the job.
This is also a good opportunity for them to check your valuable jewels and let you know if there are any lurking problems, such as settings that need tightening. For this sort of jewellery, ongoing professional maintenance is a great idea.
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