Wondering how to clean your jewelry? Fine pieces of jewelry can continue to dazzle for many years to come- provided they are properly cared for.
Simply storing your jewelry in a box or safe when it’s not being worn is insufficient at ensuring that the pieces will last for a long-time. Additionally, some precautions need to be taken when caring for certain jewelry items, such as pearls.
Periodic inspection by Beards Diamonds, your local jewelry store in Jacksonville, will provide you with the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your jewelry is remaining in stellar condition. In the meantime, the following cleaning tips for jewelry will help keep your pieces sparkling, so that you may continue to find pleasure in wearing your favorite gems.
Polishing Your Diamonds
Since diamonds are said to be a girl’s best friend, it’s best to start with engagement ring care. Of course, this isn’t to say that your engagement ring is your only piece of diamond jewelry, but marriage proposals usually come along with a diamond ring.
Diamonds should be cleaned on a regular basis either by hand or with the use of an ultrasonic cleaning machine. You can use a soft-bristled toothbrush to scrub the diamonds gently before rinsing the stone with plain water. Alternatively, you can create a homemade solution to clean your jewelry by mixing together six parts of water and one part of ammonia.
Restoring the Brilliance of Sapphires and Rubies
While diamonds are often the most beloved pieces, a little tender loving care still needs to be given to that pair of ruby fashion earrings that draws compliments at every cocktail party and family gathering.
Fortunately, it is relatively easy to bring out the shine of both rubies and sapphires with a little bit of mild dish soap and lukewarm water. The ammonia and water solution that’s used to clean diamonds will also work for rubies and sapphires though.
Rubies and sapphires should be cleaned using a small, bristled brush, but a toothbrush will work fine. Pay close attention to the areas underneath the stones as this is where dirt and grime usually collect. Then, simply rinse your gems and gently pat them dry.
Taking Care of Pearls
That string of pearls that your grandmother gave you is likely your most delicate piece of jewelry. When it comes to pearl necklaces, special precautions need to be taken in addition to occasional cleanings. Here are some tips on giving your pearls the extra dose of TLC that they need:
- Pearls should be worn regularly as the natural oils from your body will assist in maintaining the beauty of the pearls.
- You should always apply your make-up and spray your perfume prior to putting on your strand of pearls.
- After wearing your pearls, you should gently wipe them with a soft piece of cloth before returning the necklace to the jewelry box.
- If you spill something, such as a glass of wine, while wearing your pearls, you should immediately wipe the pearls down with a dampened cloth and then dry them.
- Pearls should never be steam cleaned, and you should never ever use an ultrasonic machine to clean your pearls.
- Always remove your pearls before swimming in a chlorinated pool or ocean. Also, be mindful of your perspiration as sweat may damage your pearls.
- Pearls should be wrapped in a dampened cloth and stored separately from any other pieces of jewelry.
- Avoid wearing your string of pearls with metallic jewelry pieces to prevent scratching.
- Pearls should be periodically restrung if you wear them regularly or they start to accumulate dirt.
Cleaning Silver Jewelry
Even if you are partial to your diamond jewelry pieces and have no interest in colored gems or high-maintenance pearls, most of your diamonds are going to come with a gold, silver, or platinum chain – except for possibly your diamond pendants.
So, any list of cleaning tips for jewelry must include advice on cleaning silver and gold chains. Although gold chains are usually most popular, diamonds have a way of pairing beautifully with silver and platinum.
Silver jewelry can be cleaned with a simple polishing cloth, which may have been included with your jewelry purchase. The inner section of a polishing cloth works wonderfully at removing any dirt or tarnishing, which the outer portion of the cloth brings out the natural shininess of the silver.
Now, if your silver jewelry doesn’t contain gems, then you can use the following recipe to create a cleaning solution to polish your silver jewelry pieces:
You will need:
- A mixing bowl
- Aluminum foil
- A wooden spoon
- Warm saltwater
Use the aluminum foil as a liner around the bowl and fill the bowl with saltwater. Then you can submerge your silver jewelry in the water. Make sure that each side of the jewelry touches the foil liner. After the silver jewelry begins to brighten, you can remove it, then rinse and dry each piece.
Cleaning Platinum Jewelry
If you aren’t too keen on gold chains but want to step it up a notch from silver, platinum is an excellent choice. Platinum goes together amazingly with diamonds, and like gold, it will never tarnish. So, a platinum and diamond tennis bracelet would make a lovely anniversary gift.
Platinum jewelry is very easy to clean, too. While the ammonia solution described earlier will work fine for cleaning platinum jewelry, all you really need is a soft piece of cloth and a little bit of detergent to maintain the shine of your platinum jewelry.
Cleaning Gold Jewelry
OK, maybe you are a gold fanatic. After all, nothing shines brighter than gold and diamonds paired together. If you are interested in engagement ring care, for example, there’s a good chance that your solitaire diamond has been strategically placed within a gold band.
Even if you are still looking for that special someone, you may still own a beautiful pair of gold and diamond designer earrings. But there are still a few things that you should know about cleaning gold jewelry.
Although gold can also be cleansed with the ammonia solution or detergent, you need to be very careful to not scratch your gold jewelry when cleaning it. You should always clean gold with a soft-bristled brush to scrub away any dirt or grime that has built up beneath the gems. Always remember that ammonia should never be used to clean jewelry that contains pearls.
Cleaning Tips for All Types of Jewelry
While specialized care may be needed in cleaning certain types of jewelry, there are some general tips to keep in mind when caring for all of your pieces of jewelry. Naturally, you would want every piece that you’ve invested in to maintain its luster for generations to come.
Fortunately, taking proper care of your jewelry isn’t very complicated at all. It simply requires a common-sense approach that you may have already heard of and have begun putting into practice.
First, you should never wear your jewelry when cleaning the house. Basic household cleaning chemicals, such as bleach, can cause discoloration or even result in damages to your gemstone’s mountings.
Second, avoid wearing your jewelry when playing outdoor sports or engaging in hard labor. Even a backyard game of football or remodeling your bathroom could chip your gems or loosen them from their mountings. Surely, you wouldn’t want to end up digging through patches of grass searching for a lost diamond.
Third, when storing your jewelry, each piece should ideally be placed in individual cloth pouches. While this is definitely a must when it comes to pearls, even gold can be subject to scratching. Additionally, the last thing that you would want is for your chains to become entangled with one another, which is yet another reason to store each piece of jewelry separately.
Finally, you should have all your jewelry pieces inspected and professionally cleaned by your Jacksonville jewelry store annually. Inspections are an important part of jewelry care that ensures the long-lasting wearing of all of your most treasured pieces.
If you need to have your jewelry professionally cleaned and inspected or are interested in purchasing a new piece for your special someone, such as a ring from the Sylvie Collection, stop by Beard’s Diamonds today! We are conveniently located in the St. Johns Towncenter in Jacksonville, Florida, and look forward to serving you in all your jewelry needs.