How to Clean Your Gemstone Jewelry

Table of Content

• Large Diamond Circle Earrings Studs in Sterling Silver 0.22ct
• Method #3: How to Clean Pearl Jewelry
• The best way to clean your jewelry is with warm water and a mild soap.
• Unique Diamonds By The Yard Necklace in 14k Gold 1.8 Carats Adjustable Length
• How Often Should You Clean Costume Jewelry?
• How to Clean Pearl Jewelry
• Plated Jewelry

The baking soda and salt will dissolve in the water, creating a solution that removes tarnish. It is not advisable, especially if it is an expensive diamond ring or jewelry piece. If it’s inexpensive and not something very valuable, you can dilute acetone or nail polish remover in water and clean it.

Pat dry and lay the pieces upside down so moisture doesn't soak into the setting. Because stones are often glued on rather than set, don't soak costume pieces in water or the glue could loosen and the "gems" could pop off. These gentle cleaning methods can safely remove oils, dirt, and other substances that naturally find their way onto jewelry. Make sure you know what kind of metals and gemstones you’re working with to find the best way to clean jewelry.

Large Diamond Circle Earrings Studs in Sterling Silver 0.22ct

Melissa Homer is a member of The Spruce's Cleaning Review board. She is a trained cleaning professional, consultant, and educator with a two-decade career spanning commercial and professional residential cleaning. Melissa specializes in premium surface care, cleaning safety, cleaning procedure efficiency, cleaning training documentation, and cleaning damage repair.

However, a high Mohs score doesn't make the gemstone indestructible. Hardness is the ability to resist scratching and nothing more. For example, diamonds have the greatest hardness of any natural material. However, they can have inclusions and incipient cleaves that might have unfortunate reactions to heat or mechanical cleaning. (pioneer111/123rf.com)Line a tray with a clean piece of foil and spread your jewelry out on it.

Method #3: How to Clean Pearl Jewelry

You don’t want to risk damaging pearls by soaking them. Use a bit of gentle soap, lukewarm water, and a soft toothbrush to clean nearly any type of jewelry. Many types of jewelry can be soaked in the soapy water first. Next, get your soft-bristled toothbrush and start brushing away the dirt.

When you get used to wearing your favorite piece of jewelry frequently or daily, it feels almost like a part of you. This makes it easy to forget about and go about your daily business. Even if you’re very careful, your jewelry can get dirty from just everyday wear and handling as it comes in contact with oil from your skin. Be sure to get into the hard-to-reach places, such as the setting behind diamonds where dirt and oil love to accumulate. Here are some jewelry cleaning tips on things to avoid when cleaning tarnished jewelry.

The best way to clean your jewelry is with warm water and a mild soap.

The soft bristles should be sufficiently gentle not to damage the setting of the ring, but be careful, especially if your ring is set in high-karat gold. Make sure you get every side from every angle, and put special effort into cleaning the back of the diamond. If you can get it clean, you can do a great deal to restore the sparkle and shine you are looking for. Ultrasonic cleaners are an alluring solution because they are fast, easy to use, and effective for certain types of jewelry, but they are often a bad idea. Ultrasonic cleaners utilize vibrations to do their cleaning work.

If you have a delicate ring with prongs, it is easy for an ultrasonic cleaner to shake loose a diamond. With other types of settings, you may be able to get away with an ultrasonic cleaner, but it is best to ask a professional before attempting this. The foil collects the tarnish from the jewelry and picks it up and off to clean it. Use this method with a good homemade jewelry cleaner, and your silver will shine once again.

Make sure your jewelry is super dry before you store it or wear it again. You don’t need to scrub super hard; just use small patting motions to get the majority of the water off, then let your jewelry air dry for about 30 minutes. When you wear a diamond engagement ring every day, it can quickly start to look scuffed and lose some of its sparkle. Dust can build up on the surface of the gemstone, and oils and dirt can become lodged in the setting. The same can happen to a diamond necklace, bracelet, pendant, or earrings.

Rinse your jewelry clean, dry it, and it’s ready to wear. Dip the jewelry into the Pandora Cleaning Solution for 2 minutes. Gently lower the plastic tray with your jewelry into the cleaning solution, making sure all your pieces are submerged. Set a timer for 2 minutes so your pieces get a nice soak to remove any dirt or oils. Once it finishes soaking, use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently scrub your jewelry to remove grime and residue. Dusting a bit of diatomaceous earth on your jewelry prevents it from tarnishing, too.

How Often Should You Clean Costume Jewelry?

These products can build up on your jewelry, especially if you don’t clean it often. This will make it lose its luster quicker, and require more frequent cleaning. Mix ¼ cup of ammonia with 1 cup of water in a bowl.

Heavily tarnished or discolored silver can also be cleaned with whitening toothpaste. Put a bit of toothpaste on a cotton cloth and rub the jewelry with it. Leave the toothpaste on for about 5 minutes, then rinse. Each piece of silver jewelry consists of up to 80% fine silver and 20% of other metals.