You may have inherited yours from a relative. You may have received it as a gift (an engagement or wedding ring is the most prized type, in this case). You may have bought it for yourself. One way or another, you are now the proud owner of a piece of jewellery. To make it shine the way it was supposed to, you will need to clean it because wearing jewellery will collect skin flakes and similar grime (and even if you don’t wear it, it’ll collect dust).
You’ve undoubtedly heard that the best method for cleaning jewellery is toothpaste and an old toothbrush. Well, Grandma was right; it’s still the best way, but did you know that different gemstones react differently to perfumes, dyes, and the elements? Learn not only how to clean your jewellery but also how to wear it for optimal longevity.
First, you must consider what sort of jewellery you have, as different things are cleaned in various ways. Is your piece of jewellery set with harder stones (not just the obvious diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, but also cubic zirconia, amethyst, topaz, and rhinestones), softer stones (and stone-like substances) such as turquoise, opal, lapis lazuli, coral, and amber, or is it a string of pearls? Each of these needs to be cleaned differently.
Jewellery involving harder stones (or no stones) is the easiest to clean. Treat them like you would your teeth: in other words, scrub them with toothpaste using a soft toothbrush. The soft toothbrush prevents any scratching (of the metal, that is. Diamond, the hardest substance, is unlikely to be scratched by some puny piece of plastic. Gold, however, is pretty soft). A toothbrush can also reach into all the little nooks and crannies – chains, claws, filigree… Toothpaste rinses off in plain water easily, leaving no residue behind; it is an excellent cleaner. Some people like to use an ammonia solution or dishwashing liquid, but toothpaste doesn’t have the fumes and is gentler on your skin. The only real precaution you should take when cleaning this type of jewellery is to remember to do it in a bowl rather than in the sink, where the plug lurks like a black hole ready to swallow your precious engagement ring.
Jewellery involving softer stones and stone-like substances should not be cleaned with ammonia or soap and probably shouldn’t be cleaned with toothpaste. This is because they absorb water and other substances very easily. If you’re unsure which softer jewels are, here’s a quick list: amber, coral, lapis lazuli, malachite, opal (my favourite), turquoise and organic substances like bone and shell. These should be cleaned with a soft, damp cloth and just water. The same applies to anything that involves glue. If you have a ring set with any of these gems, you should also remove the rings before doing anything wet or messy. Put the rings in a dish near the sink – that’s good advice for any ring. If you ask your domestic cleaner to clean your precious gems and stones for you, ensure she knows how to handle each type of jewellery. Detailed written instructions work best.
Keep them Dry
Always use a soft cloth to dry after cleaning jewellery and a soft toothbrush with toothpaste, not tooth gel or anything fancy, to clean your gemstones, silver, and gold. Don’t use a paper towel unless you fancy picking bits of paper out of a claw setting.
Bar soap and even some toothpaste can leave diamonds with a dull coating. You can soak these all you want, but use a light mixture of baking soda and water to help dissolve any buildup and keep them sparkling.
Ultrasonic commercial gem cleaners are supposed to be the easiest and most economical way to clean jewellery, but they can actually crack softer gems like pearls, agates, or amber. If you own a commercial container for cleaning jewellery, use it only for hard stones like diamonds.
Cleaning Pearls
They are usually called jewels and are classed with gemstones, but pearls are some of the few jewels that aren’t stones but a by-product of an organic process (amber is one of the other rare organic jewels). Oysters usually form pearls, although a few other molluscs are used in commercial pearl farming, including the paua (abalone) of New Zealand, which produces hemispherical blue pearls. But no matter where your pearls come from or what colour they are – natural, freshwater, or cultured pearls – you will need to care for them differently from other precious stones. Because they are not stones.
Pearls are made from calcium carbonate crystals; as calcium carbonate is alkaline, it is very susceptible to acids. Remember the legend about Cleopatra dissolving one of her pearl earrings in vinegar and drinking it to win a bet with Mark Antony about who could serve up the most expensive meal? It is plausible, so the first rule for looking after pearls is not to try cleaning them with vinegar or any other domestic cleaning product. Vinegar is a gentle cleaner for nearly everything else but not for pearls.
Popular wisdom states that pearls grow more lustrous if worn frequently – as if we need an excuse to wear them! This is because the skin and the natural oils in your skin act like the finest chamois cloths to polish them gently. However, while a little bit of natural oil from the skin is good for them, too much is not. Perfumes can also damage pearls, so when you put on your pearls, put them on last after you have applied perfume and moisturizer. If you have pearl rings, remove the rings before washing your hands or dabbing on hand cream. As handwashing is important, it is probably best if pearl rings aren’t kept for everyday wear but for special occasions.
Pearls will need to be cleaned a little occasionally if they get too much natural body oil on them, as this will eventually discolour them or even make them look grimy. To clean pearls, wipe them gently with a soft, damp cloth. Never use a brush, and it’s best to avoid commercial jewellery cleaning products unless they’re clearly labelled as suitable for pearls. Water will not hurt pearls – they are produced by an aquatic creature, after all – so merely pat them dry before storing them away. Do not try to dry pearls with a hair dryer, in the sunlight or in front of a radiator, as in their “normal” state, they should contain some water. If they lose this natural moisture (about 2% of the total pearl’s weight), they will lose some of their lustre at best and crack at worst.
Store pearls in their separate case rather than letting them knock against harder jewellery. Pearls scratch easily.
Pearls are usually strung on a real string, as a metal chain would rub and wear the pearl away. However, this string can become quite discoloured from use, especially as the fibre the string is made from takes a bit more to get clean. Periodically, therefore, you will need to restring (or have restrung) your pearls. According to some sources, if you wear them weekly, you should get them restrung every second year, and if you wear them less often than this, every four years is recommended. This writer’s grandmother never restrung her pearls, and today, they’re still looking lovely, and the string isn’t worn or grubby (I’m not sure how often Grandmother wore these pearls, though!).
If you have the time to rest your pearls, have little knots between each pearl so they don’t rub against each other at their weakest point – the drill hole. If you don’t have the time and patience to do this (I, for one, do not have the time to restring an opera-length pearl necklace (up to 90 cm long)), take them to a jeweller. If you’re not sure, a good jeweller will also tell you if they actually need restringing.
Be Gentle With Your Opals
Opals tend to get greasy. They are formed from silicon dioxide and water, hardening over a long period, so they can crack easily and collect dust from the oils on your skin. You can achieve this jewellery cleaning by simply wiping them off with warm water and mild soap if they are very dirty. Typically, only warm water is needed. The important thing to remember about keeping opals nice is how you store them. Because they are very vulnerable to temperature changes, keeping your opals in a temperature-controlled environment, such as a fabric bag where they will not be exposed to extreme heat or cold or be knocked around next to your other jewellery, is the best storage choice.
Old And Heavily Tarnished Pieces
Heavily tarnished silver jewellery can be cleaned with commercial silver cleaner, but only use it sparingly and wipe it off immediately. Most silver jewellery doesn’t need intense cleaning; you can use mild soap and a soft cloth. To keep silver jewellery from tarnishing, store it in a sealed plastic bag–like a Ziploc bag–between wears.
Cleaning Gold
The pricier the gold, the softer it is. Cleaning gold jewellery using a soft cloth and very mild soap is the best way, although the best part of gold is that it doesn’t tarnish. You’ll only have to clean gold jewellery once in a while, as in the wedding ring you wear daily and is exposed to the dirt and grime your hands are in. As soft as it is, gold is extremely resilient.
If in doubt about any piece of jewellery, then ask your jeweller about the best way to clean and care for it. Even if you didn’t buy your gems off them (e.g. if you inherited Great Aunt Margaret’s emerald earrings), ask anyway – they’ll probably be happy to establish a relationship with you, as you may one day need to re-set the jewels – or even buy more.
Cleaning Diamonds
Diamonds may be the hardest substances on earth, but that does not mean they do not get dirty and require regular cleaning. Your diamond jewellery will never wear out, but you must clean it properly to keep it looking its best as the years pass. Cleaning diamonds at home is simple and does not require any special materials. There’s no need to spend money on cleaning them by a jeweller. And this is not something that domestic cleaners are usually asked to do.
You first need a sink with a tight drain plug and a fine strainer. Never risk your diamonds going down the drain! If you’re not sure about the sink, you can use some plastic bowls in its place. Just vary the following steps accordingly.
- Fill the sink with really hot water. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
- Mix in a small amount of regular detergent.
- Place the jewellery in hot water and let it soak for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the jewellery from the hot water and place it in a bowl full of glass cleaner. Ensure that the jewellery is completely immersed in the glass cleaner.
- Allow the item to soak in the glass cleaner for 15 minutes.
- Now comes the intricate and delicate part. Remove the jewellery from the glass cleaner and brush over the surface using a soft brush. Pay special attention to the nooks and crevices.
- If you have a magnifying glass, use it to look for any spots of dirt the brush may have missed. If the brush cannot reach that area, use a wooden toothpick to pry out the dirt.
- Return the jewellery to the hot water and detergent solution and swish it for a minute or two to remove any remaining dirt.
- Now remove the jewellery and drain out the water. Make sure the drain plug or fine filter is in place, and rinse off the item in hot water to remove all the soap residue.
- Place the jewellery on a soft towel and allow it to air dry.
- Once completely dry, wipe it off with a clean, soft lint-free cloth, and you are done.
It’s important to check after cleaning to make sure that the diamonds are still secure in their settings. The settings often get loose, and the dirt keeps the stones tight. If you feel the diamonds are loose, go to a jeweller and have the adjustments done.