How To Clean Jewellery At Home

by Sharna Heir

All You Need To Know About Cleaning Your Jewellery At Home ✨

Our cleaning guide has been designed to help you keep your jewellery cared for.

Remember the feeling when you wore a beautiful brand new piece of sparkling diamond jewellery, it glimmered in the day and shone bright at night. But slowly over time, the sparkle dulled. 

Exposure to hand creams and soaps, as well as dirt and moisture in the air can cause our precious pieces to dull over time. 

The good news is, you can easily restore your pieces back to their former glory with a few simple tried and tested hacks - which we’ll walk you through below. 

The processes are simple and quick to clean most tarnished items in your jewellery box without having to take them to a professional jeweller. 

We will walk you through the processes for how to clean solid gold jewellery, and how to clean sterling silver jewellery. We will cover how to clean rings, how to clean earrings and any jewellery items that contain precious stones such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies - as well as how to clean porous pearls and costume jewellery.


✨How To Clean Gold Jewellery 

You can create your own DIY jewellery cleaner at home with a few simple household items that most people have at home.

From our experience, we have found this to be the perfect homemade jewellery cleaner for tarnished gold items, such as pave diamond necklaces or bracelets, chains, earring and diamond engagement rings and wedding bands - and any other solid gold jewellery. 

You’ll need the following:


Step 1:


You’ll want to mix the washing up liquid and the warm water together in a small bowl using the back of the toothbrush, drop the jewellery into the solution and bathe for 5-10 minutes. 

This solution is especially great for quickly and gently dissolving and dislodging trapped dirt within the crevices of the jewellry.

NB - You’ll want to avoid overly hot water, as you’ll want to ensure stones don’t crack. Warm water is all that’s needed to loosen the dirt. Further down you’ll find tips on how to clean porous stones, such as Pearls and Emeralds. 


Step 2:


Swish the jewellery around in the solution and remove from the bowl. Lay the piece on a cloth and gently brush with a toothbrush, really working into any small crevices and underneath any diamonds or other stones. 

You can dip the toothbrush back into the bowl to add more lather and dislodge any remaining dirt.  


Step 3:


Rinse under warm water and lightly buff/dry with a soft cloth. 

Your jewellery should look beautifully sparkling after this process! If you have any really stubborn grime you can repeat the steps. 

As an extra tip - you can also (or instead of) use a gold cloth to polish gold items and clean and polish, such as these Connoisseurs gold cloths. We advise wearing some dish gloves when using these, to avoid the residue from transferring onto your fingers, and storing in an airtight zip-lock bag or container. 


✨How To Clean Silver Jewellery


It is recommended to use a good silver polish to clean your sterling silver jewellery and prevent stains from re-emerging, such as this Goddards silver polish which also comes with a cleaning cloth.

Using a silver polish is the best way to keep products from re-tarnishing as quickly by leaving behind a protective layer. 

If you need a quick solution, then you can follow the steps above for cleaning gold jewellery - but it is advised by experts to avoid using this as a solution where possible as this will not really prevent tarnish from returning and you won’t get anywhere near the same result. 

Another quick (and less messy) alternative is to use a two-step silver cloth - one to clean and one to polish, such as these Connoisseurs silver clothes. Again we recommend the steps mentioned above to protect your hands, and prolong the lifespan of the cloths. 


✨How to Clean Costume Jewellery


There’s a more delicate approach for costume jewellery, as you’ll want to make sure that you aren’t removing the outer layer, or dislodging any jewels or stones that may be attached with glue. 

The best approach is to take a damp soft cloth and gently wipe over the surface of the piece. Avoid buffing, to ensure you don’t buff away the colour of the piece. 

If you need something a bit stronger, dip your cloth into some soapy water (such as washing up liquid) and gently wipe again over the surface. 

Remove the soap with a damp cloth, and dry your piece with a soft cloth. You should notice your piece comes up clean after this. 


✨How To Clean Soft Or Porous Stones 


Porous stones such as Pearls, Emeralds, Opals and Amber should not be submerged in water and require a different approach. 

Such treatment could cause damage or discolouration if the stones absorb any moisture. For this reason you should be careful not to spray perfume or hairspray on these items, and remove when bathing or showering. 

For the best results, simply polish the stone with a dry soft cloth. 

Extra Tips

  • It is best to store all jewellery in a box when it’s not being worn.
  • Avoid keeping your jewellery on whilst swimming as salt water from the sea and chlorine can be damaging.
  • Do contact a jeweler for some expert advice if you are unsure of how to best handle your valuable piece.

 

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