3 TIPS FOR CLEANING JEWELRY

December 15, 2017

Cleaning jewelry is easy to do at home - as long as you know the right cleaners to use on each treasured piece. Gold, silver, diamond rings, opals, pearls, and gem stones each have special requirements for storage and cleaning.

These jewelry cleaning tips will help you keep each of these pieces clean and sparkling - safely.

1. Take jewelry off nightly.

No baubles - not even diamond rings - should be worn all the time. All stones (including diamonds and sapphires) can chip. And gold, silver, and platinum are easily scratched. Harsh chemicals can damage both stones and metals.

So take rings off when you do hard work or work out hard. (If you lose a stone, you'll never find it.) You should also take them off when you clean the house or garden. Household cleaners can damage fine stones and settings - and you run the risk of catching it on something.

You'll also want to shed the family jewels when you bathe, swim, or soak in the hot tub (chlorine can damage stones and metals) and when you go to the beach - salt is also hard on these pieces.

We often don't take these pricey pieces off for fear of losing them. To get around that concern, consider where you normally would take off your rings and place a container there for that purpose. Then the rings don't go down the drain, and you always know where you put them.

2. Most jewelry can be cleaned in warm water and dish-washing detergent.

Your fine jewels needs an occasional cleaning to remove grunge around settings and to remove oily buildup that dulls the sheen. Most pieces can be cleaned by soaking for a few minutes in a bowl of lukewarm water with a little dish-washing detergent and scrubbing gently with a toothbrush. (Never use toothpaste - it's too abrasive.)

Ultrasonic cleaners should only be used for all-metal stones or diamonds. It can damage other stones. Ditto for ammonia.

3. After cleaning jewelry, store it safely in soft fabric bags.

After cleaning jewelry, resist the urge to toss it into the bottom of a jewelry box. Not only do chains get tangled, but the gems can be damaged. Diamonds and sapphires can scratch metals and other gems.