7 ways to clean gold and diamonds at home: secrets of jewelers

Diamond

It is by no means necessary to resort to the expensive services of a jeweler: you can clean the stones yourself.

How to store gold and diamond jewelry

In order for gold jewelry with diamonds to delight you with its beauty for a long time, they should be stored correctly.

It's easy to clean gold and diamonds at home

It is important to remember the following:

• Do not forget jewelry in the bathroom , a room with high air humidity - be sure to keep it in a dry place, out of direct sunlight.
• Store the products in a box, in a fabric bag - this will not lead to oxidation of the metal, scratches upon contact, or friction.
• Keep jewelry as far as possible from acid , chlorine, and other aggressive chemicals: this can cause the metal to oxidize and the stone to lose its shine.

All this will allow you to preserve the purity and shine of precious metals encrusted with diamonds for a long time.

What you should never do

Many bloggers on the Internet suggest cleaning diamonds using lipstick. We do not recommend this method unless you want to lose your gold diamond ring. Lipsticks are made with fat, so the ring becomes slippery and can easily fall off your finger at the most inopportune moment!

Always wear jewelry when it is dry, do not wash your hands in it, or remove diamond earrings when you are about to shower.

Jewelry has no place during training in the gym or on the street. Under no circumstances should you wear them when going to the pool. Firstly, they will disturb you, and secondly, chlorine dissolved in water will create an additional coating on your jewelry.

We do not recommend using aggressive agents, such as well-known carbonated drinks, to clean diamond jewelry. Yes, they can very quickly remove plaque from any product. But your diamonds are not a kettle with scale; they require a careful and patient attitude.

Are you planning to clean your diamond jewelry? Then be patient, because now you are not just caring for expensive jewelry, but also for “best friends” who present you to others in the best light.

Traditional methods of cleaning

A gold ring, necklace, earrings, rings encrusted with precious stones become dirty over time. But folk methods for removing dirt will help clean their surface and restore shine.

Do not rub the product itself with soda

The main thing is to follow a number of rules:

1. After cutting, a diamond loses its strength and becomes brittle, so be careful when cleaning.
2. Twice a year it is recommended to take the product to a workshop or a jeweler in a jewelry store for professional cleaning using special products.
3. At home, it is recommended to remove contamination using traditional methods once every 3 months.
4. Do not use abrasive particles, alkalis, or aggressive chemical components that will scratch the surface of metal and stone.

All these simple tips and recommendations will extend the life of your jewelry and effectively remove plaque and dirt.

Soft cloth or napkin

Cleaning the surface of the jewelry with a soft, short-nap cloth is an easy way to clean it. It will take you 5-10 minutes.

Wipe the product with a piece of natural wool felt or fleece until it shines, polishing its surface. The main thing is that the fabric should be soft and not scratch the metal surface.

Soda solution

For a glass of warm water you will need soda, 1 tbsp is enough. l. Place in it for 3-5 minutes. product. Clean the surface with a soft bristled brush, rinse, and dry with a soft cloth.

Attention! Do not rub the product itself with soda, and even after extinguishing it with vinegar - this will scratch the jewelry, and the acid will cause the gold to darken and the stone to lose its shine.

Onion juice and Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola helps remove rust from metal and cleans the metal surface of dirt. Immerse the jewelry in a glass container, fill it with Coca-Cola and leave for no more than an hour, then rinse the product under running water and wipe dry.

Read more ► How to clean old coins from rust and oxidation at home: tips from numismatists

After cutting, a diamond loses its strength and becomes brittle, so be careful when cleaning

Onion juice is a proven and effective remedy for removing grease and dirt from jewelry.

Just cut the onion in half and rub it well on the surface of the ring or earrings, leave for a couple of hours - during this time the onion juice solution will corrode the dirt. Afterwards, rinse in clean water and wipe dry with a soft cloth.

Hyposulfite and borax solution

A solution of jewelry borax will help remove severe contamination. Apply a couple of drops of borax to a cloth, wipe the jewelry, rinse under water and wipe dry.

Alternatively, you can use hyposulfite. Dissolve 1 tsp in a glass of warm boiled water. products, immerse the decoration for 20 minutes.

Rinse under running water, using a brush, and wipe dry with a soft, moisture-absorbing cloth.

Ammonia and peroxide

Cleaning white gold products has its own characteristics.
Their effect on metal and stones is very aggressive, therefore the use of ammonia and peroxide in their pure form is prohibited. Dissolve 2 tbsp in 200 ml of water. l. peroxide and 3 tsp. ammonia, add a couple of drops of detergent.

Place the product in the solution for 3-4 hours, rinse and wipe dry.

Important! It is worth taking glass or enameled dishes - this will not lead to oxidation of the metal and darkening of the jewelry.

Soap solution is the ideal choice

Dissolve grated baby soap and a little shampoo in warm water and dip the product in the solution for 20 minutes, brush with a brush with soft natural bristles.

The process is completed by washing under running water and then rubbing with soft felt to a natural shine.

Liquid soap and toothpaste in the fight against plaque

Liquid soap is used in the same way as a soap solution, and toothpaste does an excellent job of removing any dirt due to the light abrasive particles it contains.

Toothpaste copes well with any stain due to the light abrasive particles it contains.

Wipe the gold with the paste, then rinse under running clean water.

Advice! For cleansing, you should not choose toothpaste or powder that contains colored, large abrasive particles and pigments.

Proper and safe care of jewelry

Jewelry requires attention. There are stones that cannot tolerate high humidity, such as amber, turquoise and opal. Therefore, when cleaning jewelry yourself, you need to find out the characteristics of the precious stones in your jewelry; you should not immediately use the home cleaning method.

Plaque and various dirt not only penetrate the metal, but also clog into the cracks between the stones, making them difficult to remove. The best tool in this case is a cotton swab.

It is almost impossible for them to damage the frame, which cannot be said about hard and sharp instruments. You should also not clean jewelry inlaid with stones in running water - the stones may fall out of the frame and into the drain.

When cleaning stone, do not use paste or powder. This may damage the surface. Easily removes difficult cases of gasoline contamination.

When the hardness of the stone is less than 5, it is advisable to use only soap as a cleaning agent. Low hardness stones are: turquoise, moonstone, malachite, opal and apatite.

How to clean white gold?

Cleaning a white gold product has its own characteristics . The methods described above are not applicable to it: it is a special alloy of several metals that requires a delicate approach.

It is important to remember that:

1. Do not use abrasive cleaning compounds or alkaline solutions, metal brushes or hard fabrics for cleaning.
2. You can clean it with both professional cleaning products and household products.

Cleaning a white gold product has its own characteristics.
To clean white gold at home, the following products are used:

• Sugar is suitable for removing plaque and greasy stains and adding shine - dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of crystals in a glass of water and place the decoration there for a day. Then rinse under water and wipe dry.
• Place shavings of baby or laundry soap or shampoo in clean water, dissolve and immerse the decoration for 15 minutes. Next, rinse under water and rub until shiny with a soft cloth.
• Rinse the product under clean, distilled water or use alcohol. Wipe dry and until shiny with microfiber.

The methods are simple and effective, but if they do not remove dirt, grease, stains, and scratches from the jewelry, you should take it to a jeweler.

What kind of soap can I use?

Oil released from the sebaceous glands of the skin forms an oily coating on gold and diamonds. Dust settles on the surface and the object begins to darken. The wedding ring is wiped with soda, but the abrasive material scratches the precious stone on the ring, and boiling water changes color. The soap is gentle, removes plaque from pearls and coral, topaz and diamonds, and leaves no marks on gold.

Children's

To restore shine to jewelry or remove stains on earrings or a pendant, heat water, fill a bowl with it, add a little baby soap, and whisk into foam. Gold items are dipped into the solution, wiped with a soft brush, after an hour, removed from the container, rinsed and placed on a napkin.

Dermatological

This type of soap consists of synthetic substances that have antibacterial properties. The detergent produces a small amount of foam, but disinfects and removes plaque that forms on gold jewelry.

Self made

The jewelry is cleaned of dirt with a paste prepared from water, chalk and grated soap, which is made from olive or castor oil and wax. Rub the stone and gold with the mixture and polish it to a shine with a dry cloth.

Liquid

Jewelry retains its beauty and sophistication when it is cared for regularly. You don’t have to seek help from a professional for a long time if you soak gold objects with an attached stone in a liquid soap that forms a thick foam. The plaque dissolves, and the dirt is easy to wipe off with a soft brush. The product is rinsed and dried with a napkin or cloth.

Cream soap

Rings and signet rings with loose diamond inserts should not be soaked in liquid composition. Such jewelry is cleaned with a special paste or wiped with a swab and soaked in cream soap.

Is it possible to restore scratched and tarnished gold?

If the product has lost its original shine or scratches have appeared on it, a jeweler can solve this problem.

You should not polish the product at home - if the scratches are large, you can damage it.

If the darkening is insignificant, the scratches are minor, use the following home recipes:

• wipe metal and stone with felt;
• use GOI paste for polishing.

When there is no felt or special paste, you should not try to solve the problem on your own . Give the product to a craftsman - he will return it to its original appearance without the risk of damage.

How not to spoil jewelry: secrets and tips

Cleaning and polishing gold jewelry at home is not that difficult. The main thing is to know how not to make things worse.

Cleaning and polishing gold jewelry at home is not that difficult

To ensure you get the desired result, consider the following:

1. When cleaning precious metal, do not use abrasive, aggressive products to remove dirt: powders and gels, cloth with hard pile.
2. Choose a brush for cleaning stones with soft natural bristles - it will effectively clean the surface of the gold without scratching it.
3. For purification, take purified water (at most distilled, at least passed through filters).
4. Before cleaning, check your jewelry for the integrity of the latch, other link connection, and stone attachment. This is an essential precaution, as the product may break during the cleaning process.
5. After cleaning, rinse the jewelry thoroughly in cool water, always running, and then dry it, polishing with a soft cloth.

Read more ► How to clean old coins from rust and oxidation at home: tips from numismatists

What is strictly prohibited from cleaning jewelry:

• Baking soda - in pure, powdered form, it will cause scratches and remove shine.
• Iodine - under its influence, gold can change its color.
• Bleach and chlorine-containing solutions, powdered cleaning agents - they can discolor gold.
• Potassium permanganate - this will lead to the metal simply oxidizing.

Reasons for tarnishing

Gold is a fairly soft precious metal. To create jewelry with diamonds, the highest quality material is used. To give strength and hardness, a small amount of copper or silver is added to the alloy. However, over time, the product may fade and change color.

The main reasons for this include:

• constant contact with human skin, where there are secretions of the sebaceous and sweat glands;
• interaction with cosmetics used by the owner of the ring;
• city ​​street dust;
• home dirt.

Under the influence of these unfavorable factors, the metal becomes dark, and the diamond loses its brightness and transparency.

Gold and Diamond Cleaning Tools

The cost of professional jewelry cleaning can be quite high, which is why many jewelry owners try to do the cleaning themselves at home.

For an economical option for caring for jewelry, you can and should use the following tools:

• salt and soft cloth - felt or fleece napkin;
• brush – soft, preferably with natural bristles;
• dishes for cleaning - the decoration must be completely placed in it and covered with the solution.