It’s happened to us all. One day you look at the engagement ring on your hand, or the diamond earrings in your ears, and you realize that they just don’t have the same sparkle as they did when you first bought them. Your once dazzling jewelry is now dull.
Don’t worry, this is normal! Over time our fine jewelry becomes dull because of the oils on our skin, as well as things like lotions and hair care products. These oils and products can build up on our gemstones, making them look cloudy.
One solution to this is to bring your jewelry into Necker’s Jewelers, where our experts can clean each of your pieces. But did you know that you can actually clean your fine jewelry at home in between regular jewelry inspections and cleanings? You don’t need your own ultrasonic cleaner, either, which can damage your gemstones if you aren’t careful. Instead, you can safely and easily clean your jewelry at home with just a few items that you probably already have on hand.
What You’ll Need
- Dawn dish soap, or another type of gentle dish soap
- A small cup or bowl
- A soft bristle toothbrush
- Warm water
Instructions
- Pour a small amount of dish soap into a small glass cup or bowl.
- Add warm water to the bowl and mix up the soapy water with the soft bristle toothbrush.
- Place your jewelry into the warm, soapy water and gently brush it with the soft bristle toothbrush until it’s clean again.
- Rinse the jewelry with clean water. Be careful not to drop it in into the sink! It’s best if you have a drain cover over the sink drain while doing this, just in case.
- Gently pat the jewelry dry with a soft cloth. Then, enjoy the returned sparkle!
You can use this method to clean platinum, gold, and sterling silver jewelry. However, we also recommend cleaning your sterling silver jewelry by wiping it gently with a polishing cloth. This will help remove any tarnish that has developed.
Please keep in mind that you should be extra cautious when cleaning soft gemstones like pearls and opals! These stones are easily scratched and chipped. While you can clean opals by gently brushing them with a soft bristle toothbrush, we don’t recommend this cleaning method for pearls. Instead, you should clean your pearls by wiping them with a soft, damp cloth to avoid creating any scratches. Another thing to remember when cleaning pearls and opals is that you should never keep these soft gemstones in water for long periods of time, as they can become discolored or damaged.
If you think your jewelry needs some extra TLC, or if you want to get your fine jewelry extra clean and shiny for a special occasion, stop by Necker’s Jewelers and we’ll be happy to clean your jewelry for you! We also have polishing cloths and jewelry cleaner in the store that you can take home. If you can’t visit us in store, we sell jewelry cleaning kits on our website too.
