How to clean jewelry in Gold, Silver with Diamonds and precious Stones

Easy, you’ll think, let’s see together how to do it and what not to do.
 
We have dedicated a larger section on how to clean Jewellery, due to the various requests received.
When asked how to keep your jewellery clean and bright, I could say: go to a trusted jeweller or professional in the field, who with appropriate tools will thoroughly clean the jewel. The occasion of bringing your jewel to a professional is useful to have your jewellery checked, see if they need to be repaired or fixed, due to the years’ wear and tear, this is often inexpensive, cheaper than what you would think.
 
We will show you the ABC of how to clean your jewellery at home, you cannot polish the jewellery at its best with simple tools, due to the lack of professional equipment, not with the same result as a professional, but even a simple cleaning done well often gives great visible results. A little help in polishing Jewellery, can be found using the specific Antioxidant cloths for jewellery, which we sell in the Accessories section and included in the Customer Kit.

Dirt: an enemy for Jewellery

Dirt, dust, grease, are all elements that stick and settle in the hollows and crevices of Jewellery, in particular, accumulated dirt removes a lot of brightness from the Gems in general, in particular fatty substances adhere to Diamonds. If you are used to using your Jewellery (e.g. Diamonds rings), during daily chores like washing dishes or similar, you will notice that before long, these jewels will start to lose their lustre and the Gems will no longer shine as before.

In a few simple steps you will learn how to clean Jewellery by yourself.

Let’s start by looking carefully at your Jewellery (a magnifying glass would definitely be useful), the first things to check on Jewellery set with Gems (Diamonds or any other Gem), are the tips that block the Stones,  these, especially on rings tend to wear out over time (slow wear and tear), when you see that they are particularly thin, you must take it to a professional who will assess what to do. In the picture here on the side is an example of thin tips and not perfectly adherent to the Gems. Sometimes even if the tips are intact the Gems might not be perfectly blocked, with the help of a tiny screwdriver, a pin or anyway a small metal tip, lean into the Gem and with moderate and careful strength, try to move from top to bottom, trying to make it rotate on itself, check if it moves slightly; if it is perfectly blocked, it is safe to use, otherwise, it is better to take it to a Goldsmith or Jeweller who will solve the problem.

Remember, you will hardly ever lose suddenly a Gem that is well blocked, in most cases, as a result of wear or accidental banging, the Gem will begin to move slightly, then always a bit more over time, until it falls out of its natural setting.
The greater value the set Gem has the more I advise you strongly to carry out this check-up regularly.
Other things to check in rings, is the wear and tear of the structure, after many years of use it is possible that the lower part of the ring has thinned out a lot, or that certain areas have particularly worn out.
 
In jewellery like Gold Bracelets and Necklaces / Chains, the parts that wear out faster are the latches and the links next to it, sometimes even the very first links of the necklace itself; you must have them fixed as soon as possible, avoiding the risk of losing them due to the breakage of these worn parts. See how in the picture on the side you can see 3 critical points (those highlighted), in the front and rear area you can notice considerable wear, which not only leads to fragility, but also to a risk of sudden breakage. We have also marked another typical problem that occurs on worn latches: in the area of opening and closing, where you enter the final part of the Bracelet or Necklace / Chain, you can see an abnormal (slit) and very evident slit, which contributes in giving less safety, in case the final link is very worn, probably there is enough space for it to slip out without noticing. This occurrence especially happens in the worn latches of Gold Chains, often overlooked, but among the leading causes of breakage and loss.
The solutions are simple, let’s start with the less serious cases: in the case of a single abnormal slit, it is enough to regulate it with a pair of tweezers, returning the slit to a minimum distance possible, a matter of a minute; in cases of problems linked to wear and tear, you can ask a professional, who will assess the possibility of replacing the hook and strengthening the final links, or reinforcing all the worn areas, without replacing any part, also verifying the correct working of the latch. If the job is made well you will have the same security (sometimes even more), compared to a new latch. The choice and economic convenience, in preferring a restoring (when possible), to a replacement is directly proportional to the size and weight of the gold latch; therefore, in case of very small latches often we proceed directly to a replacement, but from medium-small latches and above or in case of special latches, personally I prefer restoring.
 

We mentioned Gold latches (spring), let’s explain to well understand this important aspect. Basically, all latches, have within them a Harmonic Steel Spring (better if stainless steel), over months and years the latches are opened and closed hundreds/thousands of times, each time putting pressure on the spring. It might happen that this can yield/ break, as you can see in the example in the picture, usually the spring does not break by itself when you are wearing the piece or when it is placed in its box, but usually, when the spring is stimulated upon opening; it is true, I can acknowledge that this might be very obvious and that you might fail to notice. In most cases you can simply replace the spring, which is often more convenient than replacing the entire latch, the reliability of a spring hand-restored by a professional (if done well), must be as great as that of a stock latch, actually, paying attention to certain details, one could create a spring that is even better than the one made in the factory; it is up to the artisan to use quality Harmonic Stainless Steel; not everyone uses it because it is not always easy to find. So some “settle” and use standard harmonic steel wire. I prefer not to “settle”, the spring is the Very Important, so it is good to require an intervention with high quality materials.

Critical spots to observe:

  • Rings: tips and setting of the Gems – lower shank and general structure.
  • Bracelets: latches and final links.
  • Tennis Bracelets: increase in the space between the various bezels, Not good hold of the latch and side hooks.
  • Necklaces / Chains: latches and final links.
  • Anklets: latches and final links.
  • Dangle Earrings: connecting rings.
  • Fixed Earrings: removable part of the locking pin, often too mobile and fitting poorly.
  • Watches (Gold): space between the links always more visible (over time), widening around the wrist.

Remember, the Professional, Goldsmith, Jeweller, if well prepared know how to handle the various problems, thanks not only to experience, but also to Technical training, especially in the “World of Gems”, knowing what, how and how much, to do or Not to do in certain cases!
So I suggest: in the uncertainty of how to clean your Jewellery, if you have doubts go to a professional or at least ask or consult with him, he will suggest if you can carry out the cleaning of a particular piece at home.

The main risks, are related to the type of Gem(s) set on your Jewellery, these might be subjected to unnecessary risks due to improper cleaning.

Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires, many crystals, semi-precious stones, Artificial and Synthetic Gems, have no particular problems, all you need to do is follow the general rules and precautions we will provide, obviously there are always exceptions. A practical example: to date one of the most dangerous and at risk things, even for professionals, is to intervene on Jewellery set with a Ruby with treatments and/or fillings made with Glass/Lead, this is an unstable treatment and you cannot afford washing “these” Gems in the special ultrasound washing machine for Goldsmiths.

In the case in which, the Jewellery is set with: Emeralds, Aquamarines, Corals, Turquoise, Amber, Pearls, etc; therefore delicate Gems, Gems of Organic origin or similar, Gems with visible veins and/or fractures, you will have to proceed with great care; be careful not to create damage.

The main cause of damage to Gems, is due to thermal shock, so avoid always and absolutely, a fast and rapid passage from cold water (or any other liquid), to hot water (or any other liquid), and the opposite; should there be such a risk, wait a dozen seconds or 1 minute before moving to the next step; timing is often proportional to the size of the Gem, the bigger it is and the more you have to wait between one step and the other.

Easy clean the Gold and Silver jewellery

Prepare the following material:

  • Small/medium pot
  • Tap water
  • Liquid soap (eg. dish soap)
  • Toothbrush with medium/hard bristles (keep it only for this use)
  • Common 75° or 90° alcohol
    • />Warm some water in the pot (not boiling) approximately between 40°C and 50°C, put 1 drop of liquid soap and using a toothbrush, carefully clean the Jewellery by removing all the dirt possible stuck to the Diamonds or to the Gems in general. If it turns out to be a difficult cleaning process because of hardened dirt, you can soak the piece in the pot for about 15 minutes (Not on the flame!). You will have surely  noticed that the pictures of the list of material needed to clean the Jewellery I have included even an electric toothbrush; usually one uses the classic manual model, but some Jewellery lovers prefer using an electric one as it is easier and handier, choose whatever you prefer, but remember: “Keep this brush exclusively for this use”. Wash with running water and repeat the process if you notice that it is not fully clean, finally rinse with alcohol (alcohol removes grease and favours the drying of the jewel.

    WARNING: If you use the alcohol on copal ( “young amber”) or on similar stones made from resins or plastic, these might be damaged and / or become opaque!.

    This method can be used in general for the normal cleaning of jewellery with various stones, you will not get the same result as a professional, but you will see a very good result nonetheless. Please note, that on the left side I have put the example of a dirty and dull Ring, marking in Red on the 1st and 3rd box how dirt removes brilliance to the Gems, while on the right there is the same Ring after a “simple” washing, you can see in the areas I have marked in Green how there is already a significant improvement.
     
    A tip to improve the lustre of the precious Metal (especially Gold and Silver), which your piece is made of: take an Antioxidant Cloth made especially for cleaning Jewellery, rub determinedly and strongly the surface of the Metal; you will achieve an improvement in the lustre of the “Metal”. This Cloth can be purchased in the Accessories section and is included in our Customer Kit.
    If you want an optimal result, a professional has the proper equipment to perfectly polish and deeply clean your Jewellery.
     
    I have added in the lower part, the same Ring after having carefully Washed and Polished it, with professional instruments, you will notice that in this case we have an optimal result in terms of Cleanliness and Brilliance while opacity and surface smears on the Gold, are No longer there.

    We advise you to lay your Diamond Jewellery in a bag or container, keeping them separate from each other, avoiding contact between the various pieces piled in the same bag or container, they can ruin or rub against each other. Diamonds are the toughest gems ever (10 on the Mohs scale) and therefore when in contact with softer gems, they could mark the latter; even Diamonds against Diamonds may produce signs or light abrasions, should they have a prolonged contact between them.

    Warning: absolutely avoid thermal shock to Diamonds and any other stone, so No very hot water following cold and vice versa.

    Please Note : These are practical tips that we give thanks to our experience and training in the field, however we Cannot and in No case, be responsible for any problems or damage caused by cleaning you carry out following these instructions.

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