CLEANING YOUR JEWELRY
When we buy jewelry, we will ask ourselves this question..."how do I clean it?" "Do I need to buy anything at the store or do I have what I need here?"
I won't claim to be the world's perfect jewelry adviser but through research I have come up with the following suggestions, simply because I have had to know how to clean jewelry myself and I am passing these tips on to you.
Not all jewelry is cleaned in the same manner. Some metals are cleaned with a store-bought cleaner and then, some are cleaned with just a little soap and water. The hardest pieces of jewelry to clean are the ones that have a metal finding and a gemstone together, that you can't get wet. In that case, you can cover up the gemstone with plastic wrap, or something similar, while you clean your metal, such as Sterling Silver and Gold.
Sterling Silver jewelry and Gold jewelry tarnish easily. The more Silver or Gold a piece of jewelry has, the more it will tarnish. Sometimes it seems like it happens in no time. I have tried different ways to clean Sterling Silver and Gold, but nothing works quite like Tarn-X, plus it's easy to use. I use a little glass bowl. Put Tarn-X in it and put on gloves! Put your piece of jewelry, one piece at a time, in the container with Tarn-X, while swirling it around gently with a Q Tip, for about a minute. Do not let your jewelry stay in the Tarn-X any longer than 3 minutes, per directions on the bottle. Remove it from the Tarn-X bowl and hold it under cold running water to rinse off the Tarn-X. Lay your rinsed off piece of jewelry on a soft towel after blotting it dry with a soft cloth, so it can finish drying by air-drying.
Pearls, Opals and Onyx are soft and porous stones and need to be cleaned simply with a soft cloth and a little water. Don't submerge your gemstones in water. Also, don't use an ultrasonic cleaning machine.
Pearls are formed by oysters and other mollusks secreting a mixture of aragonite, conchiolin, and water around irritants lodged in their bodies. This material is very vulnerable to acids (even perspiration) and ammonia (which is found in many cleaners). Pearls are also very vulnerable to scratching.
Opals are made of amorphous (non-crystalline) silica and can consist of up to 21% water. Although most Opals used for jewelry are 1% to 6% water, they’re still extremely sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. Like Pearls, Opals are vulnerable to scratching.
Most Opal jewelry and Pearls in earrings or other pieces without drill holes can be cleaned with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush, just like many other gemstone jewelry pieces. Make sure you use mild soap only (no other cleaning solution) and a soft brush (not a toothbrush).
Stainless Steel jewelry is popular because it is lightweight and has a trendy look. It can last a long time and look like new if you keep it clean. It does get dirty from time to time, and when that happens, you will need to clean it. Fortunately, there are various ways in which to clean stainless steel jewelry. Here is one method:
Fill two small bowls with warm water. One of the bowls will be used for washing the jewelry, while the other one will be used for rinsing it. Make sure that the bowls you are using are large enough to completely submerge the jewelry.
Add 2 to 3 drops of mild dish soap into the first bowl. If your jewelry is particularly dirty, look for a dish soap that is labeled for fighting grease.
Dip the corner of a soft, non-abrasive, lint-free cloth into the soapy water. This is a must for cleaning jewelry, especially if it has any gemstones, as it will prevent scratches. Try to use a microfiber cloth; it is soft, non-abrasive, and lint-free.
Rub the cloth along the jewelry. Be sure to go along the grain, not across it. If you rub across the grain lines, you risk scratching your jewelry.
Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to scrub any grime from detailed areas. Again, go with the grain, not across it. Also, be sure to use gentle pressure, and not to scrub too hard. Avoid scrubbing any gemstones, however, or you will risk scratching them.
Dip your jewelry in the second bowl of water to rinse it. Gently bob the jewelry up and down to get rid of any soap residue. If necessary, pour the dirty water out, and replace it with fresh water. Keep rinsing the jewelry until there is no soap residue left.
Use a dry cloth to wipe away the water. Try to get as much of the water off first as possible. If you leave any water behind, you might get some water spots.
If your jewelry has a lot of details in it, wrap it up in the cloth and wait a few minutes. This will give the cloth some time to soak up the excess water.
Polish the jewelry, if necessary, with jewelry polish or polishing cloth. Make sure that the polish you are using is labeled safe for stainless steel. Do not use silver polish, as it will stain your jewelry. When polishing the jewelry, make sure that you are going with the grain, and not across it.
Titanium jewelry is also easy to clean. Soak it in Windex, or an ammonia cleaner, for about 4-5 minutes, then rinse it off under warm running water. Lay it on a soft towel to dry. DO NOT USE BLEACH OR ANYTHING WITH BLEACH IN IT TO CLEAN YOUR TITANIUM JEWELRY WITH.
Cleaning Onyx jewelry is pretty straightforward: Just use a soft, dry cloth or a soft brush to wipe any dirt off your gemstones. You can also use a little water to moisten the cloth and make the cleaning easier. Don't wet the stone or soak it in water, however, as Onyx is porous and absorbs liquids easily.
Cubic Zirconia is a hard stone but not as hard as a Diamond. Use a mix of warm water and a mild dish detergent. Abrasive cleaners are not advisable. Place your Cubic Zirconia jewelry in your water mix and with a soft brush, clean your piece of jewelry. Rinse under warm running water completely and pat dry with a soft cloth.
Cleaning Crystal can be done the same way as Cubic Zirconia (above).
A big "Thank You" to International Gem Society at https://www.gemsociety.org and wikiHow at https://www.wikihow.com for your help.
~Cissie's Unique Shop~
