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Cleaning Gold Jewelry

The Keys To Cleaning Gold Jewelry

Caring for your gold jewelry correctly is a vital step in protecting the investment made. Not only does following the right procedures help safeguard the value of the jewelry, it also helps ensure a beautiful ring looks just as stunning 10 years down the road as it did on Day One.

Cleaning gold jewelry requires a delicate touch. While most gold jewelry is not pure gold, even when mixed with other alloys is still relatively soft. This means 18k, 14k or 10k gold pieces can still find themselves subject to scuffing, scratching or simply losing their luster and sheen.

In its purest - 24k - form, gold has the same hardness rating on the Mohs scale as a fingernail! Keep this in mind when cleaning gold jewelry and the importance of the baby soft touch will be crystal clear.

Proper Cleaning Procedure

Properly cleaning gold jewelry depends a lot on the piece in question. A simple gold wedding band with no stones generally only requires a careful soak in water or gentle cleaning solutions and then a buffing with a soft cloth. A combination piece, like a solitaire, might require a special cleaner for the stone, followed up by buffing on the exposed gold parts.

Don't use abrasives on stones as they can get on the gold and cause unwanted scratches. Some stones are not recommended for harsh cleansers either. Read labels on jewelry cleaning solutions before diving in to make rings and necklaces shine.

Extremely Dirty And Scaled Items (Use At Your Own Risk)

Another option that works especially well for more intricate pieces is to boil them briefly. Generally, a 30-second boil in water with a bit of sodium bicarbonate can help remove mucky buildup from necklace links and other gold surfaces. Boil the pieces one at a time to avoid tangling. Follow this up with a careful buffing using a jewelry clothing or chamois leather.

Hard-core Method Number Two:
Fill a small jar with ammonia, add your gold items, put the lid on and let it sit for a short time 30-60 minutes. Open up the jar and polish each piece with a soft polishing cloth.

Cleaning Delicate Items

If a piece of gold is particularly intricate or particularly dirty, it is not a bad idea to consider a professional cleaning. With gold that has stone settings this is a smart idea at least once every year. During the cleaning process, a jeweler can also inspect the settings to ensure that precious stones are not lost to weak connections.

Most jewelers offering a 'cleaning gold jewelry' service are equipped with specialized steam cleaners made specifically for the jewelry industry. Although these machines used to be quite costly you can purchase a decent machine these days in the $300 to $1000 range.

Once cleaning gold jewelry has been taken care of, it is smart to store it properly for protection. Unless a piece will be worn, put it in a properly lined jewelry box with its own designated spot to avoid scuffing or scraping. Antique or heirloom jewelry should like get its own box just for an extra layer of protection.

Learning the ins and outs of cleaning gold jewelry is not a terribly difficult task. As long as abrasives are avoided and a gentle hand used, it is very possible to keep gold glittering like new for years and years to come.

A Final Note

If you're unsure which method to use always go with the safest, either try a light squeeze of mild dish detergent in warm water or have your piece cleaned professionally.

Click here to go from our Cleaning Gold Jewelry page to learn about Gold Hallmarks