Tips for Cleaning Your Gold/Jewelry
Do you still have jewelry and other gold, silver, and platinum items that you want to keep, but are beginning to look a little dull and lack luster or would you like to clean your scrap gold items before sending them to us?
Gold doesn't tarnish, but it can become dirty or dull looking thanks to the oils on your skin, lotions and other products. It can also be scratched by contact with other jewelry. Here are a few easy steps to keeping your gold and platinum jewelry looking as new as the day you bought it.
- First of all, clean your jewelry monthly if possible, this will keep it shiny and beautiful.
- The easiest way to clean your gold and platinum jewelry items is to soak them in warm water with a few drops of ammonia or mild dish detergent for a few minutes. You may use a soft bristled toothbrush for a more thorough cleaning.
- After cleaning, rinse the jewelry and dry with a soft cloth that will not cause abrasions.
- Always close your drain, if you are cleaning near a sink.
- In order to keep your items from scratching each other after cleaning, keep them in separate compartments. It is best when they are wrapped with tissue paper or a soft cloth.
White Gold on the other hand becomes more complicated. White Gold is sold with rhodium plating on it. When a lot of friction occurs, the rhodium begins to wear down and the gold begins to obtain a yellowish hue. Unfortunately the only way to fix this is to have it re-plated with rhodium at your local jewelers.
Silver tarnishes when exposed to air. It happens especially often in warm, humid air, although over time it will occur in any air. The best way to keep your silver looking good is to store it in an airtight container when not in use. Some suggestions are wrapping it in treated paper, cloth, or a plastic film.
Silver that has many designs and intricate patterns should only be hand cleaned with a high quality silver cream or polish. This is so not to destroy the intricate patterns in the silver. Hand rubbing also adds a special shine to the silver, making it more beautiful. Some silver may be cleaned in warm water, never use hot water, because it may remove the lacquer. While polishing, never use rubber gloves, as it adds to the tarnish. Instead use plastic or cotton gloves to polish your silver. Rubber is highly detrimental to silver, we may call them the bitterest of enemies. When silver is exposed to enough rubber, it may become impossible to clean without a silversmith. Also, the acid produced from salt, olives, salad dressing, eggs, vinegar and fruit contribute to the tarnishing process.
Cleaning Silver without a special cream or polish is easy as well. Using a simple mixture of baking soda and water, you may rub, rinse, and then dry your silver with a soft polishing cloth. Sprinkling baking soda on a damp cloth and gently rubbing silver will remove tarnish the best.
A mixture of aluminum foil, baking soda, and salt works for small silver items. First place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a pan, cover with a few inches of water, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring these items to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add the silver pieces and let boil for an addition 2 or 3 minutes, making sure the silver remains immersed in the water. Remove the silver after a few minutes, rinse it, and dry with a soft cloth. This will clean the hard to reach places of your silver pieces.
Toothpaste may also be used to clean the tarnish off of silver, the best method would be with an old soft bristled tooth brush.
