Eternal shine: how to properly clean gold and diamonds

Rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings with precious stones give their owners self-confidence, and also evoke mixed feelings of envy and admiration among observers. Sometimes it becomes necessary to clean jewelry, because gold and diamonds lose their bright shine and become covered with a dark coating. The question arises: how to quickly restore precious items to their former beauty and not make it even worse?

Why do gold and diamonds fade?

Some women adore their rings and earrings so much that they wear them 24 hours a day. They do not remove jewelry even when taking a bath, washing dishes, cleaning the stove, or sunbathing in the sun. As a result, precious items are exposed to moisture, chemicals and ultraviolet rays.

Gold itself is a metal resistant to adverse external influences. But it is soft and easily deformed. Therefore, jewelry gold is an alloy with the addition of other metals: copper, silver, nickel, zinc, cadmium. These substances can oxidize over time and become covered with a yellow, black or green coating.

Diamonds in jewelry become dull due to dust and oil secreted by the sebaceous glands of the skin.Therefore, pebbles also need to be looked after regularly.

The easiest way to clean gold and diamonds is to wipe the jewelry with a clean, dry, soft cloth. Wet wipes for LCD monitors are also suitable. If you wipe the product 1-2 times a week, it will always have a neat and sparkling appearance.

7 easiest ways

If your gold jewelry with precious stones shows signs of scratches, grease, and plaque, the safest thing to do is contact a jewelry workshop. However, this pleasure is not cheap and takes a lot of time. If the degree of contamination is low, you can clean the jewelry at home.

When cleaning gold and diamonds, you should always wear gloves, as grease and dirt from the surface of your palms easily stick to the products.

• Salt

Fill a 250 ml mug halfway with warm water. Add 2-3 tablespoons of table salt and stir. Carefully place the ring (earrings, bracelet) on the bottom and leave for 10 hours.

Then remove the decoration and place it in a container with clean water. Wipe the product dry with a soft cloth.

• Sugar water

Dissolve a tablespoon of sugar in a cup of warm water. Place gold jewelry on the bottom and leave for 3-4 hours. Then rinse the products with tap water so that no sticky residue remains on the frame and stones.

• Soap solution

Do not use dishwashing detergent or powder containing colored granules to clean jewelry! It is better to dissolve a small piece of baby soap or a little uncolored liquid soap in warm water. Immerse the jewelry in the solution for 2 hours.

Remove the jewelry and gently brush the stones with a soft-bristled toothbrush.Rinse in clean water and dry with a soft cloth or hair dryer (cold dry function).

• Onion juice

Only a fresh cut onion, from which the juice is oozing, will do. Rub the juicy onion pulp onto your diamond ring or necklace and leave for 2 hours. Then rinse the jewelry under warm tap water and dry thoroughly.

• "Coca Cola"

The popular drink even gets rid of contaminants such as rust and blood. It is also suitable for cleaning diamonds. Immerse the jewelry in a glass of drink for 1 hour, then rinse with clean water and wipe with a cloth.

• Ammonia

It even gets rid of old dirt and black (green) deposits. Ammonia solution (ammonia) can be purchased at any pharmacy. At the same time, buy a glass for testing. The fact is that ammonia emits a very pungent, unpleasant odor. And the test cup is closed with a tight lid and does not allow alcohol vapor to fill the room.

To clean heavy stains, gold items are filled with alcohol only and left for 15 minutes. The classic option: the ratio of alcohol and water is 50 to 50. Then the jewelry should lie for 2-3 hours. Then they need to be washed with water and dried (with a cloth, cold air from a hairdryer).

By the way, instead of ammonia, you can use other alcoholic liquids, such as vodka or cologne.

Gentle cleaning methods

The methods listed above are not suitable for all cases. For example, it is better not to use them for jewelry with glued or large diamonds: water can get inside the product, and over time there is a risk of the stone falling out of the setting. You also need to use gentle cleaning methods for expensive and exclusive gold jewelry that you would hate to ruin.

Lipstick

Contains titanium dioxide, a substance that removes dark deposits from the surface of the product. To clean gold and diamonds, apply lipstick to a cotton swab and rub the item for 3-5 minutes. Then use a clean, dry cloth to clean the surface.

No need to choose long-lasting lipstick for cleaning!

Borax solution

Borax is commercially available in three forms:

• jewelry borax - you can buy it in specialized stores and workshops (it is advisable to purchase just such a borax);
• a solution of borax in glycerin - sold in a pharmacy under the name "Sodium tetraborate";
• as part of insecticidal preparations against cockroaches (this method of treatment is less preferable, since there is a risk of getting a burn to the mucous membrane when cleaning jewelry).

Dip a cotton swab (or a toothpick with cotton wool at the end) into the borax solution and carefully wipe the frame and stone. Then the jewelry is quickly rinsed in cool water and dried with a cold hairdryer.

Toothpaste and alcohol

The paste contains fine abrasives that effectively remove dirt from the surface of the product. Apply the product to a soft-bristled brush and gently scrub the frame. Do not touch the diamonds. Remove toothpaste from the product with a damp swab.

To clean stones, use rubbing alcohol, vodka or cologne. Dampen a cotton swab (or take a ready-made alcohol wipe) and wipe the diamonds until they sparkle.

Finally, wipe the product with a dry soft cloth.

How to clean white gold?

White gold jewelry is the most valuable and expensive. Nickel, platinum and palladium are usually added to their composition, and the surface is coated with a layer of rhodium, which protects it from oxidation and scratches.Over time, the protective layer wears off, and the products become extremely vulnerable to the effects of the external environment.

White gold with diamonds can be cleaned using “soft” methods:

• women's lipstick;
• sugar water;
• liquid soap solution;
• ammonia (pebbles only).

How not to clean your favorite products?

There are often harmful tips on the Internet for cleaning jewelry, which, if followed, can lead to deep disappointment.

The methods listed below can irreversibly damage gold jewelry with diamonds:

• substances with coarse abrasives: Pemolux type products, washing powders with colored granules, tooth powders;
• brushes (including toothbrushes) with hard bristles;
• hot water;
• hair dryer in hot drying mode;
• baking soda (reacts with some metals and can cause jewelry to tarnish);
• hydrogen peroxide;
• vinegar.

Take care of your expensive gold and precious stone jewelry. Take off rings, bracelets and earrings when washing dishes or going to the sauna or the beach. Store each product in a separate velvet box. And then you won’t have to take risks and clean your gold and diamonds too often.