One of the questions I get asked most often is whether you have to clean your fine jewelry and if so, how. So here is a complete guide with (hopefully) useful tips and tricks that will restore your jewelry's shine. I will focus on solid gold and diamonds here, but for the most part, you can use the same techniques for all other precious metals and gemstones as well. (Though it might make sense to consult a specific care guide for them if you want to be on the safe side.)
If you - like so many others - have never cleaned your jewelry at home before: Trust me, it is totally worth it!
WHY EVEN FINE JEWELRY NEEDS TO BE CLEANED
One of the things that seems to surprise some people is the fact that even fine jewelry needs to be cleaned every now and then. But considering how long you will be able to wear fine jewelry (forever) vs. fashion jewelry (a few seasons), it actually makes sense that you need to look after it. Because even though solid gold won't lose its colour and diamonds are basically unbreakable, they will still lose some of their shine over time if you don't look after them.
What's more, the idea of fine jewelry is that you can wear it all day, every day, during whatever you're up to - and all that without it doing any real harm to your rings, earrings or necklaces. However, if you wear your jewelry 24/7, it comes into contact with everything you touch: soap and hand sanitizer, shampoo and conditioner, hand creams and body lotions, and even oils and spices you use in the kitchen - the list is endless. Although none of these things will harm your jewelry, they will all leave a very thin layer of residue on your jewelry and in the settings of gemstones. Over time, as this residue accumulates, it will leave your favourite pieces looking a little dull. Not really the look we are going for, is it?
Luckily, it's really quick and easy to restore their beautiful shine and sparkle.
HOW OFTEN YOU NEED TO CLEAN YOUR JEWELRY
Whether you clean your jewelry once a week, once a month, or only every few months is of course entirely up to you. Personally, I think even a really quick clean helps keep your jewelry looking its best and makes a big impact especially for gemstones. So you don't actually need to follow the full routine every time. (I sometimes just give my rings a quick brush without taking them off before I leave the house, but I realize not everbody is as obsessed with sparkly jewelry as I am.)
Every few years, it also makes sense to bring your jewelry to a local jeweller of your choice for a professional polish. Even solid gold isn't resistant to scratches - although they will often be so tiny that you can barely see them with the naked eye. That said, you'd be surprised how shiny a simple gold ring will be after a professional polish!
But for now, let's stick to the simple at-home-cleaning routine below.
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR JEWELRY - A STEP BY STEP GUIDE
The good news is that you really don't need a lot, and probably already have everything you need at home. Before you begin, make sure you have:
your jewelry ;)
a little bowl with some warm water and mild dish soap
a little bowl with clean water (optional, as you can of course just switch out the water)
a soft toothbrush
a towel / kitchen roll
a soft cloth for polishing
Then follow this super simple routine to get your gold and diamonds beautiful and shiny again.
Step 1: Start by laying out all your jewelry on the towel or kitchen roll and placing the bowl with soapy water next to it.
Step 2: Dip the toothbrush in the soapy water and then very gentle brush it across your jewelry. You don't need to use a lot of force to get your jewelry clean, but you do want to make sure to get into every corner and properly clean all gemstone settings.
Step 3: Once your done with this step, dip the toothbrush and jewelry into the bowl with clean water and repeat the same step. You want to make sure all the soap residue is gone.
Step 4: Using the towel / kitchen roll, gentle dab the jewelry dry.
Step 5 (not pictured): With the soft cloth, give your jewelry a gentle polish. (Not pictured)
Step 6 (not pictured): Lay everything flat on the towel / kitchen roll and let it dry completely. Done!
P.S.: For gold jewelry without gemstones, you could even leave out the brushing part and just use the soft cloth to give your jewelry a nice polish. But every now and then, the full procedure is definitely worth doing.
A FEW MORE TIPS
As you can see, cleaning your jewelry is easy and really quick, but makes the world of a difference in how your favourite pieces will look. And if you're interested, below are a few more tips and tricks that will hopefully be helpful to you, too.
Most importantly, you should never clean your jewelry under running water in your sink. Even if you close the drain, you'd be surprised how many pieces of jewelry still manage to end up down the drain. Trust us.
Always clean all sides of gemstone settings. Brush the top, sides and back. Most people forget to clean the back of the setting, but especially for prong settings or open bezel settings (like most of our rings have), this is where most of the daily residue actually gets stuck. This will prevent the light from coming through, which will seriously dull the sparkle of even the brightest, most flawless diamonds!
Remove and clean back of your stud earrings in the same way. This will also help prevent infections.
Avoid using any harsh liquid cleansers. In our experience, a mild dish soap is perfect and will definitely do the job. The milder, the better (for your jewelry and the environment).
I hope this easy guide helps restore all your jewelry to its initial shine. And if you find it helpful, please do share it with your friends or family so they can be in on the fun as well.
xx, Felizitas