How to clean gold jewelry without scratching it

Step by step: how to clean gold jewelry without scratching it

1. 1

   Find out what kind of gold it is

   Look inside the band or near the clasp for a stamp. 10K, 14K, 18K or 417, 585, 750 means solid gold. GP, GEP, HGE, RGP, GF or 1/20 means plated, rolled or gold filled, and vermeil means gold over sterling silver. No stamp usually means plated or costume.

2. 2

   Check prongs and stones

   Look for bent prongs and listen for a rattle when you tap the piece. Note any pearls, opals, emeralds or turquoise, which need a wipe instead of a soak. Take anything with a loose stone to a jeweler before cleaning.

3. 3

   Soak solid gold in soapy water

   Stir 2 or 3 drops of mild dish soap into a bowl of warm water, not hot. Soak solid gold pieces for 15 to 20 minutes. You should see the cloudy lotion film start to lift from stones and engraved areas.

4. 4

   Brush gently, especially behind stones

   Use an extra-soft toothbrush on the inside of the band, under each stone and along chain links and clasp springs. Short, light strokes are enough; hard scrubbing can scratch high-karat gold, which is soft.

5. 5

   Rinse in clean water

   Swish each piece in a second bowl of clean warm water so nothing goes down the drain. Rinse until no soap bubbles cling to the metal, because dried soap leaves a dull haze.

6. 6

   Dry and buff

   Pat dry with a lint-free cloth, then lay pieces on a towel for 15 minutes so water drains out of hollow links. Buff solid gold with a gold polishing cloth for extra shine. Skip the polishing cloth on plated pieces, or use it with almost no pressure.

7. 7

   Wipe plated, vermeil and gold-filled pieces

   Dampen a soft cloth in the soapy water, wring it out, and wipe the piece in a few gentle passes. Wipe again with a cloth dampened in plain water, then dry right away. Do not soak them, scrub them, or put them in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner.

Solid, filled, vermeil or plated: how each should be cleaned

Solid gold can take soaking and polishing; every other kind has only a surface layer of gold, so it gets wiped, not scrubbed. The FTC jewelry guides set what each label means in the US, and the differences in gold thickness are large.

Mejuri’s vermeil care page advises wiping with a soft dry cloth, notes that polishing cloths can be abrasive, and rules out steam and ultrasonic cleaners. For solid gold, Mejuri recommends warm water, a soft brush and gentle soap, and says ultrasonic cleaners are safe on 10K and 14K gold. Keep pieces with soft, porous or treated stones out of the machine anyway.

How to clean white gold and rose gold

Clean white and rose gold the same gentle way as yellow gold, but expect white gold to need replating from time to time. As Jewelers Mutual explains, white gold is gold mixed with metals such as nickel, palladium or silver and finished with a rhodium plating for its bright white luster, and the FTC guides treat that rhodium as a surface layer that should be disclosed.

• Soap, water and a soft brush are safe for white gold. Polishing cloths and creams wear the rhodium faster, so use them sparingly.
• A yellowish tint on a white gold ring means the rhodium is wearing through. Cleaning will not fix it; a jeweler can replate it.
• Rose gold gets its color from copper. Clean it the same gentle way, and keep it away from bleach and harsh cleaners like any gold jewelry.

Gold jewelry with diamonds, emeralds or pearls

Match the cleaning to the most delicate thing in the piece. A solid gold diamond ring can soak; a gold ring with an emerald, opal, pearl or turquoise should only be wiped.

The GIA says diamonds clean safely with household detergents, lint-free cloths and commercial jewelry cleaners, but it does not recommend ultrasonic or steam cleaners at home because they can loosen stones in their settings. Emeralds are riskier: the GIA emerald guide notes that most emeralds have filled fractures, that ultrasonic vibration can weaken them, and that steam can make the filler sweat out. Warm soapy water with gentle scrubbing is the safest option.

Pearls, opals and turquoise are porous and react to acids and oils. Clean the gold around them with a damp cotton swab and keep the stone itself dry. More stone-by-stone advice is in how to clean jewelry.

What not to use on gold jewelry

Avoid chlorine, abrasives and acids. Gold itself does not rust or tarnish, but the metals alloyed with it can, and gold is soft enough to scratch easily.

• Bleach, ammonia and chlorine are harsh enough to damage white gold’s rhodium plating, according to Jewelers Mutual. Take rings off before cleaning with bleach or getting into a pool or hot tub.
• Toothpaste, baking soda paste and powdered cleansers scratch gold and strip plating.
• Vinegar or lemon soaks are unnecessary for solid gold and can harm pearls, opals, turquoise and treated stones.
• Boiling water can crack stones that have inclusions or fillers, and sudden temperature changes can fracture opals.

Mistakes to avoid

• Polishing gold-plated jewelry until the base metal shows through.
• Wearing gold rings in a chlorinated pool or hot tub, or while cleaning with bleach.
• Using toothpaste as a polish, which leaves fine scratches.
• Soaking a ring with emeralds, pearls or opals along with the solid gold pieces.
• Running plated, vermeil or loose-stone pieces through an ultrasonic cleaner.