How to clean jewelry at home, by metal and stone

Step by step: how to clean jewelry at home, by metal and stone

1. 1

   Sort your jewelry by what it can handle

   Split pieces into two piles. Solid gold, platinum, sterling silver, diamonds, sapphires and rubies can take a soapy soak. Pearls, opals, turquoise, emeralds, amber, coral, glued stones and plated or costume jewelry get the gentle wipe in step 7 instead.

2. 2

   Check the settings before you start

   Hold each ring or earring near your ear and tap it lightly: a rattle means a loose stone. Look for bent or flattened prongs and gaps around stones. Anything loose goes to a jeweler before cleaning, because brushing can knock the stone out.

3. 3

   Soak in warm soapy water

   Add 2 or 3 drops of mild dish soap to a bowl of warm (not hot) water. Let the sturdy pieces soak for 10 to 20 minutes, a little longer for a ring caked with lotion. The film will soften so you can brush it off rather than scrape it.

4. 4

   Brush the back of the stones

   Use an extra-soft toothbrush to scrub gently under each stone and between prongs, where lotion and skin oil collect and block light. Brush with the jewelry held low over the bowl. Go lightly on antique pieces and thin prongs.

5. 5

   Rinse in a second bowl

   Rinse each piece in a bowl of clean warm water rather than under the tap, so a loose stone or earring back cannot go down the drain. Swish until no bubbles cling to the metal.

6. 6

   Dry and polish

   Pat dry with a lint-free cloth and let pieces air dry on a towel for 15 minutes before putting them away. Finish solid gold or sterling with the matching polishing cloth if you want more shine. Stones should look brighter right away once the film is gone.

7. 7

   Wipe delicate pieces instead of soaking

   Dip a soft cloth or cotton swab in the soapy water, wring it out, and wipe pearls, opals, turquoise and plated pieces quickly. Follow with a cloth dampened in plain water, then dry at once. Lay pearl strands flat to dry so the silk does not stretch.

How to clean jewelry by gemstone

Hard, untreated stones can take soap and a brush; soft, porous or treated stones need only a damp cloth, and none of the delicate ones go in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner. The table below follows the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) care guides.

The GIA diamond guide says diamonds clean safely with lint-free cloths, household detergents and commercial jewelry cleaning solutions, but advises against ultrasonic and steam cleaners at home because they can shake stones loose. For pearls, the GIA pearl guide lists hair spray, perfume, cosmetics and even perspiration among the chemicals that can damage them.

Why porous stones need extra care

Porous stones absorb what touches them, so soaking, oils and chemicals can change their color for good. The GIA turquoise guide notes that turquoise can be discolored by chemicals, cosmetics and even skin oils, and that heat or solvents can damage treated surfaces.

Opal holds water inside its structure. The GIA opal guide calls warm, soapy water the only safe way to clean it, and warns that heat or sudden temperature changes can crack it. Many opals sold in jewelry are doublets or triplets, thin slices glued to a backing, and soaking can loosen the glue and cloud the stone. Wipe them, never soak them.

Pearls are soft (2.5 on the Mohs scale) and their nacre is attacked by acids, so vinegar, lemon juice and many jewelry dips will etch them. Put pearls on after makeup and perfume, wipe them after each wear, and have strands restrung when the silk looks stretched or dirty.

How to clean plated and costume jewelry

Clean plated and costume jewelry with a soft cloth and as little water as possible, because the color is a thin surface layer and the stones are often glued in. Scrubbing, dips, baking soda and toothpaste wear through plating, and soaking dissolves glue.

• Wipe with a barely damp cloth and a tiny drop of soap, then a dry cloth. Do not submerge pieces with glued stones.
• Use polishing cloths lightly. Mejuri’s vermeil care page warns that polishing cloths can be abrasive and that steam and ultrasonic cleaners should not be used on gold vermeil.
• Dry costume pieces right away; trapped water rusts the base metal and turns skin green.
• For metal-specific methods, see how to clean silver jewelry and how to clean gold jewelry.

When to take jewelry to a jeweler

Take a piece in once or twice a year if you wear it daily, and right away if a stone moves, a prong is bent or a clasp is loose. A jeweler can check settings under magnification, clean with ultrasonic or steam equipment after confirming the stones can take it, and tighten prongs before a stone falls out.

Professional cleaning also makes sense for antique and heirloom pieces, rhodium-plated white gold that is turning yellow, and any stone you cannot identify. If you are unsure whether a stone is treated or glued, treat it as delicate until a jeweler tells you otherwise.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using toothpaste or baking soda paste, which are abrasive and scratch metal, pearls and soft stones.
• Cleaning everything in one ultrasonic machine, including pearls, opals, emeralds and loose stones.
• Rinsing rings over an open drain.
• Soaking glued, costume or opal doublet pieces until the stones fall out or cloud.
• Putting on pearls and turquoise before perfume, hairspray and lotion.
• Wearing rings while cleaning with bleach or other harsh household chemicals; take them off first.