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Step 1
Clean your delicate pieces of jewelry. If you have a piece that you are particularly worried about or one that is very special to you, go to the experts first. Jewelers have state of the art cleaning equipment and will often clean pieces for you at no cost, especially if you are one of their customers. If you don't know any jewelers, just make a call to your local store and ask if they will clean jewelry and if so what the price would be. You can also try to clean the jewelry yourself. Besides the various commercial jewelry cleaners and sliver polishes available at your local store, there are several household items that can be used for jewelry cleaning. But, if you have a piece that you really love, take it to the jeweler or use a commercial cleaner, taking care to read labels before beginning. You don't want Aunt Wanda's ring ruined because of improper cleaning. Pearls are probably the most delicate item to clean. You will want to use a soft cloth and a solution of warm water with just a bit of mild detergent. Do not soak your pearls or use anything more harsh than this on them or you will ruin them. Opals are also quite delicate and can crack if not cared for properly. Wearing your opal regularly is the best method of care as the oils in your skin help to lubricate the stone. But, if you do not wear your opal often, put a little olive oil on the stone to keep it healthy. If you must clean the setting, use the same solution as you would for pearls and rub gently with a cloth or soft bristle toothbrush. Remember, they're only bad luck if they crack!
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Step 2
Women love to admire other women's engagement rings, so avoid embarrassment by making sure yours sparkles! Since you wear it everyday it gets dirty fast and will need frequent cleaning. Place a diamond ring in a solution of one part ammonia and 6 parts warm water and soak to shine for about half an hour. You can then gently scrub with a toothbrush to remove any crud that is left. Only use this method a few times a year since ammonia can eventually harm the ring. Frequent cleanings call for soap and water or commercial cleaner. Gold jewelry may also be cleaned using the ammonia recipe. However, warm water and mild detergent works as well and is less abrasive to the metal, so you may want to try this first. Turquoise should never be exposed to ammonia or to silver polish and soap is also questionable. Your turquoise necklace may seem hardy, but the safest way to clean it at home is to use water only and a soft brush. For sterling silver, it is best to use soap and water or a silver polish. Silver polish is not harmful to other metals such as platinum or gold but it will not clean them either.
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Step 3
Clean costume jewelry. Less expensive pieces are much easier to clean since there are many more options for using household items. You can soak jewelry in a simple solution of warm water and table salt or baking soda. Presto! Good as new. Do not leave longer than 30 minutes though, or you risk damage. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, give your bracelet some relief by soaking with a tablet of alka seltzer and some water. Strangely enough the items we use to clean our mouths also work well on jewelry. If you have some, you can soak your piece in denture cleaner. Silver jewelry also cleans up quite well when brushed with toothpaste. Know however, that toothpaste is quite abrasive, so use this method only on costume jewelry.
