How to Clean, Brighten Jewelry

Brighten jewelry by cleaning it regularly.

Jewelry comes in many fashions, but favorites still seem to be gold, silver and diamonds. Even men wear jewelry more than they used to, opting for gold chains around the neck and earrings on both ears. Jewelry needs special care to keep it looking bright and stunning. Silver tends to tarnish, while diamonds and gold lose their luster from dirt and skin oils settling into crevices of the jewelry. Cleaning and caring for your special jewelry items is an easy task.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl
• Warm water
• Mild dish detergent
• Soft-bristled toothbrush
• Clean cloths
• Silver polish
• Clean rag

Instructions

Gold And Diamond Cleaning

1. Fill a bowl with warm water and add a drop of mild dish detergent. Swish the mixture with your hand to suds up the water.

2. Place gold or diamond jewelry into the bowl and allow to sit for 2 to 5 minutes.

3. Take jewelry out of the bowl and brush with a soft-bristled toothbrush to loosen any dirt and grime on the jewelry.

4. Rinse jewelry with cool water. Close the sink drain before rinsing to avoid dropping the jewelry and having it slide down the drain.

5. Dry jewelry with a soft, clean cloth.

Cleaning Silver Jewelry

1. Dab a small amount of silver polish onto a soft, clean rag.

2. Rub the polish onto your silver jewelry, rubbing slightly harder over deeply tarnished stains.

3. Wipe away silver polish with a new clean soft cloth, buffing the jewelry to a bright finish.

Tips & Warnings

• Store all jewelry items in a cloth-lined jewelry case or box.

• Continually check your jewelry for loose or broken prongs or settings and take to a jeweler for repair.

• Do not use harsh chemicals on your jewelry pieces, as they may deteriorate precious metals.

• You may use ammonia to clean diamonds, but do so only if the diamond is not attached to other precious metals---ammonia will strip away color.

References

• Catalogs.com: How to Clean Jewelry; Jean Sanders
• Jewelry Information Center: How to Clean---Detailed Tips for Care and Cleaning of Fine Jewelry and Watches

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish