How to Properly Care For Gold Jewelry
Are you looking for ways to care for your gold jewelry? Do you want to invest in gold jewelry cleaning products that will protect the integrity of your pieces? If so, then you need to learn how to clean gold jewelry with care.
Doing so can help you make the most of your fashion. You'll be able to keep those coveted gold pieces in your collection looking younger for longer. This can give you a higher return on your investment as well.
See below for an in-depth guide on how to clean gold jewelry the right way and get results that last.
What Are Your Needs?
Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to show you how to clean your gold jewelry at home in a way that's safe, cost-efficient, and efficient. But first, it's worth asking whether or not that's what you really need?
When most people notice their gold jewelry is getting a bit dirting or tarnished, their automatic solution is to throw it into a solution or take it to a professional cleaner.
That isn't always necessary. There are times when all you need is a product to remove that tarnish to keep the pieces looking young, healthy, and vibrant.
Be sure to invest in a reputable tarnish remover. This link takes you to an all-natural jewelry cleaner that's 100-percent safe for your gold jewelry pieces. It's a polishing cream that specializes in removing tarnish and giving your gold that highly coveted shine.
You can use it on things such as gold necklaces, bracelets, rings, vases, lamps, or other decor pieces. The best part? You can use it on a variety of materials such as gold, yellow gold, white gold, platinum, copper, brass, bronze, silver, sterling silver, aluminum, pewter, and the like.
This can be a great tool to have before those hot date nights. You can have your favorite gold jewelry shining when he picks you up!
Gather the Essentials
Of course, polishing cream isn't always the answer. Every once and a while, you should take the time to give your jewelry (regardless of material) a good rinse.
For gold jewelry, we typically recommend that each piece is washed after 2 to 3 times that you wear them. For pieces you wear daily (such as a wedding ring), we advise cleaning them once every week or two.
Gold is a soft metal and needs to be handled with care. You need to make sure that you have all the essentials to clean the gold safely. As you'll see below, the process is meant to be minimally invasive on your jewelry.
For that reason, you'll want to make sure you have things like:
- Ceramic, Glass, or Plastic Bowl
- Dawn Dish Soap
- Ammonia
- Water
- Dry Towel or Clothe
- Soft-Bristled Toothbrush (that you don't intend on using for your teeth)
Please be warned: do not try to substitute the Dawn dish soap with regular soap. The soap contains ingredients that might be harmful to gold jewelry. Dawn has base-level ingredients and does a great job of removing tarnish.
How to Clean Gold Jewelry
Now that we have all of the ingredients and items that we need, it's time to learn how to clean gold jewelry the safe way.
First, let's preface this by saying never to use soap (as we covered) or chlorine in the water-based solution we're about to make. These substances can cause permanent staining or discoloration on your jewelry.
To get started, pour some warm water—not hot water—into the bowl of your choosing. If you'd like, you can first boil the water to purify it (remove all germs and bacteria), but always let the water cool before using it.
Place a few drops of Dawn dish soap inside (nothing crazy) and mix it in. You should start to see a few bubbles, but have the ability to still see the bottom of the bowl. Add a few droplets of ammonia as well.
From here, you can choose one of two paths:
- Place the gold jewelry in the solution for 3 to 5 minutes, then take it out and softly brush it with your soft-bristled toothbrush.
- Dip the soft-bristled toothbrush into the solution, then scrub your gold piece a few times, dip it in again and repeat.
No matter which method you choose, remember, gold is a soft metal. Go lightly on the brushing.
Once you're done, fill a separate bowl with warm water (no solution added) and let the jewelry pieces rinse. After 4 minutes or so, take out the pieces and lay them on a soft towel to air dry.
What Is Tarnish?
For those of you that don't know what we mean by "tarnish", let's elaborate a bit. Tarnish is a sign that your gold (a precious type of metal) is corroding.
Don't worry, this is natural! However, you will want to take precautions so that you can buck this trend. That's when you can use the cleaning solution listed above.
The main sign that your gold is starting to tarnish is when you notice it's starting to get darker in color. Take before and after pictures from when you clean the gold and you'll notice a vast difference.
Clean Your Gold Jewelry the Right Way Today
Now that you have seen an in-depth guide on how to clean gold jewelry safely, be sure to use this information to your advantage.
The next time you want to break out your best gold jewelry, plan time to create the cleaning solution and give it time to completely air dry before the big event.
Be sure to browse our website for more articles on cleaning gold jewelry, as well as many other topics you'll love.
