When you have stones, such as in rings and necklaces and the like, you do need to remove the grime that will build up. It also impacts the stone’s looks. It can look drab, dull, and all for life could be taken out of this. Stones are meant to last years, so properly cleaning it allows it to look better for the ongoing years.
How to clean
When you have gemstones, you might think you can just get those store-bought kits for jewelry, or even just getting some baking soda, ammonia, even ketchup to clean this. The simple answer is don’t. This is something that people claim works, but the thing is, it will put all of the jewelry that you bought at risk. You spent money on this, why would you put it at risk because of some at-home solution you read online.
It’s so simple, and there is only one thing that you need. Soap. A natural soap that doesn’t have additives is what you want. You also need some water, and a toothbrush.t he water does need to be hot, and you should be able to put your fingers inside, so not boiling of course.
This can be coffee water that’s super warm, or even leftover from tea. You can use some of this on jewelry.
Put the water in there and then the jewelry piece that you have, and then the soap. You then swirl this in the bath, letting this soak for a bit so that it can get all of the dirt and grime off this.
From there, you want to gently scrub this with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Do the front, back and sides.
From there, you want to rinse it well, as the soap that’s left there does dull the stone.
Once they’ve dried, you can then polish and buff the stone so that the marks are gone, along with the fingerprints.
Then, let it sit on something similar to a chamois cloth to help it dry and look stunning.
What about Steam and Ultrasonic Cleaners?
You may see some jewelry cleaning places where they use steam cleaners and ultrasonic cleaners.
This should only be used for rubies and sapphires, or even fine diamonds.
However, if you’re cleaning something lower on the Mohs scale such as tanzanite or even emeralds, you’re going to have a bad time.
This is because they use incredibly high vibration and heat. This can impact the cleavage of the stone, breaking it apart.
Jewelry Care Tips
Now that you know how to clean it, let’s talk about the basic care tips that you should keep in mind.
Remember that jewelry tends to be resistant to heat and light, and also daily activities.
However, you should do the following:
- Don’t expose it to sudden, extreme heat
- Don’t expose it to corrosive chemicals including hydrochloric acid.
- Remove the jewelry before showering, bathing, and swimming.
- Remove jewelry before you put on beauty products, or lotion for the hands.
- Remove before you do chores or anything with chemicals
- Remove before gardening
- Remove before going out to the gym
This can also help with reducing scratches, bangs, and breaking it down.
Storing Jewelry
Finally, try to keep these pieces in jewelry pouches that store them, various stands, or even boxes, but keep them all separated from each other. that reduces the chance of them getting scuffed.
If you have diamonds, always keep them away as they will scratch other metals and stones, being the strongest mineral period.
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