Cleaning gold jewelry: some tips to help you
Gold has always been prized for its brilliance, shine, and durability. However, this precious metal does require some care and maintenance. If you've noticed your gold jewelry tends to tarnish over time, it's time to give it a good cleaning. Between perspiration, dust, and friction, the shine of your jewelry can diminish simply because the metal is dirty or its polish is damaged. To help you restore your jewelry's brilliance, we'll explain how to clean gold jewelry!
What do you need to know about cleaning gold?
When we talk about jewelry, we generally think of one particular material: gold. This metal is the most widely used for making jewelry, and on many occasions, pieces are crafted entirely from it. There are also other metals and gemstones that can complement your jewelry, such as classic diamonds in engagement rings, earrings, and pendants, or alloys that give gold a different hue than the traditional yellow.
In any case, cleaning gold and jewelry is key to their care. Nobody likes a gold ring that's tarnished instead of shiny, right? It's very important to know that depending on the type of gold, some cleaning methods will be more effective than others. We can classify gold jewelry into three categories.
Yellow gold
This is the most common type of gold jewelry. It has been used for thousands of years to make body ornaments, as evidenced by the pieces you can find in history museums. Modern gold is somewhat different, as the most commonly used in jewelry making today is 18-karat gold. It has greater durability than pure gold (24 karats). Its main characteristic is that it hardly tarnishes, especially compared to silver or white gold.
White gold
It has become a favorite for jewelry making, either alone or combined with yellow gold. This type of gold is a metal alloy in which 24-karat gold is fused with silver, palladium, or platinum. To give it a bright finish, a layer of rhodium is added, which can make it difficult to clean.
Rose gold
This is the newest and least used type. It's an alloy, like white gold, but in this case, a little copper is added to give it the reddish tint. Cleaning it is very similar to how yellow gold is cleaned.
These are the three most common types of gold, although you can also find jewelry made of green gold (a mixture of gold and silver), blue gold (an alloy with iron), red gold (a combination of yellow gold and copper), and even black gold when it is coated with ruthenium or when the gold is alloyed with copper and potassium sulfide. And the list goes on!
How to clean gold jewelry?
Keeping gold clean is very important, especially to prevent it from losing value and deteriorating. That's why it's natural to want to know how to clean tarnished gold or find tips to restore its original shine. How do you clean a gold bracelet or necklace? If the gold has lost a lot of luster, or if you're cleaning white gold with a rhodium plating, for example, you'll probably need to take it to a jeweler for more precise cleaning using non-abrasive methods. However, if it's just a matter of minor maintenance, you can easily clean your gold at home with simple tips.
Clean the gold with vinegar
To make your gold and all your gold jewelry shine, you can use white vinegar. To clean your gold with vinegar, simply soak your jewelry in a container filled with warm water and white vinegar for at least 30 minutes. Then, rinse them with cold water and dry them with a microfiber cloth.
Clean the gold with soap
With a little water and Marseille soap, you can clean your gold jewelry. You can also use dish soap. Place the jewelry in a mixture of warm water and diluted soap. Let it soak for up to 15 minutes. If there is a lot of dirt, gently scrub with a toothbrush, using a circular motion. Remove any remaining residue with warm water and dry the jewelry with a soft cloth.
Clean the gold with baking soda and aluminum foil
Aluminum foil can help baking soda perform its cleaning function better. To clean your gold with baking soda and aluminum foil, you can follow the steps below:
Place the gold jewelry in a glass container;
add hot water and baking soda;
cover the container with aluminum foil;
let it sit for 5 minutes;
brush the entire piece with a soft toothbrush and rinse with a little cold water;
dry with paper or a cloth.
Clean the gold with lemon and salt
These two ingredients make a perfect mixture for cleaning gold jewelry. Soak a cloth with the lemon and salt mixture, and rub the gold jewelry until all the dirt is removed.
Clean the gold with toothpaste
Toothpaste is ideal for cleaning white gold on smooth jewelry, such as earrings:
Put a little toothpaste on a soft brush;
rub all over for a few minutes and rinse with cold water.
You can use a soft cloth to dry the gold jewelry and give it even more shine.
Clean the gold with onion juice
It may sound surprising, but onion juice is an excellent natural product for cleaning gold. To try this trick, you can soak the gold jewelry you want to clean in a bowl of onion juice. Leave the pieces in this mixture for two hours. After this time, wash each piece with soap and water to remove the odor. Your jewelry will be both clean and shiny!
Why entrust the cleaning of your gold jewelry to your jeweler?
The tips we've shared in this article are perfect for cleaning gold. However, they won't polish this precious metal. To polish your gold jewelry and restore its original shine, you'll need to visit a trusted jeweler. The Bollwerk jewelers are ready to welcome you to their workshop to care for your most beautiful gold pieces. Whether you need your gold cleaned or polished, don't hesitate to ask us for advice!
FAQ:
- How to clean gold jewelry without damaging it?
To clean gold jewelry without damaging it, you can rinse the metal with white vinegar. Then, polish it with a soft cloth. If the jewelry is very dirty, sprinkle baking powder on the areas to be cleaned before gently scrubbing the pieces with a soft brush. Finally, simply rinse with cold water and dry the jewelry with a microfiber cloth.
- How to remove oxidation from gold jewelry?
Baking soda is a very gentle way to clean gold jewelry and restore its original shine. Simply sprinkle it onto the pieces you wish to clean and then gently rub with a soft cloth. Finally, rinse thoroughly with cold water and dry the jewelry.
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