You can use the jewellery for ages if you preserve it in a right manner. If you are aware of some simple ways to preserve jewellery, you can maintain it for a longer time. Read on to know more about how to preserve jewellery.

Jewellery is a statement and an investment for most people. So knowing the proper procedure for cleaning your jewellery is important if you want to preserve it for your future generations too. This keeps the value of the jewelry safeguarded and keeps the stunning glow even after a decade that you had worn it for the first time. Jewelries tend to get tarnished due to body sweat and coming in contact with the naturally secreted body oils. Then the perfumes, cremes and lotions that we apply on our body also get partially accumulated on the jewelry piece thus robbing it off its luster and shine.

Nature of Gold

Gold is the most common of the jewelry materials. Although most of them are not pure gold, as pure gold is too soft and cannot be molded in stylish designs. But the metal still has a relative softness when mixed with other alloys. These entails that 18k, 14k or even the 10k gold pieces can also show marked signs of scuffing and scratching and eventually lose their luster and sheen. A 24k gold piece is as delicate as your fingernail. So, you need to have a baby soft touch approach when you clean your gold pieces.

Cleaning Gold Jewellery

You can add some gentle cleaning solutions to water, soak your gold jewelry in it and buff it with a soft cloth. If you are cleaning a combination piece like a solitaire, a special cleaner for the stone needs to be used prior to soaking the piece into the gold cleaning solution. Abrasives must never be used on stones as it can render scratches on your gold portions of the piece. There are stones that do not sustain harsh cleaners also. This means that you need to thoroughly read the labels on your jewelry cleaning solutions before using it.

Tips for Cleaning Dirty or Scaled Jewellery

If your gold piece has become too dirty or scaled, you can also boil them for around 30 seconds in a mixture of water and a pinch of sodium bicarbonate. Then buff it carefully with a soft cloth or chamois leather. Alternatively, you can also place your gold items in a jar of ammonia for 30 to 60 minutes. Take out the pieces and polish it with a soft cloth. You also need to store your jewelry properly to enhance its durability. They must be lined in your jewelry box at its designated spot to prevent scuffing and scraping.

Cleaning Silver Jewellery

Silver jewellery can be washed in warm water mixed with phosphate-free detergent. Then rub the pieces clean with a soft cloth. Never wear rubber gloves while washing your silver jewellery as rubber tends to corrode the metal. If there is tarnish on your silver jewellery, you might need to use certain formulated silver polishes. And you need to follow the instructions of the manufacturer while cleaning it. Baking soda can also remove stubborn tarnishes but there is a chance of the metal incurring damage. Commercial silver dips when used professionally can completely dissolve stains while protecting the metal.

Dry your silver jewellery perfectly before storing it. Each piece should be wrapped in an anti-tarnish paper or flannel. Then seal it in an airtight plastic bag.

Cleaning of Antique Jewellery