Jewelry Cleaning 

Are your jewelry loosing it's sparkle? If you are among one of those who don't clean their jewelry regularly or don't clean their jewelry at all; then by now it could be looking dull and lifeless. Face cream, hand cream, lotion etc. can build up over time and could affect and spoil the beauty and the reflective quality of stones. You don't have to spend a lot to bring back that luster. Follow these steps to get the sparkle back into your jewelry and turn dull into dazzling. Now before doing these ensure that all the stones in your jewelry are secure in their settings before starting. It is also important to note that this manner of cleaning should not be done to jewelry set with Opal, Turquiose, Pearl, Coral or any other porous stones or foil back pastes as it may cause damage.

1. Fill a small dish or basin with hot water (Not boiling) and a squirt of washing up liquid.
2. Soak the jewelry for 30 minutes to an hour to soften any hardened grease or particles in between crevices and spaces in the setting.
3. Refill the dish or basin with more hot water and add a spot of washing up liquid.
4. Soak the jewelry for an additional 15 minutes.
5. With a small toothbrush gently work inside and around the setting until the particles has been removed. It is advisable to work in the dish or basin and not on the sink just in case there are stones that are lose.
6. Check very well to ensure that the claws are all in place.
7. Rinse with warm water working over the dish.
8. Gently dry with soft tissue. If the tissue shred check the claws there might be claws that are sharp which might suggest that the claws are worn; in which case it might be safer to have it checked professionally.

Do's and Don'ts of Jewelry Cleaning

There are many ways that people clean their jewelry that over time might have damaging effect on their jewelry.

1. Don't use toothpaste to clean your jewelry. This is one of the most popular way of cleaning jewelry however, you could actually be causing damage to your jewelry especially with Gold. Gold is a soft metal; the higher the Karat the softer it becomes and it can be scratched just as easily. Using toothpaste which is abrasive can leave scratches and marks on your Gold jewellery and over time can cause the jewelry to lose its' shine.
2. Don't use household cleaner. This substance are not made to for cleaning jewellery. For one most of them contains bleach and bleach can cause a chemical reaction to a lot of metal alloy. With low Karat Gold this is particularly important because the lower the Karat the more metal is alloyed or mixed with it. This type of cleaners can also damage gemstones that are set in the jewellery; most vulnerable would be Pearl and Opal. Beware of using these substances for cleaning your jewellery because they might cause irreversible damage.
3. Don't expose your jewellery to Chlorine. Not only will it cause damage to gemstones but it can also react to the metal alloyed with Gold and Platinum causing it to become fragile and break. Regular exposure will cause the settings to loosen which might cause the stones in your jewellery to fall off.