Top 5 Ways to Clean Your Jewellery Like a Pro!

1) Prevention is better than cure…this may sound obvious, but how you wear and store your jewellery is the best way to keep it looking tip top.  Delicate jewellery like pearls should always be kept separate from harder jewellery like rings, so that they don’t scratch.  A soft cotton or velvet pouch is ideal.  Silver jewellery tarnishes when in contact with air, so to avoid it blackening by keeping in a sealed bag.  Chains especially will benefit from being stored separately as they won’t get tangled.
By taking your jewellery off before you do housework/gardening/cooking etc you can avoid getting pesky bits of dirt into rings etc which can dull the sparkle of and colour of gemstones.  It also avoids damaging delicate settings.

2) Invest in some professional cleaning products…There are 3 cleaning products, in my opinion that are worth the investment and should fulfil all your cleaning needs. Firstly, a good silver cloth that has been embedded with silver cleaner.  Usually one side is for removing the tarnish and the other for buffing.  This is ideal to give your silver jewellery a quick shine before you go out.  If you have silver jewellery that has significantly tarnished or has lots of annoying little corners that the cloth won’t fit in, then a Silver Dip is your answer.  This solution is a bit smelly, but a quick dip, then a rinse and all the tarnish will be gone.  Follow the instructions carefully and don’t put any porous stones such as turquoise/opal etc into the dip.  The tub should last for years. 

At Gold Arts we use the range produced by “Connoisseurs”. 

Finally for other stone set jewellery, a good investment is an ultrasonic machine.  This is essentially a small bath of warm water sometimes with a cleaning fluid added.  It can be battery or mains powered and produces a current that vibrates the water.  When you place your jewellery in the bath, it literally shakes out all the dirt and debris that has collected inside the stone settings, bringing back an impressive shine and true colour to gemstones.  Be aware this is recommended for fine jewellery rather than costume jewellery and if you have loose stones then there is a chance that they could fall out – which to be honest is better than them falling out while wearing and being lost for good.  If your jewellery has loose stones, bring them into a jeweller to be assessed or repaired.

3) Granny know best…sometimes the old methods work best.  To keep your diamond rings sparkling soak them in warm diluted soapy water then give a gentle brush with an old toothbrush to remove any debris.  I think the true granny method involves soaking in Gin, but it’s a bit of a waste, so enjoy a gin and tonic while waiting for the jewellery to soak!

4) For a truly professional finish…seek out a professional.  No home remedy matches the skill of the goldsmith.  Our polishing equipment in our in-house workshop, can restore any jewellery to look as pristine as the day you bought it – even your Grandmother’s engagement ring can sparkle like new with every scratch removed.  Our prices start from £20 for clean and polish, and we can re-plate fading white gold jewellery with a rhodium plating to bring back the dazzling white. For more information about our workshop click here

5) Time for a change…don’t forget your watch.  A new leather strap, rather than an old worn out faded leather strap can make a watch look like new.  Our workshop also offers a full polish to remove scratched from stainless steel watch straps to restore your beloved watch to near perfect condition. For more information about our watch repairs service please click here