This is actually fun! It's great to take a dirty, dull piece of jewellery and make it shine like new. It's important to follow these instructions, so print them out and keep them handy while you are cleaning your jewellery.
If your jewellery is valuable take it to a jeweller's
shop. If you have any doubts, stop right now!
Check our list of stones at the bottom of this document, do not use cleaning processes which
could damage them. We don't charge for the advice
here. We can't pay compensation if something goes
wrong.
If you can see any damage, either cracks in the gems or damage to
the mount - don't clean it. You might make things
worse. Seek expert advice.
Make certain stones are secure before cleaning - a lost gem can
be expensive to replace.
They are too powerful. They can damage jewellery, or
worse, injure the user.
Our staff do use them, but they have proper training before they
are allowed to work unsupervised.
We see a lot of jewellery. Quite often it just doesn't
look good. There's so much dirt on it, that the stones are
dull, and even the metal loses its lustre.
Check the gems against our list. Can they stand soaking in
water, and how hot? If you can soak the piece, this will
soften the dirt, making it easier to remove. If there are
no gems, then obviously you can use hot water to soak the
jewellery.
If any gems must not be soaked, or charms have a paper insert,
go straight to the scrubbing stage. Otherwise loosen the dirt by
soaking the jewellery for 15 minutes. Add a splash of washing up
liquid, and let the piece soak for 15 minutes, then rinse. Use
very hot water, by this we mean water which has been boiled then
allowed to stand for about 10 minutes. Don't use boiling
water, as it could aggravate unseen flaws already present in your
jewellery.
If the piece includes heat sensitive gems then soak the piece in
the hottest water which won't damage the stones.
Take the brush, some washing up liquid, and a little water.
Work the brush and some detergent into all the crevices, taking
special care to clean behind the stones (it's amazing how
much dirt accumulates there). Then rinse off, and dry on a tea
towel.
Chains and charm bracelets (assuming none of the charms will be
damaged by water): let them form a heap in the palm of one
hand, then work the brush with some washing up liquid and a
little water into them as thoroughly as possible. Keep on until
the water comes off clean - it will eventually! If the chain
feels stiff, and won't fold into the palm of your hand,
don't force it as that could damage the chain. Just place one
piece at a time across your hand, and concentrate on that
section. Finally rinse carefully, and dry.
Gold on silver should be treated like gold, until the plating
wears off. Other plated items and costume jewellery can be
damaged by polishing, so leave them alone.
Only polish items which should have a shiny surface. If the piece
has a matt or satin finish, do not polish but you can remove
discolouration with a soft eraser. Scratches cannot be
treated at home. If you want the finish restored, take it
to a jeweller.
This metal is too hard to polish at home. However this hardness means it will last for years before losing its shine. When it needs re-polishing, take it to a jeweller.
Yellow or red gold won't tarnish under normal
conditions. However it can happen, certain chemicals - some
used in medicines, others in products like bleach - will cause
discolouration. You can't deal with this problem at
home, your jeweller can help.
With time, white gold may turn yellow; again seek help from your
jeweller.
In normal wear gold gets scratched. Rub steadily with
a Silver (or Jewellery) Polishing Cloth, and its appearance will
be somewhat improved. However you will not be able to achieve the
brilliant polish of a new item. If you want the item
restored to that condition, take it to your jeweller.
Silver does tarnish under normal conditions, so first we must
remove this tarnish. A few pieces are deliberately
"Antiqued" by blackening some parts; clearly removing
this darkening would ruin the effect, so these pieces should
simply be rubbed with a Silver Polishing Cloth to restore the
highlights
But for normal brightly polished silver, Silver dip is the easiest way to remove tarnish.
If possible
leave the item to soak for just a few minutes. If the
stones shouldn't be immersed in Silver Dip or the piece is
too large to fit in the jar, just rub the Dip on to the piece
using your brush; it takes a bit longer but the results are just
as good. When the tarnish has been removed, carefully rinse off
all the Silver Dip. As mentioned before, do not use this
product if the silver has a matt finish.
Finally rub the piece with a Silver Polishing Cloth, and you will
restore its sheen. As with gold, you'll never get quite the
same results as when the piece was new. If you so desire, your
jeweller can renew the item; however many consider the patina
which develops on hand-polished silver to be very pleasing.
It's normally unwise to get antique silver polished.
Check carefully, these warnings could save your money!
The list is not comprehensive - if your jewellery contains other
gems, research elsewhere, or get the item cleaned
professionally.
Be alert for coated gemstones - see the warnings about cleaning them further down this column.
Remote sellers often fail to make clear their products include coated stones. If the gem colours
are unusual or they have unusual names (like 'Mystic') they may well be coated.
If you have any doubts follow the
supplier's advice on cleaning carefully, or seek help from a competent jeweller.
Turquoise, don't soak in anything. It
is porous. In addition grease will discolour turquoise -
this includes grease from your skin, or from the
washing-up. Most modern material is impregnated with resin,
which makes it less porous. But err on the safe side.
Marcasites, an iron compound, so they rust in water. The
cement which secures them deteriorates with age. Clean the piece
gently with a brush, avoiding contact with the stones as much as
possible. Eventually some stones will be lost, so take the
item to a jeweller and get the stones replaced.
Rubies, fracture filled with lead glass, ideally seek the supplier's advice.
If not available, proceed with caution as the stones are easily damaged. Brushing with luke-warm water should be safe, possibly with a drip of detergent if the stone is greasy. If really dirty, it may be better to risk soaking than repeated brushing. Do not expect these treated stones to last as long as real rubies.
PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) - Coated Gemstones:
Do not attempt to polish the jewellery, that includes using a
polishing cloth. Soak in warm water, and clean the stones
with a very soft brush. Finally dry on a paper towel.
Iridescent stones will be spoilt if the back is not
thoroughly clean; make sure there is no grease on the back, and
if the setting makes drying difficult give a final
rinse in de-ionised water; deposits in tap water will mar
the effect.
© Martin Rees, Jewellers, 61 Chester St, Wrexham. UK. LL13 8BA