Cleaning your jewellery properly is a vital step in maintaining its lustre and shine. Depending on the tarnish severity, you may need to bring your jewellery to a local jeweller. If you regularly clean and maintain your jewellery using these steps, you should find that your jewellery can last you years to come.
Depending on what your jewellery is made of, you may need to adjust how you clean it. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how Artina’s recommends you clean our jewellery.
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Cleaning Sterling Silver Jewellery
If your jewellery contains non-porous stones, you can use this all-natural method. We recommend using natural baking soda and a microfiber cloth to clean. For this method, you will need:
- Heat-safe bowl
- Natural baking soda
- Hot water
- Microfiber cloth
- Polishing cloth
Grab a heat-safe bowl to clean your jewellery in. Next, place your jewellery inside the bowl and dust it generously with baking soda. Carefully pour hot water on top of your jewellery until it’s completely submerged.
Leave your jewellery to soak for two to three minutes. Rinse the jewellery thoroughly then carefully dry with your microfiber cloth.
Artina’s also recommends using the Sunshine Polishing Cloth to finish caring for your jewellery.
Cleaning Natural Gemstones
Semi-precious gemstones are hard enough to wear daily and clean using warm water and unscented soap. Harder semi-precious and precious stones include:
Ensure these stones are completely dry before storing them out of direct sunlight. Although these stones are “harder” than some stones, you want to void using the following:
- Vinegar, lemon juice, or other natural cleaners containing acids.
- Abrasive dry cleaners and rough brushes.
- Cleaners that use ammonia and harsh chemicals.
Most jewellery cleaners are okay to use on your harder gemstones as long as they don’t contain these things. However, cleaning your gemstones with warm water, unscented soap, and a soft brush is best.
Cleaning Jewellery With Softer Materials
Softer stones aren’t always recommended to wear every day. Oftentimes, stones like opal and amber can tarnish easily if worn incorrectly or cleaned improperly. These stones are far too porous to withstand the exfoliation from baking soda.
To figure out how to best clean your jewellery, you’ll first need to figure out if the stone was polished or horned.
Raw stones are almost entirely untreated and will maintain their “natural” look.
Polished stones have a glossy surface which may intensify the colour of your jewellery. Most stones used in jewellery are polished.
Honed stones have a more satin or matte look. Although they’re less commonly seen in jewellery, many artists prefer this look for their pieces.
Porous gemstones are generally much softer than semi-precious stones. Here are some examples of soft gemstones commonly found in jewellery:
- Pearl
- Opal
- Emerald
- Amber
- Coral
- Onyx
- Agate
- Dolomite
To care for these stones, always store them properly and use caution when wearing them. Even fragrances or oils in makeup, perfume, lotions, and hair products can damage the quality of the stone. Allow the stone to be completely dried before putting it away in an air-tight jewellery box.
To clean these stones, use a microfiber cloth to carefully remove any dirt. Pay close attention to the groves and setting in the stone.
Do not soak soft gemstones. Soaking soft gemstones like ammolite in just warm water can damage the lustre of the stone. Any time these stones become damp, they lose their original shine. Always ensure your stones remain dry and are dry before storing.
Also Read: Ammolite | About the Stone, Benefits, and Jewellery
My Jewellery Still Looks Dingy
If your jewellery still looks dirty and dingy, your local jeweller can help and take a look at your jewellery’s condition. At Artina’s Jewellery, we use a steam cleaner and spray nozzle to help clean some jewellery.
Of course, not all jewellery can withstand this kind of cleaning. If you’re unsure about how to restore a softer stone, bring it in to the store and one of our experts can have a look.
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