Jewelry Cleaning Solution

Here is a basic jewelry cleaning solution:

Items needed:
Glass jar – Soft toothbrush – Dawn dish soap – Household ammonia.

Directions:
Mix 1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of ammonia
2 drops of Dawn dish soap together in the glass jar.
Seal the jar and shake to mix.

Place jewelry in the jar of jewelry cleaner for a few minutes. Remove and use a soft toothbrush or jewelry brush to gently clean your jewelry, taking extra care and clean the setting and behind the gemstone.

Do not soak jewelry for more than 5 minutes in ammonia based cleaners. Do not use this homemade jewelry cleaner on opals, emeralds, turquoise, onyx or pearls. See below for the care of these gemstones. Do not allow any jewelry to come in contact with bleach, it may damage.

Note: Always clean jewelry on a table or counter so that you do not lose it down the sink. It is not fun to dig through a p-trap and it stinks … eew!

How to Clean Platinum Jewelry
You may use the homemade jewelry cleaner. Polish with a chamois or jewelry cloth.

How to Clean White & Yellow Gold
The homemade jewelry cleaner will clean gold effectively but the best way to prevent gold jewelry from oxidizing and keep its sparkle is to wear it.

How to Clean Silver
Silver tarnishes easily so it is best to wear it; However, when not being worn, silver pieces should be stored in a polyethylene zip lock bag or other airtight container. Tarnish should be removed with silver cleaner. Special Silver, Gold and Platinum Jewelry Cleaning Cloth’s handle this job easily. Chlorine bleach is very harmful to silver and may cause a black tarnish, which is a pain in the gluteus to remove. Always remove your jewelry before cleaning and swimming.

How to Clean Gemstones
With the exception of emeralds, opals, turquoise and pearls most gemstones can be cleaned with the homemade cleaner.

Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, amethyst, topaz, jade and garnets set in platinum or gold can be safely cleaned using the homemade cleaner. Make sure to clean the pavilion or underside of the stone for proper presence and shine. After cleaning, rinse in warm, soapy water and dry with a soft cloth.

How to Clean Emeralds, Opals, Turquoise and Onyx
Emeralds, Opals, Turquoise and Onyx are delicate and require special care. These stones are best cleaned with plain water and a very soft brush. Be sure to dry and polish with a soft jewelry polishing cloth. These stones are not recommended for wearing every day.

How to Clean Pearls
You can purchase cremes and pearl cleaners but we recommend just soaking pearls in warm water with a drop of dish soap. After you remove the pearls from the water, be very careful that you do not stretch the strand. Lay your strand, bracelet or earrings on a soft towel to dry. Pearls will need to be restrung periodically.