A Cheatsheet: How To Clean Fine Jewelry

 Photos: Macy's except where marked

If jewelry is your luxury of choice, a Savvy Shopper selects classic pieces she'll wear time and again. Keeping fine jewelry in a box is a complete waste of money! Wear it daily and enjoy it.

Take off your jewelry before showering, washing dishes, or cleaning around the house to prevent scratching the metal or damaging any gemstones. Only when traveling do I wear my jewelry to bed (so I don't accidentally leave a piece behind). At home, I remove my necklaces, rings, or earrings before bed so nothing breaks. Put them away in a safe place. Also at home, I remove my rings before washing my hands with soap.

Periodically it's important to clean jewelry so it continues to sparkle. Here's a ...

Cheatsheet on how to properly clean your fine jewelry:

For gold: 

To clean gold, a mixture of soap and warm water is recommended. Soak the pieces first if you wish. Gold jewelry without gemstones can also be cleaned with rubbing alcohol and then raised with water, but soap and water are all you really need. Buff the precious metal dry with a soft cloth.

For silver: Silver is softer than gold. Clean silver with soap and warm water or a silver polishing cloth. You can also safely use a professional silver cleaner like Tarn-x. Don't use paper towels or tissues to clean silver. They are too abrasive and might scratch the silver.

Gemstones

For amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, diamond, garnet, morganite, quartz, certified ruby, sapphire, tanzanite, and topaz: Clean with warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush.

For emeralds, jade, onyx, opals, peridot, and turquoise: Clean with a damp cloth and a soft toothbrush. Avoid soaking in water and sudden temperature changes. Heat can damage emeralds, opals, and peridots. (Heat will also lighten sapphires.) Emeralds commonly have jardins (which are inclusions such as cracks or air bubbles). Opals can have from 6% - 10% of water content. 

For pearls: Drop a soft cloth in warm water and mild dishwashing soap to wipe the pearls. Follow with a wipe of clean water. Do not soak the pearls in a soapy solution. Pearls are soft (a 4 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness) and are sometimes strung on a silk thread, so soaking can damage them.

For all of your gemstones, here are some final tips: Avoid rapid temperature changes, steaming machines, and ultrasonic devices. Trust only a trained jeweler to deep clean your gemstones. Avoid direct sunlight, chlorine, perfume, hairspray, and harsh chemicals.

Fine jewelry is too costly to take unnecessary risks. Take care of your precious metals and gemstones by cleaning them gently and safely.

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