The Best Homemade Jewelry Cleaner

Photo:WeddingWire and Shutterstock 

Truthfully I rarely clean my rings, earrings, bracelets, or necklaces at home, and only once have I taken my jewelry in for a professional checkup and cleaning. Luckily, the one time I did so was right before COVID shut everything down for 2 years. Why suddenly I decided to do so is a mystery, but I'm happy I did. A designer at Effy cleaned a few pieces for me, and we ended up talking for 3 hours about jewelry and life ... in 2019 before the world paused. What a fond memory!

Don't soak pearls in soapy water, wrap them in cloth.

Having our fine jewelry checked for loose stones and professionally cleaned is an important step in keeping it maintained and sparkling. I aim to become more diligent in doing it. Experts tell us to have our fine jewelry cleaned every 6 months, and I'll shoot for at least once a year. In reality, 6 months will blaze by before I realize it has.🙂

A few good habits I've already established include always removing my jewelry (consisting mostly of rings and earrings) when showering or doing household chores, and I apply hand cream ringless. With the exception of traveling, I always remove my jewelry before bed and put it in a safe designated place so the jewelry doesn't get tangled, damaged, stolen, or lost. In fact, everything in your home should have an assigned place. (Away from home I sleep without removing my rings and earrings so I don't leave them behind.)

Now I aim to get into the habit of cleaning my jewelry at home in-between yearly professional cleanings. The following is how jewelers advise we do it ...

The Best At Home Jewelry Cleaner is none other than soapy warm water. Everything else (vinegar, alcohol, baking powder, salt, or ammonia) is potentially too harsh on gemstones.

Tools and Directions:

1) Add a few drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid into a bowl. It could be any mild dishwashing liquid, but I notice many jewelers use Dawn and therefore so will I.

2) Fill the bowel with lukewarm (not hot) water. Let your jewelry soak for a few minutes to allow the soapy water to loosen any dirt. It turns out that soap works this same way in removing all grime, whether the dirt is on your hands or on your clothes. Soap works by loosening the dirt.

3) Stroke the prongs and around the stones with a new soft bristle toothbrush. Use a new, not an old toothbrush as an old toothbrush may have toothpaste residue on it that is potentially too abrasive for many stones.

4) Rinse with clean water - Some jewelers like to use distilled water for the wash and rinse cleaning cycles of jewelry. Personally, I just use tap water. :) 

5) Dry your washed jewelry by laying on and gently rubbing with a soft cloth.

Effy designed

Extra Tips:

1) To be ultra-safe only clean your diamonds, sapphires, and rubies at home as these are your harder more durable stones. Let the professionals clean your emeralds and softer gems unless you have gemstone knowledge. Emeralds have more inclusions and are brittle and oiled, and some other stones may be sensitive to a change in hot or cold temperatures. A jeweler will know the risks of each type of gemstone and how to properly clean them without damaging the stones. So if in doubt, leave a stone out of soapy water, and don't clean with ultrasonic or steam machines! At times I'll run an emerald under warm water.

2) Diamonds ByBonneJewelry dries her diamond rings (on the right👉) with a hot blow dryer to get them to glitter by preventing water spots from forming, but since I'm not a jeweler like Bonnie I'm too chicken to use a hot blowdryer on a piece. When in doubt, leave the heat out!

3) To rinse the jewelry I hold it under the running tap water of a faucet with the sink's stopper plugging its hole in case I drop the piece. If there's any chance your jewelry will go down the drain, go a step further and get out a 2nd bowl filled with clean rinse water. Be safe, not sorry!

So what did we learn today? The best jewelry cleanser for at-home cleaning is sitting right on your kitchen sink: Dawn dishwashing liquid in lukewarm water! It lifts away dirt and safely keeps your sparklers sparkling! Additionally, buy distilled water if you wish; and if brave enough, on diamonds only, dry with a blow dryer for extra shine.

Almost everyone has a few pieces of fine jewelry ... perhaps an engagement ring, or special occasion gift. Keeping it sparkling is simple!

Except where noted, I grabbed the jewelry examples from Macy's website. You always get lovely eye candy on THE SAVVY SHOPPER. You're welcome!

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What Gives Fancy Diamonds & Sapphires Their Colors?

A  rare blue diamond

Diamonds, the element carbon in nature, are usually thought of as clear, transparent, or white. Sapphires, corundums, or aluminum oxide, are abundantly blue in nature. Yet both precious gemstones also come in several fancy colors when trace minerals (impurities) bond within each stone's chemistry as they form over billions of years in the earth's crust. 

Have you ever wondered what gives fancy diamonds and sapphires their various colors? Since I couldn't find charts via Google searches, I created 2 charts for you below, my lovely readers, listing the mineral or impurity present in each gemstone that produces its rare color. 

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First up let's take a look at fancy diamonds --

Diamond is an allotrope (meaning it has molecular modifications) of pure Carbon

Color of Diamond	Trace Impurities or minerals causing the color
Blue	Boron
Yellow	Nitrogen
Green	Sulfur
Purple	Has an unusually high presence of Hydrogen
Red and pink DeYoung Red Diamond	No trace elements are present. The color is caused by a distortion in the diamond's crystal lattice produced by intense heat and pressure from all directions after the stone's formation in the earth. A special configuration of molecules lets us see the stone as pink or red as light passes through it.
Black	Clouds of minute mineral inclusions such as graphite, pyrite, or hematite extend throughout the stone. In short, a black diamond is a bundle of inclusions in the stone.

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Next up is our 2nd featured gemstone fancy sapphires  --

Effy Jewelry in common blue and multi-colored sapphires

Below is our 2nd chart listing the trace minerals or impurities that give sapphires their most common and fancy colors.

Sapphire is a corundum, chemically, extremely hard aluminum oxide. Red corundum is a ruby, not a sapphire.

Color of Sapphire	Trace Impurities or minerals causing the color
Blue (the most sold)	Iron or Titanium
Green and Yellow	Iron or low-level radiation within the earth
Orange (padparadscha sapphire) The Natural Sapphire Company	A combination of chromium (red) and iron (yellow) or natural radiation
Purple and Violet	Vanadium or natural radiation
Pink	Chromium
When the corundum is red it is a ruby. All other colors of corundum except red, are sapphires.	Chromium

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Interesting fact: Red gemstones are the rarest in nature often making them the most costly. Red diamonds are extremely rare and expensive. Rubies tend to cost more than sapphires. The jewelry industry has a well-known saying about corundum, "If you're a buyer, you want to buy a sapphire, and if you're a seller you want to sell a ruby." So don't be fooled: Pink corundum is always a sapphire while red corundum is always a ruby. Take heed if a merchant is selling pink rubies!😁

What a fun Van Cleef & Arpels design with emeralds and fancy carnary yellow diamonds! We'd all be dancing if we could afford to buy it.

I hope you find my 2 charts helpful in understating what makes fancy diamonds and sapphires. Fancy is a real term in the gemology world used for the lesser-known colors of these gemstones.

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Did You Know Red Emeralds Exist?

Photo: gemstones.com

Although an accurate and characteristically fitting name to describe red beryl, there's a bit of controversy in calling it a red emerald. Emeralds are so associated with the color green that some geological associations are afraid consumers will feel deceived by the term red emerald. Personally, I disagree. The adjective "red" lets you know the beryl is not green.

Photo: Equatoial Imports

Red beryl was discovered in 1904 in the Wah, Wah mountains of Utah by Maynard Bixby, an American mineralogist. The gemstone is very rare and thus far has only been found in Utah and New Mexico. 

Just like it sibling beryl, green emerald, red beryl is a class 3 gemstone, meaning it's very brittle and highly included. Also like green emeralds, oil treatments are acceptable to improve the appearance of a red emerald's inclusions. Oil treatments don't change or damage the gemstone. 

Photos (including the next one on the right) courtesy of Christian Library

All beryls are distinguished by hexagonal crystal systems. In nature, pure beryl is colorless but acquires its color from trace amounts (that is to say, impurities) of additional elements. While chromium and vanadium give emerald its green color, and iron makes aquamarine blue, when manganese produces a deep red color, it's called red beryl or red emerald. Of course, beryls also come in pink, and yellow, but for now, let's discuss red.

Registering 7.5 - 8 on Moh' Hardness Scale, red emeralds come in red-red, purplish-red, or orangy-red. Big stones are especially rare finds. According to the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, a 2-carat red beryl is as rare as a 40-carat diamond. The gem association says, "only one red beryl is mined for every 150,000 diamonds.'' And consider this, the scarlet gem is scarcer on earth than gold.

What I think is super cool ... May babies have another color of birthstone!

Due to the gemstone's rarity and the lack of abundant production, good quality red emeralds can fetch up to $10,000 per carat. Still be aware that like its sibling green emeralds, or diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, there are various degrees of gem-quality stones. Not all red beryl is equal, and clarity, color, and size apply to determine its value. According to gemstone wholesaler Equatorial Imports, red beryl tends to price twice the value of emerald.🟩 

Would you like to own a red emerald?

Equatorial Imports

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Italo Jewelry Is an Exquisite Find

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Italo Jewelry is an exquisite fine jewelry find! Why would you buy expensive Chanel fashion (a/k/a costume) jewelry made of steel and rhinestones for thousands of dollars when you can step it up to low and reasonably priced fine jewelry made of real precious metal and genuine gemstones for much less? The pieces are well-made and gorgeous!

Here's how the company keeps its prices down. Customers buy directly from Italo, therefore it's one-stop jewelry shopping minus the middle man. Expert designers and craftsmen use lab-grown white sapphires set in 925 sterling silver dipped in rhodium, yellow, or rose gold. In some rings, necklaces, etc., white sapphires are colored blue, red, green, or yellow employing the latest technology. A sapphire is a corundum, 2nd only to diamonds (carbon) in hardness.

Careful attention is placed on beautiful design, outstanding craftsmanship, and superior quality. The huge inventory of pieces ranges in styles from classic to unique to contemporary to vintage, and they are all stunning! Moreover, Italo jewelry will not tarnish or turn your skin green, and nickel is omitted in the alloy since some people are allergic to the metal. Italo jewelry only looks expensive while costing thousands less. Stellar design, quality control, and durability are a must! 

I love big blingy stones that can still be worn every day ... stones that shimmer, sparkle, and yet can be seen without a magnifying glass.

A bigger carat 22" line (tennis) necklace costs the same as an automobile.

Although I can't speak for others, I like jewelry because of its shine, design, and especially its connection to Mother Earth. Silver and white sapphires are both elements of nature. But I'm also a fan of affordable laboratory-grown [synthetic] gemstones -- they are chemically and physically identical to the gemstones created by nature.😍 Still the bigger lab-grown stones are expensive too!

Usually, descent carat sizes are far from affordable. Enter Italo jewelry, a worthy and beautiful compromise with a decent reputation in customer care.*

Furthermore, I think it's the perfect (no insurance needed) travel jewelry! I mean, you're still going to be unhappy knowing a brazen thief stole your jewelry but at least you won't cry your eyes out because you can afford to replace it. 

 So be savvy! Leave the heirlooms at home ... and better yet, don't mortgage your house to buy truly expensive-looking fine jewelry. 

Italo jewelry offers the design, sparkle, sterling silver, and white sapphires in sizes we can love without breaking the bank.

Frankly, it's one of THE SAVVY SHOPPER's most exciting finds! Scattered throughout today's blog are a few of my favorite pieces from the jeweler's website. What are some of yours?

I bought a 4-carat (center stone) ring. A 4-carat diamond would cost about $36,000+ 
a real budget buster for ordinary folks. The ring gives me the effect and fun for much less, and to an untrained eye, it's a diamond! :)

Ordering Tips:  1) Take an extra beat to get your order right before placing it since the Italian jeweler's factory is located in China, so undoubtedly ordering is less of a hassle and expense than making returns or exchanges. The retailer's policy offers returns and exchanges and Palpay will ensure you don't lose your money -- but you pay for return shipping if you simply change your mind, which savvy shoppers try to avoid. 

2) There are always promotions of 15% - 30% off so be sure to find them before ordering.

3) Smaller stones will look more like diamonds than bigger carats (if it matters to you?) as you start to see the differences in larger stones.

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Hermès Bolide - A Cheaper Hermès Bag

Let's get something straight: 1) Luxury buys are expensive material things we want but don't need; 2) Sometimes what we covet makes no sense to others; and 3) Different strokes for different folks: One category of pricey things can make us happy while others have little emotional pull on us. Why? Using myself as an example, why does jewelry give me joy over designer handbags or designer clothes? Oh, I could guess the reason: My father liked jewelry and on weekend errands downtown, we'd look in jewelry store windows and pick our favorites, and I sometimes got jewelry as birthday or graduation gifts, but I also hear that turkeys are attracted to and flock around shiny objects, so perhaps I'm more like a turkey than I care to admit.😀😁😂 

In honor of my father (and my) pastime, I'll show you a gorgeous diamond necklace I can only dream about buying. The stones are fancy-cut diamonds and depending on the quality of the stones likely cost over $1 million (all the diamonds must be carefully selected to match in color, clarity, and size) and it isn't its owner's favorite or most expensive necklace. It is my favorite of her necklaces, oh, yeah! I think the reason I'm posting it on the blog is so I can return here to look at it once in a while. A picture like diamonds is forever.😍 

If Hermes handbags are what attract you, but you don't want to mortgage your house, have I got a budget-friendly tip for you! There are plenty of Bolide Hermes handbags that are in excellent condition on the pre-loved market.

Whether vintage or reissues, all Hermès handbags are handmade unlike Chanel or Louis Vuitton, or a slew of other designer bags, which often are factory-made. The quality of Hermès bags is unmatched. 

As bag mavens know, Hermes Birkins tend to increase their value on the resale market due to demand and how impossible the brand makes it to walk into a retail store to buy one. 

The Hermes Bolide is a lesser-known style to the public. It has the same top quality, yet not the status of a Birkin or Kelly. If you are interested in the caliber of a bag over its status, a Hermes Bolide is an excellent, under-the-radar choice, and for this reason, costs far less.

Sometimes called the Bolide 23, the style is the earliest design of Emile-Maurice Hermes (first sold in 1923). Inspired by his visits to Henry Ford's automobile factories in North America, it was reported to be a gift for his wife who desired a handbag to carry on car rides. Moreover, Hermes saw how zippers were used for the removable rooftops of Ford automobiles, so he adopted this feature for the Bolide, patenting his innovation, which is now common. At the time, Hermes was known only as a leather goods, not a luxury bag merchant, and the Bolide 23 bags with their staller craftsmanship have endured through the years of its reissues.

The Bolide 23 is made of box leather, the original skin in Hermes's leather shop. Box leather is a rich, glossy cow's skin that holds its shape and color with proper care. If mishandled, it will scratch and isn't waterproof. Through the decades 6 sizes were produced: mini, 27 cm, 30 cm, 31 cm, 35 cm, and its original travel bag size 45 cm. The Bolide has 2 handles, a shoulder strap (and a key with clochette on the 4 largest sizes). This classic bag comes in neutrals and an array of colors.

Also, know that costing less than a Birkin or Kelly doesn't mean cheap. Nonetheless, the price is a sum many people with jobs can save up to buy unlike the $12,000 - infinity Birkins. Plus the 2nd hand market lets you avoid the Hermes retail store games of buying other merchandise before being offered a handbag. That alone is cheaper and priceless! Since the Bolide is under the radar, you'll find a reasonable price on the resale market. Customers also like carrying a bag that's understated and not as recognizable as the Kelly or Birkin.

Meanwhile, I love that stunning fancy-cut diamond necklace so much, I'd wear it anywhere and everywhere if I could afford and justify buying it. Definitely, it wouldn't stay in a box!🔹😎

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Should You Buy I Color or I3 Clarity Diamonds?

Let's say you'd love to own jewelry with big diamonds but can't afford the bigger sizes without mortgaging your home or selling your children. Diamond prices increase exponentially per carat as you move up in carat weight because big eye-clean diamonds are rare in nature.

So, of the 4 diamond "Cs" (cut, carat, color, and clarity): (1) On which do you compromise to buy the biggest stone for the money, and (2) How far do you compromise? 

The answers are: Be flexible on color and clarity to buy a bigger stone.

Let's consider color first: To get more value in carats, or size for the money, [technically carat refers to weight not the size of a stone] ideally you should buy a G or H color, but you could go all the way down the alphabet to a J color diamond in a white gold setting. White gold makes diamonds look whiter and yet going past a J diamond is when the naked eye will notice a yellow tint. For yellow gold settings, however, you might get away with a K color as yellow gold can hide a yellow tint better than white gold. If you compare an E color with a J, you will see a slight yellow tint, but without a side-by-side comparison of the two grades you really won't notice, and the difference in cost between E and J diamonds is huge, so you could compromise a bit on color to buy a bigger stone that still looks relatively white.

Next, let's discuss clarity: When it comes to flaws, diamonds have 2 types: blemishes (surface flaws) and inclusions (internal flaws). All-natural diamonds have inclusions or defects. Under a microscope, jewelers see "feathers, bruises, indented naturals and chips, etched channels, and cavities" that can't be seen with the naked eye. In fact, clarity is considered the least important characteristic in a diamond, and where you can compromise the most to get a bigger diamond as long as you examine the stone carefully to make sure the inclusions are hidden and not prominent. Experts usually recommend settling on a diamond with VS2 (Very Slight 2) in clarity to get "the most bang for the buck." A diamond with inclusions can still look eye-clean.

Now let's get specific by considering a pair of diamond stud earrings I've had on my Macy's wish list for a few years. I love the 4-carat total weight of the studs -- that's 2 carats on each ear. Lovely, oh yes! The price is what I also find attractive ... sometimes on sale for as low as $5,400. Nice and tempting! -- compared to the usual $28,000+ for 4-carat diamond stud earrings in 14K gold at James Allen. Nonetheless, it's still a load of cash to pay, so therefore I'm stalling. In the pro camp: The I grade is colorless and acceptable for diamond stud earrings. But the I3 clarity keeps me from pulling the trigger. Macy's at Herald Square never has the earrings in the store to pursue, and it's too risky for the still-a lot-of-moola price tag. 

The cons are: I3 diamonds usually have too many inclusions that affect a diamond's brilliance and beauty. According to Teach Jewelry, ''The difference between I3 and I1 and I2 clarity diamonds is the number, type, position, and size of inclusions." No matter the angle, the inclusions, or imperfections will likely diminish the stones' sparkle (the ability of a diamond to collect and reflect light). How disappointing to spend $5,400+ for diamonds "with large, dark, and easily seen inclusions" that limit their brilliance. Dull diamonds are not what one pays for -- I'd miss the glitter, the sparkle, the shine ... as well as the money leaving my bank account.😳

I3 diamonds are called salt and pepper diamonds due to the black spots they often have. These inclusions are too noticeably to be eye-clean.

A few sources cite if inclusions are on the edge of a diamond, your diamond could break off and an I3 diamond is harder to resale, but I dismiss these 2 reasons for avoiding it. Jewelry is always a luxury buy. All jewelry is a poor investment as you'll rarely get the price you paid if reselling it. If you do pay less for less quality, getting some of your money back by reselling it is a fair trade-off. And on Moh's Hardness Scale, diamonds are a 10, the hardest gems you can buy. Stones in earrings are unlikely to break with normal wear. Not to mention, you should remove rings to clean your house.

Frankly, diamonds are common in nature, and it's mostly demand that creates their high value. Readers, you are not alone in coveting big-sized diamonds! I, too, am tempted sometimes all the time. An I diamond is fine, but diamond experts tend to advise against buying I3 diamonds for jewelry. It looks like I'll never own a pair of 4-carat diamond studs.💎

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