Eternal shine: how to clean gold with diamonds

Rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings with precious stones give their owners self-confidence, and also cause mixed feelings of envy and admiration among observers. Sometimes it becomes necessary to clean jewelry, because gold and diamonds lose their bright shine and become covered with a dark coating. The question arises: how to quickly restore precious jewelry to its former beauty and not make it worse?

Why do gold and diamonds fade?

Some women adore their rings and earrings so much that they wear them 24 hours a day. Do not remove jewelry even when taking a bath, washing dishes, cleaning a stove or sunbathing in the sun. As a result, moisture, chemicals and ultraviolet rays get on precious items.

Gold in itself is a metal resistant to adverse external influences. But it is soft and easily deformed. Therefore, jewelry gold is an alloy with the addition of other metals: copper, silver, nickel, zinc, cadmium. These substances are capable of oxidizing over time, becoming yellow, black or green.

Diamonds in jewelry become tarnished due to dust and grease secreted by the sebaceous glands of the skin. Therefore, pebbles also need to be regularly looked after.

The easiest way to clean gold with diamonds is to wipe the jewelry with a clean, dry cloth of soft texture. Wet wipes for LCD monitors are also suitable. If you wipe the product 1-2 times a week, it will always have a neat and sparkling appearance.

7 easiest ways

If traces of scratches, grease and plaque appear on gold jewelry with precious stones, it is most reliable to contact a jewelry workshop. However, this pleasure is not cheap and time-consuming. If the degree of pollution is low, you can clean the decoration at home.

Gold with diamonds should always be cleaned with gloves, since grease and dirt from the surface of the palms easily adhere to the products.

• Salt

Fill a 250-ml mug halfway with warm water. Add 2-3 tablespoons of edible salt and stir. Carefully put the ring (earrings, bracelet) on the bottom and leave for 10 hours.

Then take out the jewelry and transfer it to a container with clean water. Dry the product with a soft cloth.

• Sugar water

Dissolve a tablespoon of sugar in a cup of warm water. Lower the gold jewelry to the bottom and leave for 3-4 hours. Then rinse the items with tap water so that sticky deposits do not remain on the frame and pebbles.

• Soap solution

Do not use dishwashing detergent or colored granular powder to clean jewelry! Better to dissolve a small piece of baby soap or a little unpainted liquid soap in warm water. Dip the jewels in the solution for 2 hours.

Remove the jewelry and gently brush the stones with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Rinse in clean water and dry with a soft cloth or hair dryer (cold drying function).

• Onion juice

Only fresh chopped onion is suitable, from which juice oozes. Rub a diamond ring or necklace with juicy onion pulp and leave for 2 hours. Then wash the jewelry under warm tap water and dry thoroughly.

• "Coca Cola"

A popular drink eliminates even contaminants such as rust and blood.It is also suitable for cleaning diamonds. Dip the jewelry in a glass with a drink for 1 hour, then rinse with clean water and wipe with a cloth.

• Ammonia

Eliminates even old pollution and black (green) plaque. Ammonia solution (ammonia) can be purchased at any pharmacy. At the same time buy a glass for analysis. The fact is that ammonia produces a very sharp unpleasant odor. And the test cup is closed with a tight lid and does not allow alcohol vapors to fill the room.

To clean strong contaminants, gold products are poured only with alcohol and left for 15 minutes. The classic version: the ratio of alcohol to water is 50 to 50. Then the jewelry should lie for 2-3 hours. Then they need to be washed with water and dried (with a cloth, cold air from a hair dryer).

By the way, instead of ammonia, you can take other alcoholic liquids, such as vodka or cologne.

Gentle cleaning methods

The above methods are not suitable for all cases. For example, for jewelry with glued or large diamonds, it is better not to use them: water can get inside the product, and over time there will be a risk of the pebble falling out of the frame. You also need to apply gentle cleaning methods for expensive and exclusive gold jewelry, which is a pity to spoil.

Lipstick

It contains titanium dioxide - a substance that removes dark plaque from the surface of the product. To clean gold with diamonds, apply lipstick on a cotton swab and rub the item for 3-5 minutes. Then use a clean, dry cloth to clean the surface.

You do not need to choose a persistent lipstick for cleaning!

Borax solution

On sale borax is found in three forms:

• jewelry drill - you can buy it in specialized stores and workshops (it is advisable to purchase just such a drill);
• borax solution in glycerin - sold in a pharmacy under the name "Sodium tetraborate";
• as part of insecticidal preparations against cockroaches (this method of treatment is less preferred, since there is a risk of getting a mucous burn during cleaning of jewelry).

A cotton swab (or a toothpick with cotton wool at the end) is lowered into the borax solution and the frame and pebbles are carefully wiped. Then the decoration is quickly rinsed in cool water and dried with a cold hairdryer.

Toothpaste and alcohol

The paste contains small abrasives that effectively remove dirt from the surface of the product. Apply to a soft bristle brush and gently rub the frame. Do not touch diamonds. Remove toothpaste from the product with a wet swab.

Use rubbing alcohol, vodka or cologne to clean the stones. Dampen a cotton swab (or grab a ready-made alcohol wipe) and wipe the diamonds until they sparkle.

At the end, wipe the product with a dry soft cloth.

How to clean white gold?

White gold jewelry is the most valuable and expensive. Nickel, platinum and palladium are usually added to their composition, and the surface is covered with a layer of rhodium, which protects against oxidation and scratches. Over time, the protective layer is erased, and the products become as vulnerable to environmental influences as possible.

White gold with diamonds can be cleaned in “soft” ways:

• female lipstick;
• sugar water;
• liquid soap solution;
• ammonia (pebbles only).

How not to clean your favorite products?

On the Internet, there are often harmful tips for cleaning jewelry, following which can lead you to deep disappointment.

The following methods can permanently spoil gold jewelry with diamonds:

• substances with coarse abrasives: Pemolux-type products, washing powders with colored granules, tooth powders;
• brushes (including toothbrushes) with hard bristles;
• hot water;
• hair dryer in hot drying mode;
• baking soda (interacts with some metals and may lead to tarnishing of the jewelry);
• hydrogen peroxide;
• vinegar.

Take care of your precious jewelry made of gold and precious stones.Remove rings, bracelets and earrings when you wash your plates or go to the sauna, to the beach. Store each item in a separate velvet box. And then you do not have to risk it and clean the gold with diamonds too often.