Wearing jewelery in everyday life is a way to express your personality and express your style. However, this habit contributes to undermining the brilliance of rings and precious stones: with time and wear, white gold turns yellow, yellow gold blackens and stones and diamonds become opaque due to contact with dust, products cosmetics and other substances.
Taking care of jewels does not necessarily mean keeping them locked in a drawer and depriving themselves of their beauty every day, but paying due attention, cleaning them frequently and practicing simple habits, so that they keep their charm and brilliance intact for a long time.
How to clean gold jewellery: practical advice
Gold is a material that, despite its resistance, if not treated with care, can deteriorate and lose its proverbial shine. Often, in an attempt to do a "do it yourself" cleaning, you follow tutorials that suggest the use of bicarbonate or ammonia to remove dirt and make gold jewelery shine, but resort to these tricks - especially if you are not a professional – can damage valuables.
Therefore, the main advice on how to clean yellow gold at home is not to use aggressive or abrasive soaps and substances , but always choose neutral formulas .
The process is very simple:
- The jewel is immersed in a solution of water and delicate soap for about 15 minutes;
- With a brush with very soft bristles soaked in water and delicate soap, gently rub the surface of the jewel, especially if there are carvings and decorations;
- Rinse with running water;
- Dry with a soft cloth.
How to clean white gold? This same procedure just illustrated is also recommended for cleaning white gold rings. Furthermore, with wear, white gold tends to lose the thin layer of rhodium on the surface, so if you want to restore the original state of the jewel - or whenever you want to proceed with a professional and thorough cleaning - it is best to contact to your trusted jewelry store .
Here the expert jewelers, thanks to their skill and the use of professional products and procedures, study the state of the jewel and perform cleaning, polishing and rhodium-plating services following the standards dictated by the brands. For example, they perform ultrasonic baths, which allow a deep cleaning of rings, earrings and other jewellery. However, this procedure cannot be performed on pearls, diamonds and other precious stones for which special attention is required.
How to care for diamonds and semiprecious stones: reveal the hidden glow
Wear, the passage of time and contact with dust, creams and household detergents also cause diamonds and gems to lose their brilliance. For the ordinary cleaning of pearls and precious stones , we recommend using a soft cloth, while to remove impurities, a solution of water and neutral soap will be sufficient, as indicated for cleaning gold.
The advice is, however, to always rely on the expert hands of a jeweler who has professional products and knows how to clean semi-precious stones and diamonds to restore them to their original charm.
If your precious items do not just require ordinary cleaning, but actual maintenance, rely directly on our experts : the Pisa Orologeria laboratory deals with the maintenance and repair of luxury watches.
Gold and precious stones: the secrets to flawless brilliance
To preserve the shine and integrity of gold, diamond and gem accessories, it is best to pay attention to contact with cosmetics : it is recommended to wear jewelery as a final touch, after a shower and after applying creams and perfumes. In this way, direct contact between jewelery and aggressive substances is avoided.
Necklaces, bracelets and rings should be kept safely in their original packaging or in special jewelery holders so that they do not come into contact with each other and do not risk getting scratched.
It is a good habit to clean them frequently and not to wear jewelery and precious stones during household chores and sports in the swimming pool, at the seaside or at the spa: bleach, chlorine, salt and temperature changes can compromise their shine.
By following these simple care practices, you will be able to admire the timeless beauty of your jewelry and keep it shining like new for many years to come. Spend some time caring for your precious treasures and let them shine and make you shine every day.
Don't forget all our advice on how to take care of your wristwatch , restoring its original shine.
