From ancient civilisations to modern fashion, wearing jewellery has always been a way to express personal style, enhance beauty, signify status, and the like.
If you are a frequent wearer of jewels, you need to set aside some time to keep them in good condition.
Good Housekeeping provides a few tips on how to keep gold, silver, and costume jewellery, as well as jewellery with pearls, pristine.
Gold jewellery
What you will need:
- Dish soap
- Small strainer
- Soft toothbrush
- Soft microfibre cloths
Instructions:
- Mix a cup of warm water and a few drops of dish soap.
- Place the small gold jewellery items in the strainer before submerging them in the soapy water. Swish the items around to remove any dirt.
- If there is any dirt lodged in hard-to-clean places, remove the jewellery from the water and lay it down on the cloth. This will make the cleaning process easier when using the toothbrush.
- Once you have removed all the dirt, return the jewels to the strainer and rinse them under running water. Then, use the microfibre cloth to buff dry the items.
If your gold jewellery has precious or semi-precious stones, follow the same steps above but use sparkling water instead of plain water.
Silver jewellery
What you will need:
- Dish soap;
- Baking soda; or
- Toothpaste.
Instructions:
- Dish soap: Mix a few drops of dish soap with warm water. Dip a soft cloth in the mixture and gently rub the silver to remove any dirt. Rinse the jewellery with cool water and buff dry with another soft cloth.
- Baking soda: If there is more dirt than usual, mix three parts baking soda with one part water. Wet the silver items and apply the paste with a soft, lint-free cloth. Rinse well and buff dry.
- Toothpaste: Add a small dash of white paste (not gel) toothpaste to your finger or a soft cloth and gently rub it on the silver. Rinse the items well with warm water and use a soft cloth to buff them dry.
Note that using silver polish is the safest way to clean tarnished silver pieces and keep them from re-tarnishing. “[The above] treatments won’t keep tarnish from returning, and silver experts caution against using them too often (if at all) so use them, especially the toothpaste trick, for emergency spruce-ups only. For silver-plated jewellery, avoid excessive rubbing to keep from wearing away the metal finish,” notes Good Housekeeping.
Costume jewellery
What you will need:
- Dish soap
- Microfibre cloths
Instructions:
- Mix a few drops of dish soap with some water.
- Dip the cloth into the soapy water and gently wipe the tarnished jewellery. Due to the stones being glued on, it is best not to soak the costume pieces in water as this can result in the glue loosening and the faux gems popping off.
- Rinse the items by dipping the cloth in plain water and wiping over the jewellery gently.
- Put the jewellery upside down on a clean microfibre cloth, pat dry, and allow the items to air dry.
The above-mentioned publication adds, “You can keep this kind of jewellery shiny with some of the same tips for keeping precious jewellery looking its best, like keeping it away from water, storing away from direct sunlight and applying lotions and perfumes before putting any jewellery on.”
Jewellery with pearls
What you will need:
- Clean microfibre cloth
- Mild shampoo
- Small makeup brush
Instructions:
- Lay the strand of pearls on a soft cloth.
- Squeeze a tiny bit of the mild shampoo into warm water and mix.
- Dip the makeup brush into the mixture, shake off the excess and start using gente movements to clean all the sides of the pearls.
- Use a soft, damp cloth to rinse the pearls and air dry flat to prevent the strings from stretching.
“Never soak pearls as doing so can cause the string to weaken and break,” warns the publication.
Also see: Tips on adding colour to your bedroom
