A treasure trove of tips to get your sparkly things ready for prime time
BY HANNAH BAKER
While it tends to tarnish over time due to sulfates in the air, the silver lining (heh!) is that it’s easy to untarnish. For pieces with mild discoloration, grab a cotton jewelry cloth (see right for our rec) and gently massage them. Dingier items may require a silver cleaner (see right). Pour some of the cleaner onto a microfiber cloth and scrub, or try a soak, following the directions on the package. If you’re looking for a DIY solution: Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and stir in a few drops of mild liquid dish soap. Drop in your jewelry and let it soak for five minutes. For extra oomph, you can add a few drops of ammonia to the bowl too (wear gloves). After the “bath,” use a soft-bristle toothbrush to scrub away any remaining dirt. A baby one (see right again!) is best, as it has teeny-tiny bristles that can get into hard-to-reach areas, but a grown-up one is fine in a pinch. Rinse the pieces with warm water, dry them with a microfiber cloth, and wear them with abandon: The oils in your skin can help prevent tarnishing. The things you don’t wear that often? Store them in an airtight plastic bag with a piece of chalk or silica gel (the little packets that come in a box of new shoes) to absorb excess moisture in the air, which can also lead to tarnishing.
These pieces are much more durable than silver and stay pretty shiny. For occasional touch-ups, soak them in the mixture of dish soap and warm water mentioned above, and use that tiny toothbrush to scrub away grime. Rinse with warm water and pat dry with a microfiber cloth.
Though “gold-filled” sounds like something made of solid gold, it’s actually more like gold-plated. Both types of jewelry have a core made of another metal, like copper, and a gold plating around it. The gold can eventually wear down, exposing the core. When this happens, it’s time to retire the item. (Having the core sit against your skin can cause irritation.) Until then, you can clean gold-filled and gold-plated jewelry with warm water, dish soap, and a baby toothbrush. Once again, rinse and dry with a soft cloth. Be gentle, and only clean your pieces every couple of months, as the gold wears down every time you do it.
Unsurprisingly, you need to be kinda precious with precious gems. If you’re too aggressive while cleaning them, they can easily become scratched and damaged beyond repair. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, topaz, amethyst, quartz, garnet, and aquamarine can be cleaned similarly to gold and silver, with a couple of drops of dish soap and a small bowl of water, but only soak them for two to three minutes. Then very gently scrub, rinse, and dry. If you’re dealing with opals, emeralds, and pearls, you’re better off bringing them to a pro, because the DIY route could ruin them...which would be a stone-cold bummer
Tools of the Trade
HAGERTY JEWELRY POLISHING CLOTHS
$17.50 for 2; homedepot.com
CONNOISSEURS SILVER JEWELRY CLEANER
$8; kohls.com
TOTZ TOOTHBRUSH
$5; grove.co
OUR EXPERTS
JAMES DEAN, JEWELRY EXPERT IN STAUNTON, VIRGINIA
GRANT MOBLEY, DIAMOND EXPERT FOR THE NATURAL DIAMOND COUNCIL
LEIGH BATNICK PLESSNER, CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER OF CATBIRD JEWELRY STORES
PROP STYLING BY MARINA BEVILACQUA; PRODUCT IMAGES COURTESY OF MANUFACTURERS