For a typical ring, necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings, 1-2 drops of soap in a shallow dish of water is plenty. For jewelry with soft gemstones like pearls or opals, switch out the dish soap for a pH-neutral baby soap.
It is an extremely valuable item. It has fragile or damaged components, such as gem settings. It contains pearl, opal, or emerald, which are very delicate, or coral, bone, or wood, which soak up water readily.
It is an extremely valuable item. It has fragile or damaged components, such as gem settings. It contains pearl, opal, or emerald, which are very delicate, or coral, bone, or wood, which soak up water readily.
Dunk the item back in the soapy water if it starts to dry off. If the item has any nooks and crannies that you can’t reach with the toothbrush, switch to cotton swabs (Q-Tips) for these areas.
If you’re not in a rush, it’s equally fine to just let the item air dry on a soft cloth. If desired, you can lightly buff the item with the soft cloth after it’s dry—this will help bring out its shine.
Cleaning gold with baking soda and vinegar helps loosen dirt and debris, but this method shouldn’t be used on gold jewelry that’s delicate, fragile, or high-value, or that contains delicate or porous gemstones.
How does this work? A chemical reaction occurs among the aluminum foil, the baking soda, and the tarnish on your jewelry. The boiling water also helps loosen stubborn dirt and debris. You can also try this method with silver jewelry, or the slightly different aluminum foil method provided in the silver jewelry section of this article. Don’t use this technique on very valuable or fragile gold, or gold jewelry with fragile or porous gemstones. Stick to the soapy water method, or take your item to a professional.
Wear gloves and protective eyewear when using ammonia, and work in a well-ventilated area. Ammonia may start to corrode your gold item if you soak it for more than 1 minute. Avoid using ammonia frequently on jewelry—use it a couple times a year, for example, instead of monthly. Don’t use ammonia on—you guessed it!—delicate, fragile, or highly-valuable jewelry, or on jewelry with fragile or porous gemstones.
Wear gloves and protective eyewear when using ammonia, and work in a well-ventilated area. Ammonia may start to corrode your gold item if you soak it for more than 1 minute. Avoid using ammonia frequently on jewelry—use it a couple times a year, for example, instead of monthly. Don’t use ammonia on—you guessed it!—delicate, fragile, or highly-valuable jewelry, or on jewelry with fragile or porous gemstones.
This is a low-risk way to clean silver items since it doesn’t use any abrasives or chemical reactions. That said, if you’re dealing with something extremely delicate or valuable, it’s safest to leave the task to a professional.
As with gold, avoid using any type of aluminum foil and baking soda/table salt method with high-value, fragile, or delicate jewelry, especially if it contains fragile or porous gemstones.
Cleaning silver with toothpaste comes with risks—even plain white toothpaste is gritty enough to potentially scratch silver. Save this method for sturdy, relatively low-value silver jewelry.
Here are some alternatives for cleaning diamonds (or rubies or sapphires) you might consider as well: Spray a household window cleaner (like Windex) onto a soft cloth and wipe the diamond. Soak the item in club soda overnight, then rinse it with clean water and wipe it down with a soft cloth. Put the item in a glass of water and add a denture cleaning tablet. After the tablet dissolves, remove the jewelry, rinse it, and pat it dry.
Do not soak pearls or opals in water or any cleaning solution—they’re too porous and fragile.
