How To Clean Gold
If you're lucky enough to own gorgeous gold jewellery, the chances are you'll probably wear it regularly. You'll notice over time that it does become dirty and starts to lose its shine and lustre. This is when people start to worry. However, gold can be cleaned if you follow a few steps carefully.
How and Why Does Gold Jewellery Get Dirty?
Most jewellery isn't made from pure gold. In fact, 24k gold is too soft to make usable jewellery, so other metals are mixed in, to create an alloy. Gold in its purest form doesn't actually tarnish but will often be mixed with other elements that do, such as copper and silver, which eventually darken with exposure to sulphur, oxygen, moisture and dirt.
When you wear gold jewellery, it collects an array of dirt, oils and toxins. These include toxins and pollutants from the air around you, oils that come naturally from your skin, dirt from everyday items that you touch and all manner of residues from the substances that you come into contact with each day. These include soaps, hand creams, washing up liquids, perfumes, anti-bacterial wipes and plenty of other everyday elements, not forgetting food and drink. Over time, these build up and start to affect the appearance of your gold. You'll notice a change in the appearance of your jewellery, which is when it's time to take action.
Do You Need a Professional?
If your gold looks dirty and dull, it's worth considering a jeweller for professional cleaning in a number of instances, such as when the jewellery is valuable and you'd prefer to leave the job to the professionals, if it's scratched, seriously dirty, or if it's antique and needs specialist care. However, for everyday gold cleaning, you'll find that you can carry out much of the cleaning and maintenance yourself.
Commercial Cleaners
There is an array of commercial cleaners on the market, each with their own formulations. Do your research before selecting one and ideally get a recommendation from a trusted source. Generally, these solutions are either used to soak the jewellery in, or to apply with a soft cloth before buffing.
Home Applications
Never use harsh domestic cleaning products or abrasive cleaners on your gold. Gold in its purer forms is only a soft metal and can easily be scratched. Even with harder alloys, it's not worth the risk of scratching. Start by adding a little gentle dish soap into warm water, swirling it around and then soaking the jewellery in the warm water for about 15 minutes. This will start to break down oils and help loosen any hardened grime that may be lurking in the gold's crevices. Avoid soaking any jewellery with gemstones, as the settings may be affected if left to sit in water for a long time.
After soaking, scrub the gold gently with a soft brush, such as a make-up brush. There are also specialist brushes that you can use for this purpose. Scrub the entire gold surface and focus on any crevices made through engraving, stone settings or other details in the metal. When you are satisfied that the jewellery is looking clean, rinse it in warm tap water and make sure any soap residue is entirely removed, or it may leave a dull finish. Just make sure you don't drop your jewellery down the sink! One tip is to rinse it in a strainer or colander.
Then dry it gently and buff with a soft cloth. This will stop any water spots in their tracks and keep the gold surface clean and shiny. It will also remove any soapy residue that still remains and makes sure the jewellery is then ready for wear. If you aren't going to wear the item, lay it out overnight to air dry. It's important that the piece is completely dry before going back into storage, as moisture will hasten the tarnishing process.
Troubleshooting
If the jewellery still looks dull once it's dry, gently rub it with a polishing cloth. Use a clean section, or an entirely clean cloth and rub it in graduating and varied straight lines, rather than in circles, to avoid creating a pattern on the surface.
If it still looks dark, machine cleaning may be required and it's worth visiting a professional. They may recommend their equipment, which will be based on steam, ionic or ultrasonic cleaning processes. They will advise on the best approach, specific to the item. Alternatively, a jeweller may carry out professional polishing by hand. If they diagnose scratching, a special process will be carried out with abrasive papers applied in stages. It's a specialist job, however and best left to the experts. It's worth remembering that intensive polishing will remove some of the gold itself, which is another reason to take care with storing and maintaining your gold.
Maintaining Your Jewellery
Take care of your jewellery and help maintain its good looks by keeping it away from damaging substances. Don't wear it in the shower, when you are doing household chores, or when you are going swimming.
Storing It
Keep each piece of your gold jewellery apart so that it doesn't scratch. Delicate chains are best hung to prevent tangling, or use professional anti-tarnish tissue and store it flat. This will both prevent tangling and slow down the tarnishing process. For jewellery with stones in it, seek specialist advice. For example, pure gold can benefit from being stored in airtight bags, but pearl or opal jewels need the air's moisture to keep their shine. Alternatively, try putting silica in your jewellery box to keep gold dry. Also, remove any sulphur producing products such as elastic bands, as these will speed up tarnishing. The same applies to leather, silk, newspapers and regular cardboard boxes. If you're using cardboard boxes, buy specialist ones designed specifically for archiving.
The benefit of good care and storage is that your gold may never actually need cleaning, so it's well worth spending time and care on this stage!
