How to clean earrings: advice from a jeweler

Any jewelry, including gold, requires proper care. Cleaning gold earrings or other items made of precious metals means removing mechanical, biological or chemical contaminants. The frequency of cleaning procedures depends on the nature of the dirt, the frequency of use of the jewelry and some other factors.

Cleaning gold earrings is quite simple, using both special and household products that every housewife has.

Why do silver earrings darken?

Silver has its own characteristics and can turn black. Many silver jewelry, including earrings, contain copper molecules, which tend to oxidize, as well as amino acids containing sulfur. It is sulfur that causes blackness on silver. Silver easily reacts with sulfur and sulfur compounds, forming black silver sulfides. This plaque is the very darkening of silver

Problems in the body, endocrine system, and increased sweating can also contribute to the blackening of silver earrings.

Polishing

Here are the most common methods for cleaning gold so that it shines, shimmers and looks like it was just brought from a jewelry store:

Vinegar (concentration 6%, 9%). You need to moisten a piece of soft cloth in the substance, then gently rub the product. After the procedure, you should wipe the jewelry with a dry cloth.
Paste GOI. There are four types, one of which is intended directly for polishing. This is a black paste containing abrasive particles of optimal size. The product must be applied to the material (it is advisable to use a flannel or waffle towel for this). The product is rubbed with it, after which the remaining substance must be removed with a dry soft cloth.
Ammonia. Before cleaning gold with ammonia, this substance should be purchased at a pharmacy. The optimal concentration is 25%. Completely immerse the object to be cleaned in this product for 10 hours using a deep container. To extract gold from ammonia, you just need to wipe the object with a dry cloth or napkin.

Is it possible to clean earrings at home?

Almost any earrings can be cleaned at home. In this case, you need to be as careful as possible and follow certain rules. Let's start with the simplest methods that are available to everyone at home.

Wipe the earrings with a cloth. The material with which you will wipe the jewelry should be soft so as not to leave small scratches on the jewelry. This method is suitable for the lightest stains.

Soap solution or shampoo. Dilute the soap solution and leave the earrings for a few minutes, and then wipe thoroughly with a cloth.

These methods are universal, suitable for gold and silver earrings, but still each metal has its own characteristics, including cleaning features.

How to clean silver earrings?

The most famous way to clean silver is with toothpaste or tooth powder. Take a toothbrush and toothpaste and gently clean your earrings. When cleaning, do not rush or use much force to avoid breaking the jewelry.

Ammonia. Dilute ammonia in a ratio of 1 to 1 with plain water and place the earrings in the resulting solution. Depending on the degree of contamination, earrings can be kept in this solution from several minutes to several hours. Then rinse the earrings thoroughly under running water and dry them well.

Available means

This category of methods is more suitable for gold, the usual 585 or 750 standard, without stones.

Express methods

To quickly put the appearance of your jewelry in order, you can use the following techniques.

Dissolve 1 tsp. dishwashing detergent in 200 ml of water. Place a rag in the container and dip the items to be cleaned. Boil for 10 minutes, rinse and dry. You can clearly see the effect of this method in the video.

This mixture has more ingredients, but it also turns out “more vigorous”. Mix 1 cup warm liquid, 1 tsp. dish soap, 40 g hydrogen peroxide and 1 tsp. ammonia. Immerse the gold in this composition for 20 minutes, after which it must be removed, washed and dried.
Buy sodium hyposulfite at a pharmacy or photography supply store. It can be used to clean even stubborn stains. 1 tbsp. l. dissolve the chemical in a glass of water and put the jewelry there for 20 minutes. Next you need to rinse and dry the products.

Soak

A long stay in a specially prepared liquid allows you to effectively and effortlessly remove dirt. All you need is to prepare the composition, place the jewelry there, leave for the specified time, and then rinse and wipe dry. Sometimes you may additionally need to clean hard-to-reach areas with a brush or cotton swab.

When implementing such methods, it is worth using ceramic or glass containers.

Let's name the four most famous and effective solutions.

Ammonia and dishwashing detergent In one glass of boiling water, mix one teaspoon each of dishwashing detergent and ammonia. Place the treasures into the resulting mixture and leave for 1–2 hours.
soda and foil Place foil on the bottom of the container and place decorations on it. Pour it all over with a soda mixture (1–1.5 tablespoons of soda per 1 glass of water) and leave overnight.
Salt Regular table salt must be dissolved in liquid (3 tablespoons per 1 glass). It is important to thoroughly stir the salt crystals, otherwise they may damage the surface. Exposure time is at least 8–10 hours.
Sugar 2 tbsp. l. sugar needs to be diluted in 200 ml of water. Soaking trinkets should be at least 3 hours, and if heavily soiled, you can increase the period to 8.

Polishing

No less effective than soaking, but will take more time and effort.

Powders, soda and any abrasives are not suitable for polishing. They irrevocably scratch the surface, and it becomes impossible to restore its original shine.

You can polish treasures using:

a piece of flannel, velvet or felt - however, it will take quite a long time to work, and, alas, it will not be possible to clean heavy stains;
onions - cut the root vegetable in half and wipe the decoration with the cut until clean;
lipstick - it is advisable to use a colorless lipstick. Apply a small amount of lipstick to the fabric and rub the item;
eraser - it will be able to remove not only unsuccessful pencil strokes from paper, but also plaque from jewelry accessories. It is enough to wipe dirty places;
vinegar - soak a napkin in vinegar (5–9%) and treat the product;
beer and egg white - an unconventional but effective method. Mix 2-3 tbsp. l. beer with 1 egg white and spread with a rag on a bracelet or earrings and polish thoroughly;
paste - it can be prepared from toothpaste, chalk, grated laundry soap, Vaseline and warm water. All components are mixed in equal parts. Apply the mixture to the surface to be polished and rub gently in one direction. Afterwards, you need to wipe the item with alcohol to wash off the Vaseline.

After any treatment, rinse the jewelry, wipe and dry.

Cleaning items with stones

Values with inserts require special treatment. If the stone is glued, immersion and prolonged contact with liquid may cause the glue to dissolve. Then the pebble simply falls away.

You should also know that stones are different.

Cubic zirconias, diamonds, topazes, sapphires, peridots, garnets, emeralds, rubies and zircons are hard stones, and they can easily withstand cleaning by almost any means.
Corals, pearls, malachite, turquoise, opal are soft rocks that require a reverent attitude. It is unacceptable to use brushes, toothpaste and other similar tools and substances. They also do not tolerate moisture well. It is not allowed to rub them with ammonia, as it will make the inserts cloudy. Pearls categorically do not tolerate acid, so you will have to immediately forget about vinegar and lemon.

Now let's talk in more detail about what recipes and methods are allowed.

A universal composition for any type of material is a warm soap solution. In the case of hard stones, you can use a soft brush, and for sensitive rocks, use a cloth.

For caring for hardwood, the following method can be recommended. Shake a teaspoon of ammonia in ⅓ glass of water and immerse the accessories there. After a few minutes, shake the glass to remove dirt in hard-to-reach places. After 10 minutes, the treasures need to be removed and washed. This technique will help get rid of difficult stains.

To remove greasy deposits and stains from diamonds and emeralds, use gasoline. Soak a rag in the fuel and rub the stone. You can do the same with hydrogen peroxide.

Corals, turquoise and hard rocks can be polished with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol.

Removing dirt from white gold jewelry

The addition of silver, nickel or palladium, as well as rhodium plating, takes away the yellow tint from gold. These products require careful handling due to the fact that the rhodium layer is very thin and there is always a risk of damaging the coating. Therefore, it is forbidden to use mechanical cleaning methods and be very zealous when polishing.

You shouldn’t increase the time the jewelry spends in the cleansing mixture.

We can recommend the following options:

Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide are mixed in a ratio of 1 to 2. Place jewelry in this cleaner and leave for 30 minutes. All that remains is to rinse and wipe.
A mixture of ammonia and shampoo will be softer. To prepare it, combine ammonia and water in equal quantities, add a little shampoo to them. Exposure time – 30 minutes.
The recipe we already know with sugar cleans well. Let's remember: 2 tbsp. l. per glass of liquid. Soak for 8–10 hours.

Cleaning Matte Gold

The matte effect is achieved through a special grinding technology. To avoid damaging the surface, carefully choose your treatment methods.

First of all, you should avoid any abrasives and rough brushes, i.e., anything that can scratch the metal.

This mash will help remove dirt: you need to prepare a liquid paste from water and lime (1 coffee spoon). Next, add a small pinch of salt and half a coffee spoon of soda. The finished mixture will have to sit for 3 days.

After this time, dip the jewelry into the mixture and wait 4 hours. Then rinse them and blot them with a cloth.

A 25% ammonia solution will also work. You need to place jewelry in it for several hours. Then rinse and dry your treasures.

Attention! This method is prohibited for items with inserts.

How to clean gold earrings?

Table vinegar cleans gold very well. Dilute table vinegar with water in proportions of 1 to 1 and rinse (wipe) gold earrings in this solution using a cloth. Then rinse the jewelry in running water and wipe it dry.

Ammonia helps preserve the appearance of not only silver, but also gold, but the method of application is somewhat different. Apply a few drops of ammonia to a cloth and thoroughly wipe the earrings.

But toothpaste and a toothbrush are not very suitable for cleaning gold. There may be minor scratches on the gold.

Cleaning gold with citric acid

Cleaning with citric acid is recommended for jewelry made of red or yellow gold.

Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid in 200 ml of water. Make sure the crystals are completely dissolved!
Dip gold earrings, rings or chain into the solution for 5-7 minutes.
Rinse the jewelry under the tap.
Dry the gold item or wipe it dry. After this, give it a final wipe with a microfiber, felt or flannel cloth for shine.

Note! White gold items cannot be cleaned with citric acid.

How to clean stones in earrings?

If the earrings have stones, then long-term cleaning in an aqueous solution may not be suitable. Stones can be attached to earrings not with special metal “claws”, but with a special glue, which can lose its properties after prolonged water procedures.

By the way, any jewelry with stones requires more careful care, and earrings with stones - even more so. Most often, earrings with stones are washed under running water using a cotton swab or cotton pad.

You can clean the stones themselves using alcohol. Apply alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the jewelry, then rinse under running water.

Advice : do not allow temperature changes, that is, do not wash your earrings alternately in hot and cold water.

General tips for caring for gold earrings

Clean your earrings only with a very soft cloth, which will definitely not scratch the gold and will polish it to a shine. Velvet, fleece or soft suede are ideal.
Use a soft brush to clean hard-to-reach areas. Even a regular toothbrush with soft bristles will do.
Put the items in the box before doing household chores and cosmetic procedures so that the earring does not come into contact with detergents and cosmetics.
When storing, wrap each earring separately in a soft cloth or a special bag to prevent them from scratching each other.

You should not start cleaning gold items with improvised means if you doubt the results. It is better to entrust valuable jewelry to jewelers who know how to handle precious metals and stones - they will return the items to their original shine and color.