Easiest Ways to Clean Your Jewelry

 Mix half a cup of ammonia and a cup of warm water and soak your jewelry in it for about 15 minutes, then rub your jewelry with a soft cloth and rinse with warm water.  Dry them on a clean linen towel or a pillowcase.  For pearls, simply use mild soap and water then let them dry.  This solution is too harsh for pearls.

Keep your pearls from losing their natural luster by wiping them with a damp cloth right after you have worn them to remove any skin oils or other residues.  Allow them to dry completely before putting them away.  Never wear pearls while you are spraying perfumes or hairspray.  Even the tiniest amount of chemical in these products will dull the shine and natural luster.  If you wear your pears often, it would be good to get them restrung yearly. 

Flickr photo by HeXeNeSi 

For silver jewelry, you may use white toothpaste.  Dab a little on you silver.  Rub then rinse well with warm water.  You may also use baking soda made into a paste with a bit of water to make your silver jewelry sparkle.  Just rub the mixture on your jewelry using a soft cloth then rinse and pat dry. 

Another trick to clean real silver jewelry is by using water and aluminum foil.  Fill a small jar with cold water put some short strips of aluminum foil in it.  Add a teaspoon of salt.  Soak your silver items in this solution for a few minutes, then rinse and dry.  This can only be used on real silver jewelry.  If the item is silver plated, the solution may strip off the silver plating.  Do not use these for items with dark or oxidized areas that are part of the decoration.  It will lighten all the dark areas which may defeat the decorative purpose. 

flickr photo by  The ChainMaille Lady 

To make your real gold jewelry shine like new, simply wash them in warm sudsy water. Using a soft toothbrush nudge the dirt from the ridges and grooves.  When done brushing your gold jewelry, rinse with cold water and rub dry with a soft cloth. 

To bring the shine back in your old gold jewelry, pour a small amount of pale beer onto a soft damp cloth then buff gently. 

photo by theappraiserlady on Flickr

Wipe opal jewelry every week with a small amount of baby oil or olive oil.  This will keep them from drying out and cracking. 

flickr photo by  Lucid Dreamer ♥

For diamond jewelry, rub it with a small amount of white toothpaste using a small toothbrush to make them sparkle again.  When you’re done cleaning, rinse it with cold water.  

flickr photo by tauseef_ravian153

To remove the small scratches on the face of an old watch, gently spread a little nail polish remover using a cotton swab on it.  Rub it and the watch the scratches disappear.