Jewellery cleaning and care

Most jewellery you can clean yourself.

Lukewarm water, a drop of washing-up liquid and a soft brush will do it. Below is what to do for each material, and four things that will damage a piece. And if something is badly tarnished, just come by the workshop; at home you will not get any further with it.

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A goldsmith's hand holding a gold chain at the polishing motor in the workshop
At home

How to clean a piece, by what it is made of

Gold takes more than a pearl does. Before you reach for a cloth, look at what you are actually holding.

01

Gold without stones

Lukewarm water and a drop of washing-up liquid. Go over the piece with a soft toothbrush, rinse it and dry it with a microfibre cloth. That handles most of what settles on gold: soap, hand cream, skin oil.

02

Tarnished silver

That black layer is not dirt but silver sulphide, the metal reacting with the air. On smooth surfaces a silver polishing cloth from a jeweller takes it off. On detailed pieces polish only the raised parts: the patina in the recesses is what keeps the relief readable, and without it the piece goes flat. And once silver has sat in a drawer for years, a cloth will not do it. Bring it in, most of it I handle while you wait. Only sets of silver tableware and cutlery take longer.

03

Hard stones

Diamond, sapphire, ruby, amethyst, garnet and tourmaline take the same treatment as bare gold. Run the brush underneath as well, below the stone: that is where most of it collects, and that is why a stone goes dull over time. Do not scrub around the claws, just pass between them.

04

Pearls and soft stones

Pearl, opal, turquoise, amber, malachite and moldavite are porous or soft. No soaking, no detergent. Wipe them with a damp cloth and let them dry. Put pearls on after your perfume and cream, not before.

What to avoid

Four tips that damage jewellery

Toothpaste

The most widely repeated tip on the internet and the fastest way to a scratched piece. Toothpaste contains an abrasive. Gold and silver are soft metals and go dull the first time you use it.

Baking soda and foil

It works on silver, but it takes everything at once, including the patina that belongs in an engraving. On pieces with glued stones or pearls do not use a hot bath at all.

Swimming pools and chlorine

Chlorine attacks gold alloys at the soldered joints. It is not about dulling but about brittleness: a ring worn in a pool for years cracks at the joint. Take it off.

Ultrasonic cleaners at home

A cheap ultrasonic cleaner is fine for glasses. On a piece with a hair crack in the stone (emerald, opal) it will open the crack, and with a loose stone it will wash it into your sink.

In the workshop

When to leave it to me.

At home you remove what sits on the surface. Deposits under a stone, in the gaps between claws and inside the links of a chain stay put, and those are exactly what takes the shine away. For those I have an ultrasonic bath and a polishing motor, two things that do not belong in a bathroom.

A scratched surface is not a cleaning job but a polishing one. It takes off a very thin layer of metal, so it is not done every month, but afterwards the piece looks the way it did on the day it was made.

Always bring a piece in when a stone feels loose. Cleaning it at home could be the thing that finishes it off. With every cleaning I go over the stone settings and the clasp and tell you what needs tightening before it gets lost.

Please call ahead so I am at the workshop. Cleaning and polishing is usually done while you wait, and I quote the price once I have seen the piece. Pieces I made myself I clean once a year free of charge, for as long as they last.

Common questions

Common questions about cleaning jewellery

How much does professional jewellery cleaning cost?
Pieces I made myself I clean once a year free of charge, for as long as they last. Just get in touch and we will arrange a time. For pieces from elsewhere I quote the price once I have seen them, because there is a difference between an ultrasonic clean with a polish and a case where the stone settings need tightening. Most of it I handle while you wait.
How do I clean a gold piece at home?
Lukewarm water with a drop of washing-up liquid, a soft toothbrush, then rinse and dry with a microfibre cloth. On a stone-set piece run the brush underneath as well, below the stone, where most of it collects. Avoid toothpaste and any abrasive.
What removes tarnish from silver?
A silver polishing cloth. The black layer is silver sulphide, that is oxidation, not dirt. On detailed pieces polish only the raised surfaces and leave the patina in the recesses, otherwise the relief loses its depth. After years without wear a cloth is no longer enough and it is better to bring the piece to the workshop; most of it I clean while you wait. Sets of tableware and cutlery are the exception, those take longer.
Can I use toothpaste or baking soda on jewellery?
Toothpaste, no. It contains an abrasive and both gold and silver go dull after it. Baking soda with foil does work on silver, but it also strips the patina out of engravings, and on pieces with pearls or glued stones it can do real damage. I would do neither on a good piece.
How often should jewellery be professionally cleaned?
Once a year for a piece you wear daily. It is not only about shine: while cleaning I check the stone settings and the state of the clasp, which is the cheapest way not to lose a stone. Pieces I made myself I clean once a year free of charge, for as long as they last.
When should I stop cleaning a piece myself?
When a stone feels loose, when there are deposits under a stone that a brush cannot reach, when the surface is scratched (that is polishing, not cleaning) or when it is a fine chain with small links. In those cases bring the piece to the workshop; I usually deal with it while you wait.