HOW TO CLEAN GEMSTONE JEWELRY

You just have to look on-line and you will see a huge number of ways to clean your jewelry at home, from store bought home cleaning kits to aluminum foil, ammonia, baking soda, vinegar, various types of alcohol, toothpaste, effervescent tablets and powders to,.. KETCHUP…!? Just to name a few that I found.

They all claim to work – and yes they may. I have not tried any of them myself as I am not convinced and I don’t want to risk my beautiful jewelry in the process!

Using a soft toothbrush, give your piece a gentle scrub - making sure not to forget the back. Rinse well, as the soapy water will make the stones look dull. Allow to dry, then buff up and ‘polish’ to remove any water marks and finger prints with a soft, clean chamois cloth or something similar.

Ultrasonic Cleaners And Steam Cleaners

Some jewelry stores offer cleaning services using Ultrasonic or Steam Cleansers, these are fine for Diamond jewelry and harder gemstones such as Rubies and Sapphires (see the Mohs Scale) but they are a real “No, No” for most other colored gemstones such as Tanzanite and Emeralds.   These cleaners’ uses high frequency vibration and high heat to clean the stones and this may affect the “cleavage” of your stones.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR JEWELRY

As with all jewelry it should be resistant to every day heat, light, most common chemicals and general every day wear and activities.

Even so, you should not: 

° expose it to sudden temperature changes or extreme heat.

° expose it to very harsh chemicals such as hydrochloric acid as it will corrode the piece.

It is also best to remove your jewelry before:


° Bathing/showering or swimming

° Applying lotions or beauty products

° Washing up and doing other household cleaning/chores

° Gardening or other hard laborious actives

° Going to the gym or playing sports

As these increase the risk of harder knocks or bangs, scratching and exposing it to other chemicals that may dull or corrode the stones or metals.

HOW TO STORE YOUR JEWELRY 

Try to keep pieces separate from one another in jewelry storage pouches, stands or boxes, as rubbing up against each other will over time, cause your jewelry to become scratched or scuffed. Diamonds are the strongest mineral and will scratch other stones and metals.

What To Do If Your Stone Does Scratch Or Become Loose

The image below represents a very extreme example of scratching on a Tanzanite's table. Whilst this is an extreme example (it looks like the owner did her gardening wearing it!), this can occur in various degrees of severity. 

If your stone does get scratched, it can be restored to its former glory by having it polished up again to remove scratches and dullness by a good reputable lapidary. There should be no loss of weight as polishing is remarkably “forgiving” in this regard.

A good bench jeweler will also be able to fix a loose stone in its setting, will be able to re-rhodium plate a piece of jewelry if the plating starts to wear off and polish up the metal if it has become scratched. Again there should be no loss of weight to the stones or metal in the process.  

What To Do If Your Stones Crack Or Chip

Unfortunately this is a larger problem and depending on how damaged the stones are, may require replacing or re-cutting to remove the crack or chip. This may also result in the actual piece being re-made.