Ways to Clean Your Jewelry the Natural Way

I usually clean my jewelry in a soloution of warm water and a few drops of Dawn dish detergent. If it's safe for cleaning oil off of ducks it should be pretty good right?

There are many other ways to clean jewelry.

First of all we need to discuss what types of jewelry.

Pearls

Pearls should not be cleaned with any type of product that has ammonia in it. Wearing perfume on the neck and body lotions may discolor the pearl. Same with polymer clay. oils in perfumes and lotions may effect the surface of the clay.

Clean pearls with a gentle soap such as ivory flakes and warm water.

Rinse and use a soft cloth. Don't use a toothbrush to scrub. Let them soak for a bit.

Costume jewelry

Use dawn or ivory flakes and use a new baby size soft toothbrush. Scrub gently. Sometimes this may loosen old gemstones of their glue or glue on knots holding jewelry togehter so be cautious.

Sterling Silver

Most of the silver I make and sell I polish with a polishing cloth. I can get one for you- just ask

In cases where stains are stubborn I found this recipe:

Saved from

sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com

jewelry cleaner: 1 T salt; 1 T baking soda; 1 T Dawn; 1 C H2O; 1 piece aluminum foil. heat water in microwave 4 1 or 2 min. Cut piece of foil that covers bottom of small bowl. Pour hot H2O into bowl. Place salt, soda, & dishwashing liquid in bowl. Place jewelry on top of foil & let it sit 4 5 to 10 min. Rinse jewelry in cool water & dry jewelry completely w/soft cloth. Discard solution after use & make new batch next time. works well 4 gold-filled, brass, nickel silver & sterling silver.

You have to be careful as some sterling silver has gemstones attached or set inside and this method could damage it. Sterling is sometimes "oxidized" or black is added so recessed details show better. If you use the above method it could remove the oxidization. Best to use the polishing cloth. Any handmade items may be tricky so opt for the most gentle way to clean.

Gold

Most information says the same Dawn dishwashing detergent and gentle scrubbing. You can use ammonia to clean gold. I got this other cleaner recipe from "Wiki How":

"Add one part ammonia to six parts water. Stir gently to ensure an even mixture. Soak the jewelry in the mixture for no more than one minute. Don't let jewelry sit in the ammonia mixture for too long - as a strong base, ammonia can be slightly corrosive.To quickly remove all of the jewelry at once, use a kitchen strainer like you might use when cooking pasta. Either fish the jewelry out with a hand-held strainer or upend the bowl into a larger strainer in the sink. Rinse the jewelry thoroughly under running water. Plug or cover the drain of the sink to prevent losing any precious jewelry that slips out of your hand. Alternatively, simply use the strainer you used to get your jewelry out of the ammonia."

I hope these tips are helpful in keeping you jewelry looking it's best.   Remember, If you need any jewelry repairs contact me here. I  love to repair jewelry.