Jewellery care and cleaning

Cleaning silver or gold jewellery and maintaining them in a proper way are fundamental things if we want to keep our jewellery almost as new over time.

It is advisable to let a professional take care of the deep cleaning of your jewels sometimes. Just as your trusted jeweler can remove stains, it can also remove scratches and fix bumps due to use to restore your jewelry to the original look.

But if you want to maintain your jewels clean, here are some tips to do that at home.

Why does silver jewelry turn black?

When we make jewellery, we don’t use pure metals. In silver jewellery, for example, we always use an alloy (like a mixture) with parts of silver and copper. This is why is defined 925 silver. Because there are 925 parts of 1000 in it that are fine silver and 75 parts copper. This small amount helps jewelers to work it but, at the same time, makes jewelry oxidizing over time.

Oxidation can also be accelerated by skin Ph, by the exposure to air and light or by the contact with chemicals such as perfumes, creams, makeup, soaps or cleaning products.

Homemade tricks for cleaning jewelry

Jewellery cleaning Valentina Falchi artistic Jewellery

For light dirt

Soak a soft cotton cloth in a white vinegar or lemon mixture with baking soda and clean your jewel carefully. Be careful because baking soda, if not well dissolved, can cause small scratches on very polished pieces. Rinse well and dry with a soft cloth or hairdryer.

Ideal for maintenance and cleaning jewelry with very polished finish.

For chains, textures, engravings

Put an aluminum foil inside a glass or plastic bowl. Make sure you leave the bright part of paper upward. Dissolve in hot water a tablespoon of baking soda or salt and a little bit of white vinegar. Pour the water into the bowl. Put jewels in it and clean them with a soft toothbrush. Rinse with water and dry.

Do not use the brushes on very polished and shiny jewelry, they may scratch them.

For any kind of jewels

Remember thet if your jewelry has a very polished surfaces, it is not advisable to use dry cloths or brushes since that can scratch them. An alternative to the above advice is to soak the jewelry inside the bowl. This aluminum foil will act as a magnet to remove dirt. It is also important to leave the jewels well in contact with the shiny part of the foil.

You always have to rinse with water and dry afterwards to avoid water stains left.

Gold-plated jewellery

Gold-plated jewelry with matte finish can be cleaned with a non-abrasive white eraser by gently rubbing on the surface.

In polished finishes you can dissolve in hot water a drop of dishwasher soap. Leave the pieces to soak or use your hands or a very soft cotton cloth. Immediately rinse and dry with another cotton cloth.

Remember that…

Stones, enamels, patinas and pearls can suffer and can be damaged by the contact with very hot water and/or chemicals. If your jewelry is dirty and carry stones, pearls, patinas, lacquers or enamels it is advisable to take them to a professional.

To protect silver jewellery when we are not using them it is advisable to store them in plastic bags that are airtight to avoid contact with air and humidity. If we leave them in the dark, inside a box or a drawer even better.

Avoid your jewelry to come in contact with perfumes, makeup, soaps or creams that can damage the metal. Just as it is good to avoid contact with cleaning products such as bleach.

If you do sport it is vital to take off your jewelry. Sweat is a harmful element that can spoil them, especially if your skin’s Ph is very acidic. Likewise it is advised not to wear jewelry on the beach or in swimming pools.

There are special wet cloths made on purpose to clean silver or gold. It is important to know that they can be used exclusively in jewelry with polished finish, as other textures could get even more dirty.

Hoping that these tips and information will help you, we remind you that we will always be at your disposal for any questions that may arise regarding the maintenance of our jewellery.