How to Clean Jewelry at Home Without Damaging It

Jewelry does not usually lose its shine because it is old. It loses its shine because of a film of hand cream, hairspray, body oil and soap residue that builds up in the crevices and under the stones, where you cannot see it accumulating. A diamond covered in that film looks dull no matter how good the stone is.

The good news is that most of it comes off with warm water and dish soap. The important part is knowing which pieces you can safely soak and which ones a soak will genuinely ruin, because a handful of popular internet cleaning tricks destroy jewelry.

The Method That Works for Most Jewelry

This is safe for solid gold, platinum, sterling silver, and hard stones such as diamond, sapphire and ruby.

1. Fill a bowl with warm, not hot, water. Add two or three drops of plain dish soap. Avoid anything containing bleach, moisturiser or degreasing additives.
2. Soak the piece for 15 to 20 minutes to loosen the film.
3. Brush gently with a soft toothbrush, paying attention to the underside of the setting where the stone meets the metal. That is where the dulling residue collects.
4. Rinse under lukewarm running water. Put the plug in the drain first. This step is where rings are lost.
5. Dry completely with a lint-free cloth, and let it air dry fully before storing. Trapped moisture is what starts tarnish.

Repeat this every two to four weeks for rings you wear daily, and every few months for everything else.

Cleaning Guide by Material

How to Clean Gold Jewelry

Solid gold is chemically stable, which means it does not tarnish. When gold looks dull it is either surface residue, which the soap soak removes, or fine scratches accumulated over years, which need a jeweler’s polish rather than anything you can do at home.

Two cautions. Chlorine attacks the alloy metals in gold, so remove gold rings before swimming pools and hot tubs; repeated exposure makes the metal brittle over time and can eventually crack a band. And white gold behaves differently from yellow, because its brightness comes from rhodium plating. When white gold starts looking faintly yellow, it is not dirty, the plating has worn through and needs redoing by a jeweler.

If you are unsure whether your piece is solid gold or plated, the cleaning approach changes completely. Our guide to solid gold, gold filled, vermeil and gold plated explains how to tell from the hallmark.

How to Clean Silver and Remove Tarnish

Silver tarnish is a chemical reaction, silver sulfide forming on the surface when the metal meets sulfur compounds in air, in food, in rubber bands and in wool. It is not dirt, so soap and water will not shift it.

For light tarnish: a treated silver polishing cloth is the safest and most controllable option. Rub gently along the surface, not in circles.

For heavier tarnish, the aluminium foil method: line a bowl with aluminium foil, shiny side up, add a tablespoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of salt, then pour over enough boiling water to cover. Place the silver so it touches the foil. The tarnish transfers to the foil through an electrochemical reaction, usually within a couple of minutes.

Three important limits on this method. Do not use it on silver with intentional oxidised or antiqued detailing, because it strips the darkened areas that give the design its depth. Do not use it on silver set with stones, since the hot water can loosen settings and damage softer gems. And never use it on pearls, opals or turquoise.

Skip commercial silver dip solutions unless nothing else works. They are aggressive, they leave a residue that accelerates future tarnishing if not rinsed thoroughly, and they will destroy vermeil.

Cleaning Gemstone Jewelry

The dividing line is hardness and porosity. Stones at 7 and above on the Mohs scale with no porosity, diamond, sapphire, ruby, topaz, amethyst, garnet, are safe with the soap-and-water method. Softer or porous stones are not.

Emerald is the one that catches people out, because it is hard enough at 7.5 to 8 that it sounds safe. Nearly all emeralds are treated with oil or resin to fill their natural fractures, and soaking washes that treatment out, leaving the internal cracks suddenly visible. Wipe only.

Opal contains water within its structure. Soaking, heat and sudden temperature changes cause crazing, a network of fine cracks that cannot be repaired. Doublet and triplet opals, which are layered and glued, will also separate if soaked.

Pearls are the most fragile item in most jewelry boxes. The nacre is soft and dissolves in acid, which includes perfume, hairspray, vinegar and lemon juice. Wipe pearls with a soft damp cloth after each wear, and re-string a frequently worn strand every year or two, since the silk thread stretches and eventually breaks. Our birthstone hardness chart lists where every common stone sits on the Mohs scale.

Never Use These

• Toothpaste. The single most repeated bad advice online. It is an abrasive designed for tooth enamel, which is much harder than gold or silver. It leaves a permanent haze of micro-scratches on soft metals and on pearls.
• Bleach and chlorine. Attacks the alloys in gold, permanently discolours silver, and can dissolve the solder joints holding a piece together.
• Baking soda as a scrub. Fine in the foil bath, where it works chemically. Rubbed directly on metal it is an abrasive and scratches.
• Vinegar and lemon juice. Acid. Dissolves pearl nacre and etches soft stones.
• Rubbing alcohol on glued pieces. Dissolves the adhesive in costume jewelry and in doublet stones.
• Boiling water on anything with stones. Thermal shock cracks gems and loosens settings.

Ultrasonic Cleaners and Steamers

Ultrasonic cleaners use vibration to shake dirt loose, and they work extremely well on solid gold and platinum set with diamonds, sapphires or rubies. They are genuinely dangerous for everything else.

Do not put these in an ultrasonic cleaner: emerald, opal, pearl, turquoise, coral, amber, tanzanite, moonstone, any treated or fracture-filled stone, any antique piece, anything glued, and anything plated or vermeil. The vibration can crack fragile stones and shake loose stones out of worn settings entirely.

If a stone is already slightly loose, an ultrasonic cleaner will finish the job. Check by holding the piece near your ear and tapping gently; a rattle means it needs a jeweler before it needs cleaning.

Preventing the Problem

Cleaning is easier when there is less to clean off.

• Jewelry last, jewelry first. Put it on after perfume, lotion and hairspray; take it off before you take off your makeup.
• Remove rings for hand washing where you can. Soap residue under a setting is the main cause of dull-looking diamonds.
• Store silver in airtight bags. Tarnish needs air. Anti-tarnish strips in a sealed pouch dramatically slow it down.
• Keep pieces separated. Harder stones scratch softer metals when jewelry is jumbled together. A compartmented box or individual pouches solve this.
• Never store jewelry in the bathroom. Humidity accelerates tarnish faster than anything else in the house.

When to See a Jeweler Instead

Take a piece in rather than treating it at home if a stone rattles or moves, if prongs feel sharp or look thin, if a chain has stretched links, if white gold has gone yellow and needs re-plating, or if the piece is antique or inherited. Most jewelers will clean and check a ring for free or for a small fee, and an annual prong check on an engagement ring costs far less than replacing a lost stone.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I clean my jewelry?

Rings worn daily benefit from a soap soak every two to four weeks. Necklaces and earrings need it every couple of months. Pearls should be wiped after every wear.

Can I clean my engagement ring at home?

Yes, if the centre stone is a diamond, sapphire or ruby, and nothing is loose. Use the soap and warm water method with a soft brush behind the setting. Have the prongs checked professionally once a year.

Does toothpaste really clean jewelry?

It makes metal look brighter briefly by abrading the surface, which is exactly the problem. It leaves permanent micro-scratches on gold, silver and pearls. Use dish soap instead.

Why does my silver tarnish so fast?

Exposure to air, humidity and sulfur compounds. Storing it in a bathroom, in a wool-lined box or with rubber bands accelerates it. Airtight bags with anti-tarnish strips slow it dramatically.

Can I clean gold plated jewelry?

Only with a dry or barely damp soft cloth, dried immediately. The gold layer is often under one micron thick, so brushing or soaking removes it. Our guide to jewelry turning skin green explains what happens once that layer wears through.