Gold and silver jewelry may become black or lose their brilliance over time. But there is this old jeweler in my town that “sold” me his secrets in cleaning gold and silver jewelry, and I might think that it will be helpful for you, too, ladies.
Gold
Gold jewelry won’t change their initial color, but it will lose their brilliance over time.
Cleaning methods
– Soak the jewels in warm water where you put some liquid detergent, leave them overnight. In the morning, rinse and wipe them with a soft cloth.
– Toothpaste cleans gold very well. Put some toothpaste on an old toothbrush, moistened it in lukewarm water, and apply it on the gold jewelry you want to clean, and rub it gently. Rinse and polish with a soft cloth.
Silver
Silver blackening is a sign that the jewel is of good quality – meaning that has in its composition a very small amount of copper, which gives it solidity.
Cleaning methods
-Dilute half a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water. You will get a paste that you will gently apply to jewelry using a soft cloth. Then rub the objects with a dampened toothbrush, rinse well, and polish with a clean cloth.
– Apply a slice of lemon directly on the object and rub gently. Rinse, and polish it with a cloth.
-Or you can put the jewelry in a bowl tapped with tin foil, pour over hot water and lots of salt. Let it act for 15 minutes, and then rinse.
– Apply wood ashes to a damp toothbrush, rub the silver jewel gently, and then rinse.
Maintenance methods
– Don’t wear jewelry when you are showering or exercising, at the beach or when you sleep.
– Their brightness decreases in contact with perspiration, care products (including perfumes), and chlorine in pools
– Keep them in velvety bags
