Cleaning Your Jewellery: Essential Tips and Techniques

Keeping your jewellery looking its best requires regular maintenance. When it comes to gold and diamond jewellery, cleaning it properly ensures it sparkles and shines. Here’s a guide to help you keep your precious pieces in top condition.

How to Clean Your Jewellery

For most gold and diamond jewellery, a simple method involves warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush. This approach helps remove grease, dust, and grime that accumulate around the stones. The real issue with a ring that looks dirty and lacks sparkle is often the dirt trapped underneath the stones. Just cleaning the surface isn’t enough to achieve a brilliant shine.

To clean your jewellery at home, follow these steps:

1. Prepare the Solution: Mix a few drops of mild dish soap with warm water in a small bowl.
2. Soak the Jewellery: Place your jewellery in the bowl and let it soak for about 15 to 20 minutes. This loosens the dirt and grime.
3. Brush Gently: Use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub the jewellery, focusing on areas where dirt accumulates, especially around the stones.
4. Rinse Thoroughly: Rinse the jewellery under warm running water, ensuring all soap residue is removed.
5. Dry Completely: Pat the jewellery dry with a soft cloth and let it air-dry completely before wearing it again.

Preventing Damage During Cleaning

When cleaning your jewellery, it’s crucial to avoid any risk of losing stones. The grime that builds up can sometimes hold gemstones in place, so removing it may loosen them. To prevent losing a stone:

• Use a Bowl: Always clean your jewellery in a bowl, not directly over the sink. This way, if a stone falls out, you won’t lose it down the drain.
• Inspect Carefully: Before you drain the bowl, check to ensure no stones have fallen out.

Checking for Loose Stones

After cleaning and drying your jewellery, check if the stones are secure. Hold the piece close to your ear and gently shake it. If you hear a faint rattling sound, a stone may be loose and will need attention from a professional jeweller.

Care for Different Gemstones

Some gemstones are softer or more absorbent than others and require special care. When cleaning delicate gemstones like pearls, coral, turquoise, opal, and amber:

• Use Mild Soap: Clean them with water mixed with a small amount of soap.
• Avoid Vigorous Scrubbing: Do not scrub too hard, as this can scratch the surface.
• Don’t Soak: Avoid leaving these gemstones soaking in water. Dry them immediately after cleaning.
• Store Safely: Keep these gemstones in a safe place to prevent scratching.

Professional Cleaning and Maintenance

Even with regular home cleaning, it’s a good idea to have your jewellery professionally cleaned and maintained at least once a year. A professional can polish, clean, and if necessary, re-rhodium plate white gold jewellery. If your jewellery was made by DDS Diamond Design Studios, you can benefit from a free lifetime cleaning service. Additionally, DDS offers rhodium plating at half price for their rings.

Contact DDS Diamond Design Studios

For DDS-made rings, take advantage of the free lifetime cleaning service by making an appointment with DDS Diamond Design Studios. Keeping up with regular professional cleanings ensures your jewellery stays in excellent condition and continues to sparkle brilliantly.

By following these guidelines for cleaning your jewellery, you’ll keep your pieces looking their best for years to come.