We’ve all heard the conflicting information about cleaning jewelry: use sonic - don’t use sonic.  Use soap & water - soap & water will  leave a residue.  Use toothpaste and a toothbrush.  Only allow your jewelry to be cleaned by a professional jeweler.  Dip or don’t dip.  Who knows???  We decided to do some research.  This is what we found;

In years past jewelers used lye, cyanide or acid to clean jewelry… YIKES!   As you can imagine, these practices have all but ceased as a result of the dangers in using these chemicals.

Steaming and sonic cleaning have taken the place of these chemicals in today's jewelry stores.  There are even some home cleaning units available on the market.  The purpose of this article is not to endorse or recommend any specific methods, merely to provide information.

Sonic cleaning can make your jewels shine, no doubt about that.  However, while it is cleaning your jewelry and dislodging the soil, it may also dislodge some finishes, antiquing, patina or even some stones from your jewelry.  Exercise care in using your sonic cleaner on pearls, opal, coral, turquoise and other delicate or porous gems. Check to make sure your stones/beads are secure before cleaning them in your sonic cleaner.   And to make sure you don’t throw the “baby” out with the bathwater.  Always check your tank/cleaning solution before you discard it just in case some of your gems have become dislodged in the process of cleaning.

Another tip… it’s best to hang your jewelry in the sonic cleaner rather than letting it sit in the bottom of the container.  This will avoid any scratching that may occur due to the vibration of the cleaning process.

Steam cleaners use, of course, water and heat to blast the gunk from your jewelry.  However, with so many heat treated stones on the market, isn’t there a danger of altering the appearance of these with a method that uses heat?  In some cases it may, while others pose no problem, so you should ask a reputable jeweler what they recommend for specific stones that you have.

We’ve have good luck with polishing cloths which are permeated with a cleaning material.  However, to be safe, if you are cleaning a design with mixed stones and beads, use care to prevent possible chemical interaction.

Jewelers have been known to use a solution of water, ammonia and “Mr. Clean” to clean jewelry.  However, some people feel that it leaves a film on the jewelry. 

There are new products on the market intended for use in cleaning mixed stone/pearl/metal designer jewelry.  In fact, we may be adding some of these cleaning products to our line in the relatively near future.

The bottom line is:

Use care in cleaning your jewelry.  Prevent chemical reactions and or cleansers that may potentially effect the finish on your jewelry.  Different materials, metals, gems and pearls will need different care.  Some jewelers offer free cleaning, it never hurts to get expert advise from a professional.   

We suggest: 

Don’t store your jewelry in direct sunlight.  Just like your sofa or carpet, in some cases the sunlight can alter or fade  the color of your stones.

Wear your silver jewelry often or… store it in a sealed plastic bag or container to limit exposure to the air and help suppress tarnishing. 

Don’t apply lotions or hand creams on your jewelry.