To clean jewellery without damaging it, the golden rule is gentleness: lukewarm water, mild soap and a microfibre cloth suit the vast majority of pieces. Stronger methods (baking soda, ultrasonics) are reserved for certain metals and never for fragile stones or plating. Here's the right method, material by material.
It works for almost everything: a bowl of lukewarm water + a few drops of mild soap. Soak for 10 minutes, brush gently with a soft toothbrush, rinse with clean water and dry with a microfibre cloth. Risk-free for gold, silver, steel and most hard stones.
Solid gold doesn't oxidise; it dulls mainly from cream and soap deposits. The gentle method is enough. For a diamond, a soft brush restores its sparkle. Avoid bleach, which attacks gold alloys.
Silver tarnishes through oxidation (sulphides). For bare silver without stones or plating, the baking-soda + aluminium reaction works: line a bowl with foil, add hot water and a spoon of baking soda, immerse for a few minutes, and the black transfers to the foil. Otherwise, a silver polishing cloth is gentler. See our guide how to clean a silver chain.
Plating is a thin gold layer over another metal: any friction wears it. Never baking soda, toothpaste or a hard brush. A quick wipe with a slightly damp soft cloth, then immediate drying, is enough. Remove it before showering, perfume and sport.
Costume jewellery (base metal, glued parts) and soft or porous stones (turquoise, opal, pearl, malachite) dislike prolonged water. A barely damp soft cloth, without soaking, is safest. No ultrasonics on a cracked or glued stone.
Soak for 10 minutes in lukewarm water with a little mild soap, brush with a soft toothbrush, rinse and dry with a microfibre cloth. This suits gold, silver, steel and most hard stones.
No, it's not advised: toothpaste is abrasive and scratches soft gold, plating and stones. Prefer lukewarm soapy water and a soft cloth.
Only with a slightly damp soft cloth, then dry immediately. Avoid any abrasive (baking soda, toothpaste) and any brush, which wear the thin gold layer. Remove it before showering and perfume.
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