When it comes to cleaning jewelry and gemstones, you won’t have to feel intimidated ever again. We’re here to bust all the myths, give you straight forward tips and have you on your way to sparkly jewels in no time.
What’s the deal with cleaning jewelry? Cleaning floors — easy! Cleaning clothes — learned that in middle school. Cleaning ourselves — pretty much instinctual. But when it comes to cleaning jewelry, the task is often met with more questions than answers. Can I get an opal wet? Will my pearl disintegrate if I put soap on it? Say no more. We’re breaking it all down and giving you an easy way to prioritize using a traffic light system.
If it’s under the RED LIGHT, stop and chill. We want you to use extra caution. In fact, most of these gemstones under this category should not be cleaned at all. With this in mind, we urge you to be mindful of how often pieces of jewelry with these gemstones are worn. We recommend not wearing these 24/7, especially while working out, gardening, cooking/baking, taking care of children, or heavy lifting.
YELLOW LIGHT, be careful with items in this category. The gemstones featured here are softer than your gems that can be worn daily.
GREEN LIGHT means go — all the gemstones in this category are good to go. They can be worn everyday, you can clean them without using as much caution as all the others. Although these stones are near the top of the hardness scale, they can still break, chip or fracture, as with any gemstone. So as with any traffic light, green does mean go, but you could have an accident at any time.
RED LIGHT
opals, pearls, kunzite, emeralds, turquoise, coral, amber, tanzanite, lapis
YELLOW LIGHT
quartz (amethyst, citrine), malachite, onyx, moonstone, topaz, garnet, tourmaline
GREEN LIGHT
diamonds, sapphires, rubies
How to clean these gemstones within your fine karat gold jewelry items. (This DOES NOT include costume jewelry, gold plated items, antique jewelry pre-1900s, or silver jewelry).
If it’s…
RED LIGHT
– wipe with a microfiber cloth
– keep away from direct sunlight
YELLOW LIGHT
– get a dish of warm, soapy water and a soft toothbrush
– let soak for up to 30 minutes and then clean with toothbrush, rinse and let dry on a towel
GREEN LIGHT
– use an ultrasonic cleaner for an even better clean — let jewelry soak in an ultrasonic for up to 30 minutes (dish soap, Mr. Clean or whatever the ultrasonic comes with as the cleaning solution)
– steam clean diamonds bigger than a half carat with a steamer (usually only found in jewelry stores, but you can buy them yourself)
We hope the traffic light mnemonic is the coolest thing you’ve discovered all week and will help you the next time you find yourself wondering how to clean your jewelry. Have any questions? We’re here to help — slide into our DMs @gemgossip, we’re all ears.
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Businesses like CashforGoldUSA are able to give high offers since they are so competitive and work in high volume. CashforGoldUSA will send back your item immediately, 100% free, if you choose not to sell after receiving their offer, which is one aspect that really stands out to me. They have an A+ Better Business Bureau rating and you can complete the entire process online or phone, and via overnight FedEx (no need to leave your house).
– Pays within 24 hours
– Door-to-door free shipping, plus free Jewelers’ Mutual insurance up to $100,000 on each shipment
– 10% bonus if you send in your item within 7 days
– 100% guaranteed highest price, and easy, free returns.
