Fine jewelry is made to be worn, not kept in a drawer. Gold, platinum, diamonds, and most gemstones will last generations with a little regular care. This guide covers how to clean your pieces at home, what to avoid, and when to bring them to a jeweler.
If you're ever unsure about a piece, write to us. A GIA gemologist reads every message, and I'll answer you myself.
The Everyday Rule: Last On, First Off
Put your jewelry on after lotion, hairspray, perfume, and makeup. Take it off before you:
- Swim in a pool or hot tub
- Work out, garden, or lift anything heavy
- Clean the house or wash the dishes
- Go to bed
Most damage to fine jewelry comes from chemicals, hard knocks, and snags, and this one habit prevents nearly all of it.
Cleaning at Home
For most gold, platinum, and diamond jewelry, this is all you need:
- Fill a small bowl with warm water and a few drops of mild dish soap. Avoid soaps with moisturizers or degreasers.
- Soak the piece for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Brush gently with a soft toothbrush, especially behind and under the stones, where lotion and skin oil collect.
- Rinse in clean, warm water. Close the sink drain or rinse over a bowl first.
- Pat dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.
A diamond that looks dull is almost always just dirty. Clean diamonds are bright diamonds.
Check the gemstone guide below before soaking any colored stone. Some stones should never sit in water.
What Not to Use
- Chlorine bleach or pool water. Over time chlorine can weaken gold alloys and cause cracks.
- Toothpaste, baking soda, or scouring powder. These are abrasive and will scratch gold, platinum, and softer stones.
- Paper towels and tissues. The wood fibers can leave fine scratches on polished metal.
- Silver dips on anything with gemstones, pearls, or darkened (oxidized) detail.
- Acetone, alcohol, or household cleaners on pearls, opals, turquoise, emeralds, or any treated stone.
Ultrasonic and Steam Cleaners
Ultrasonic cleaners use vibration and steam cleaners use heat and pressure. Both work well on diamonds set in gold or platinum, but they can damage many other gems and loosen small stones in older settings.
If you own one, check the gemstone guide first. When in doubt, use warm soapy water instead, since that is always safe. On estate jewelry, pavé settings, or anything with accent diamonds, we recommend leaving ultrasonic and steam cleaning to a jeweler, who can check the settings first.
Caring for Your Metal
Yellow and Rose Gold
Gold won't rust or tarnish. 14K gold is harder and more scratch-resistant than 18K, but all gold picks up fine surface scratches with wear. That soft satin look is normal and comes back to a high shine with a professional polish. Keep gold away from chlorine.
White Gold
Gold is naturally yellow. White gold gets its color from white metal alloys and is usually finished with rhodium, a bright white plating. Rhodium slowly wears with daily use, especially on the inside and bottom of a ring, and the gold's warm tone begins to show through. That isn't a defect. A jeweler can replate it, usually every year or two for a ring worn every day.
Platinum
Platinum is dense, strong, and naturally white, so it never needs plating. Over time it develops a soft gray finish called a patina. Some people love that look, while others prefer the bright polish, which a jeweler can restore. When platinum is scratched, the metal shifts rather than wearing away, which is part of why it holds stones so securely.
Sterling Silver
Sterling darkens over time as it reacts with the air. Wearing it often helps, and a silver polishing cloth brings back the shine. Store silver in a closed pouch or box with an anti-tarnish strip. Don't use dips or polishing pastes on pieces with darkened detail, because they'll remove it.
Caring for Diamonds
Diamond is the hardest natural material, but hard doesn't mean unbreakable. A sharp blow at the right angle can chip a diamond, especially along a thin edge or point.
- Clean diamonds often. Lotion and skin oil cling to them and dull the sparkle within days.
- Store diamond pieces separately. A diamond will scratch other jewelry, and other diamonds.
- Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are usually safe for untreated diamonds in a sound setting. Avoid both for fracture-filled diamonds and pieces with loose or worn prongs.
- Have the setting checked once a year. A diamond is usually lost because a prong wore down or bent, not because the stone itself was damaged.
Gemstone Care Guide
The number after each stone is its hardness on the Mohs scale, from 1 (softest) to 10 (diamond). Anything below about 7 can be scratched by everyday dust, which contains quartz.
Warm soapy water is safe for every stone on this list unless noted.
Ruby and Sapphire (9)
Ultrasonic and steam usually safe for untreated or heat-treated stones. Glass-filled rubies are the exception: warm soapy water only, and keep them away from heat and even mild acids like lemon juice.
Spinel (8)
Ultrasonic and steam usually safe.
Topaz (8)
No ultrasonic or steam. Topaz can split along internal planes if knocked. Coated topaz (like "mystic" topaz) should never be polished or scrubbed.
Emerald (7.5 to 8)
Warm soapy water only, a quick wipe rather than a long soak. No ultrasonic or steam, ever. Nearly all emeralds are treated with oil or resin to improve clarity, and heat or vibration can remove it. Emeralds are also more fragile than their hardness suggests, so protect them from knocks.
Aquamarine and Morganite (7.5 to 8)
Ultrasonic usually safe if the stone has no fractures. Steam not recommended.
Tourmaline (7 to 7.5)
No ultrasonic or steam. Avoid sudden temperature changes.
Garnet (6.5 to 7.5)
Ultrasonic usually safe, except for demantoid garnet. Steam not recommended.
Amethyst and Citrine (7)
Ultrasonic usually safe unless the stone is dyed or fractured. Steam not recommended. Amethyst can fade with long exposure to strong sunlight.
Peridot (6.5 to 7)
No ultrasonic or steam. Keep it away from acids and household cleaners.
Tanzanite (6 to 7)
No ultrasonic or steam, ever. Tanzanite is sensitive to sudden temperature changes and can crack from a sharp knock. Best for earrings and pendants, or for rings worn with care.
Opal (5.5 to 6.5)
Wipe with a soft, damp cloth only. No soaking, ultrasonic, steam, or chemicals. Opal contains water and can crack from heat or sudden temperature changes. Doublets and triplets (layered opals) should never be submerged.
Turquoise (5 to 6)
Wipe with a soft, damp cloth only. Turquoise is porous and absorbs lotion, oil, and soap, which can permanently change its color. Most turquoise is stabilized, but it still needs gentle care.
Pearls (2.5 to 4.5)
Wipe with a soft, damp cloth after every wear and let them dry flat before storing. No soaking, ultrasonic, steam, or chemicals. Perfume and hairspray dull pearls quickly, so put them on last. Store pearls flat in a soft pouch, not hanging and not sealed in plastic, since they need a little air. Strands worn often should be restrung every year or two.
Rings
Rings take more wear than any other jewelry because your hands are always working.
- Look at your ring now and then. If a stone looks crooked, a prong looks flat or bent, or the ring catches on sweaters, have it checked before you wear it again.
- Stacked rings rub against each other and wear down over time. Rotate them, or have them checked more often.
- The bottom of the band (the shank) thins with years of wear. A jeweler can rebuild it before it cracks.
- Fingers swell in heat and shrink in cold. A ring that spins easily on a cold morning may slip off in cold water.
Necklaces and Bracelets
- Fasten the clasp before you store a chain to keep it from tangling.
- To loosen a knot, lay the chain flat and work it apart gently with two pins. Never pull on both ends.
- Check clasps and jump rings regularly. A weak clasp is the most common way a necklace or bracelet is lost.
- Take off bracelets for any work with your hands. They take as many knocks as rings.
Earrings
- Check earring backs every so often. Friction backs loosen over time and are inexpensive to replace.
- Clean earring posts and backs regularly with warm soapy water.
- For valuable studs, ask about screw backs or locking backs for extra security.
Storage
- Give each piece its own space: a lined box with compartments, a soft pouch, or the box it came in.
- Keep diamonds and hard stones away from softer stones, pearls, and polished metal.
- Store sterling silver in a closed container with an anti-tarnish strip.
- Keep jewelry out of the bathroom. Humidity and heat aren't good for silver, pearls, or opals.
Travel
- Pack jewelry in a small travel case or separate pouches, and carry it with you rather than checking it.
- Bring only what you plan to wear.
- Take rings off before applying sunscreen, and keep jewelry out of pools, hot tubs, and the ocean. Cold water shrinks fingers, and rings slip off more easily than you'd expect.
Professional Check-Ups
We recommend having a jeweler look at your fine jewelry once a year, and every six months for rings worn daily. A check-up usually includes:
- Inspecting prongs, settings, and clasps
- Tightening loose stones
- Professional cleaning
- Polishing and, for white gold, rhodium replating when needed
Bring it in right away if:
- A stone moves, rattles, or looks crooked
- A prong is bent, flat, or catching on fabric
- You see a crack, chip, or cloudiness in a stone
- The band is noticeably thin or out of round
- A clasp doesn't close firmly
A Note on Estate Jewelry
Estate pieces have already lived a life before reaching you, and that's part of their beauty. Every estate piece we offer is cleaned and inspected at the bench before it ships. Older settings can be more delicate, so we recommend gentle hand cleaning and a professional check-up at least once a year.
Questions?
Not sure what your stone is, or how to clean a particular piece? email CrossandShieldCreations@gmail.com and I'll answer you myself. As a GIA gemologist with more than 35 years at the bench, I would much rather answer a question than repair something later.