Alabama’s Best Jewelry Cleaning Services are at Ware Jewelers!
Bring Your Dirty and Tarnished Jewelry Back to Life! How To Clean a Diamond Ring & Other Jewelry Styles Safely for Max Sparkle!
Summertime brings many fun family adventures. Along with those adventures brings dirt, dust, and other harmful particles that can tarnish your jewelry. It is important to have your jewelry routinely cleaned to maximize its longevity and keep it looking its best. Cleaning tarnished jewelry is not an extremely complex process, but it is something that if done incorrectly or at home without the careful hands of an expert, can easily damage and negatively impact your precious jewelry items.
But, have no fear! Our team of experts at Ware Jewelers has some jewelry cleaning tips and insights that are sure to help maximize the longevity of your jewelry and keep it shining for years to come! Heck, you won’t even have to grab for your your wallet to keep your jewelry looking like new! If the jewelry you’re having cleaned was purchased here at Ware, professional cleanings on those items are free of charge! Alright, let’s dive in and check out how to clean a diamond ring, chain necklace, and earrings the right way for maximum shine and sparkle!
For Starters, Consider Preventing the Problem of Dirt, Wear, & Debris!
Alright, we know that this sounds like a bit of a no-brainer, but when it comes to keeping your jewelry looking clean and free of any dirt, debris, or exposure to wear and tear, we recommend doing your very best to prevent the problem and not put your jewelry through any serious stressors or prolonged exposure to harmful elements. We understand that incredibly special pieces like your engagement or wedding rings aren’t removed all that often, and due to their typical construction out of high-quality alloys, precious metals, diamonds, and gemstones, they can just about endure any rough day-to-day treatment.All this said, it certainly doesn’t mean they should be exposed to harsh conditions and rough elements. When it comes to understanding how to clean a diamond ring, or how to clean jewelry altogether for that matter, it’s good to know that most cleaning takes care of surface blemishes and grime, not necessarily major bends, breaks, or cracks.
As a general rule of thumb (get it!), your jewelry, and especially your rings, should be carefully removed and placed in a safe space before any dirt, grime, or harsh chemicals are involved as an extra precautionary measure. Some activities to be wary of are gardening, working with power tools, washing dishes, using abrasive or strong chemicals, and heavy construction with rocks, concrete, or abrasive surfaces. Remembering to remove your precious jewelry items prior to doing these types of activities can help mitigate the problem and save you money on potential costly jewelry repairs.
The Benefits of Cleaning Your Dirty & Tarnished Jewelry
Cleaning your dirty, tarnished jewelry often can have many benefits. The most important being that it will preserve the life of your most important pieces. Cleaning tarnished jewelry doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming, but overall can greatly increase the life of your jewelry. If your favorite jewelry items aren’t attended to and professionally cleaned approximately once to twice a year, you run the risk of permanently damaging your jewelry due to stone and precious metal discoloration, oxidation, and degradation of shanks, bands, and prongs, as well as leaving your gemstones at greater risk of scratching and chipping.The second benefit of cleaning your dirty or tarnished jewelry is that it helps to identify areas that might need to be attended to or repaired by a jewelry professional. Cleaning your jewelry often may help to catch early signs of jewelry damage. Finally, you will want to wear your favorite jewelry pieces again if they sparkle like the day you first got them.
The third benefit of having your dirty or tarnished jewelry professionally cleaned is that it could keep you safe! That’s right, not only is cleaning your jewelry good for gold, diamonds, and gemstones, it’s good for your skin, too! Dirty, tarnished, and grimey jewelry is a feeding ground for bacteria, which if a ring is left uncleaned for too long, could lead to allergies, skin irritation, rash, and dry skin.
Curious How To Clean a Diamond Ring for Maximum Shine? Call a Pro!
A common misconception when it comes to cleaning tarnished jewelry, specifically a dirty or tarnished diamond ring, is that it is an expensive process that takes a lot of time. Often, cleaning a diamond ring can take less than an hour. So, how do you clean a diamond ring the right way?Bring your jewelry to a professional to have it cleaned!!! We at Ware Jewelers cannot stress this enough! Yes, there are many ways that you can go about cleaning your jewelry at home (home jewelry cleaning kits, ultrasonic cleaners or steam cleaners, even toothpaste - a big no-no), but outside of an easy and safe, gentle scrubbing with warm soapy water every few weeks, you should always bring your jewelry items into your local jeweler for a professional cleaning every six months to a year.
At-home detergents, alcohols, and chemicals can be incredibly toxic and could severely damage your precious and expensive jewelry items. At-home cleanings are certainly not worth it, so just make it easy on yourself and bring your jewelry to a licensed jewelry professional (like us at Ware Jewelers) to have them cleaned the right way for that max sparkle you’re looking for!
How To Clean a Chain Necklace or Pendant, Diamond Earrings, and More!
Any type of jewelry can become tarnished jewelry through daily wear. Oftentimes, dust, dirt, or makeup residue can begin to build up on a necklace or pendant, a bracelet, and diamond earrings, hoops, and studs. If you’re looking to learn how to clean a chain necklace or how to clean diamond earrings, much of what we discussed in how to clean a diamond ring can be applied. Soapy water and a toothbrush at home can work for subtle cleaning between professional visits.
Safely Clean Jewelry at Home Between Professional Cleanings
As mentioned before, the best tried and true way to clean all of your jewelry items is to take them into a professional. That said, it’s good to know how to safely clean your jewelry if it is exposed to grit and grime between your cleaning visits. There are many chemical formulas and cleaning agents that are readily available at home you could use, but it is best to avoid them all in that they could severely damage your prized jewelry possessions.The best-recommended way to clean smaller types of tarnished jewelry, such as earrings, rings, and pendants, is to use a soft-bristled brush and a gentle baby shampoo. First, lay out your tarnished jewelry and put 2-3 drops of baby shampoo onto each piece. Add the same number of drops of water to each piece of jewelry equal to the number of drops of baby shampoo that was added. Take a soft-bristled brush and gently scrub the surface of the jewelry to loosen up the tarnish buildup. After scrubbing, rinse each piece with cool water, pat the excess water off with a dry cloth and allow it to sit out to fully dry.
