Over time, gold and silver can stop sparkling as much as it used to, but if your jewellery is looking a little worse for wear, there are ways of reviving it.
One expert has shared some handy advice to get jewellery looking good as new again, and it costs around 10p to do. Jewellery retailer Abbott Lyon has revealed some quick and cheap hacks for cleaning your jewellery effectively at home, the Mirror reports.
Not only is it super satisfying to watch all the dirt and grime come off your jewellery, but it also makes you look so much fresher when your sparkling clean jewellery is on show. Jasmin Stanbridge, Lead Product Designer at Abbott Lyon, shared three top tips for different types of jewellery, and they only cost on average 10p each to do.
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There are a number of ways you can clean jewellery, and these are different depending on which precious metal your ring, necklaces or other are made from.
Gold-plated jewellery
Dish Soap Method
If your gold-plated jewellery has lost some of its original luxe colour and shine, a gentle clean with soap and water will help to bring it back to life. Mix a mild liquid soap with warm water in a bowl to create a foamy solution. Place the jewellery in the water and leave it to soak.
Take the jewellery out of the water after several minutes and use a soft cloth to rub the items, making sure you wipe all surface areas. If the jewellery has lots of small details or engravings, you can use a soft-bristled toothbrush to give any hard-to-reach areas a good clean. Once the dirt has been removed, rinse the items clean in warm water.
Then wipe with a lint-free cloth and be sure each piece is thoroughly dried before storing it in a jewellery box.
Baking Soda Method
In between these deep cleans, buff your jewellery with your polishing cloth to maintain the luxe shine. If your jewellery needs an extra deep clean, you can use the baking soda method. Line a glass bowl with aluminium foil, making sure that the shiny side of the foil faces upwards.
Add one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of salt to the bowl, and cover with enough hot water that the powders dissolve and there is enough of the mix to fully submerge your jewellery. Add your gold-plated jewellery to the solution and leave to soak for several minutes. You might notice black and yellow flakes floating away from the jewellery - don’t worry, this is the sulphur, which is attracted to the aluminium and will float towards it.
Once you can see that most of the tarnished areas have vanished, remove the jewellery from the bowl and rub clean with a lint-free cloth. Rinse the jewellery in warm running water and dry thoroughly again with a lint-free cloth, it will be good as new!
Silver jewellery
Follow the methods above to keep your silver jewellery clean at home, providing that the jewellery is not sterling silver. The cleaning hack could actually be doing a lot more harm than good for sterling silver a spokesperson from Pandora has warned.
"While the immediate results of this hack can appear very effective at cleaning your jewellery, the baking soda is a very harsh and abrasive ingredient that will scratch your delicate jewellery", she said.
She recommended using a specific jewellery dip which will treat the jewellery, but these are a little more expensive. Aside from this, make sure that you are careful when applying moisturisers and perfumes, as they can contain chemicals and oils that may cause any of your jewellery to tarnish and look dull.
It’s best to apply these beauty products several minutes before putting on your jewellery, allowing them to soak in and avoid damaging your favourite accessories.
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