Cleaning and care
How to clean, store and maintain your jewelry by material.
26 entries
Jewelry
Anklets: types, lengths and care
Guide to anklets: fine chains, beaded, charm and cord styles; recommended length, how to put one on and care in summer, at the beach and by the pool.
Jewelry
Brooch or pin
What a brooch is: a jewel fastened to clothing. Illustrated types (safety pin, fibula, bar, clip), materials, history and care.
Techniques
Care and cleaning of brass jewelry
How to clean brass jewelry, remove tarnish and prevent green or dark marks; whether brass rusts or can get wet.
Techniques
Care and cleaning of gold
How to clean gold jewelry? General tips for the care and cleaning of gold jewelry.
Techniques
Care and cleaning of silver jewelry
General tips for the care and cleaning of silver jewelry: regular cleaning, home methods, storage and the effect of climate.
Tools
Casting crucibles: types, uses and care
The crucible is the heat-resistant vessel where metal is melted; types (graphite, ceramic, silicon carbide), how to choose one and how to care for it.
Jewelry care and maintenance
Home remedies for cleaning jewelry: what works and what does not
Baking soda, vinegar, toothpaste, lemon and aluminum foil: which ones clean jewelry at home, on which metals, and which can damage it.
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to clean a diamond ring
How to clean a diamond ring at home with lukewarm water, mild soap and a brush, and how often to have a jeweler check it.
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to clean costume and fashion jewelry
How to clean costume jewelry without damaging it: a damp cloth, no long soaking or harsh products, and what to do if it has turned green.
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to clean gold jewelry at home
Clean yellow, white and rose gold at home with lukewarm water and mild soap, and care differently for gold-plated, gold-filled and rhodium-plated white gold.
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to clean jewelry with gemstones
How to clean jewelry with stones: which stones handle water and a brush, which are delicate (pearls, opal, emerald, turquoise) and which avoid ultrasonic.
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to clean pearls
How to clean natural, cultured and imitation pearls: a soft damp cloth, no ultrasonic or chemicals, and how to store them.
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to clean silver jewelry and remove tarnish
How to clean 925 silver at home: cloth, mild soap and baking soda with aluminum foil, and when not to (pearls, porous stones and intentional patina).
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to clean silver, gold and steel chains
How to clean silver, gold and stainless steel chains without tangling or scratching them, and how to restore the shine of the links.
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to fix a broken chain
How to fix a broken chain at home with two pliers and a jump ring, when you need a jeweler (soldering) and how to prevent it from breaking again.
Jewelry care and maintenance
How to store jewelry so it does not get damaged
How to store jewelry at home: pieces apart, a dry place, sealed bags with anti-tarnish for silver and pearls laid flat, away from humidity and direct light.
Techniques
Jewelry repair and restoration
Restoration repairs, cleans and conserves antique or damaged jewelry: soldering, replaced stones, re-plating and criteria for not destroying its value.
Techniques
Lasers in jewelry: cutting, engraving and cleaning
Lasers cut, engrave, mark and clean metal with great precision: hallmarking, ring engraving, cutting pieces and welding.
Materials
Opal
Opal is hydrated silica with a unique play of color; it is soft (5.5-6.5) and sensitive to heat and dehydration, and needs special care.
Techniques
Pickling: cleaning oxides after soldering or annealing
Pickling immerses the piece in a mild acid bath to remove oxides and flux residue; products, precautions and neutralizing.
Jewelry care and maintenance
Professional maintenance: what a jeweler checks and how often
How often to take your jewelry to a jeweler: checking prongs and settings, re-plating white gold, polishing, restringing pearls and replacing clasps.
Techniques
Prong retipping
Retipping rebuilds the worn prongs of a setting: metal is added to the tips, reshaped and the stone is checked to be secure.
Jewelry care and maintenance
Ultrasonic jewelry cleaner: when to use it and when not to
What an ultrasonic cleaner does, which jewelry can go in it (gold, silver, diamonds) and which cannot (pearls, opals, emeralds, costume jewelry).
Tools
Ultrasonic machine for jewelry
The ultrasonic machine cleans jewelry with vibrations in a liquid; frequency, solutions, times and which pieces must not go in.
Techniques
Wax carving and modeling
The wax model is the origin of most cast jewelry: hard and soft waxes, carving tools, adding wax and preparing the casting tree.
Jewelry and everyday life
What to do when you stop liking a jewel
What to do with a jewel you no longer like or wear: keep, transform, sell, give or donate it, and how to decide without regret.