Cleaning your gemstones and your jewellery
Identifying your gemstones is the first step in choosing the best cleaning method.
Different minerals have very different properties, so they can react very differently to moisture, heat, light, acids, and scratching. So knowing your gems will help you to make the right choices.
Diamonds and any metal-only jewellery will usually be fine in an ultrasonic cleaner, but many coloured gemstones could be at risk of damage because of microscopic inclusions within their crystal structure being wobbled apart.
Most commercial jewellery cleaning fluids are safe to use on coloured gemstones, but check if any contain ammonia, as it can damage delicate gems such as Amber and Pearl.
My fail-safe way of cleaning jewellery is:
A bowl of soapy water (not in the sink, because you don’t want to lose your jewels down the plug hole or in the overflow!) Add a mild detergent or baby shampoo to some warm water, and use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub your jewellery - really work the bristles into the little gaps behind the gemstone to dislodge any grime hiding in the tiny gaps, this will help more light to reach the back of your gem, so it shines more. Go gently on your actual gemstone with the toothbrush, it wont need any pressure.
A wooden toothpick is also good for cleaning out tiny gaps in the metalwork where skin and moisturisers go to hide. Use a loupe or magnifying glass to take a really good loon in all the crevices.
Give your jewellery a last dip into clean warm water and leave it on a tissue to dry - you can give it a final wipe with a lint free cloth.
A couple of extra notes about cleaning emeralds and opals:
Solid opals are fine to wipe with a damp cloth, but if your opal is a doublet or triplet (slices of opal bonded together), they should be kept dry, as moisture can seep into the fissures and permanently cloud the lovely opalescence. Conversely, if an opal gets too dry (for example hidden away in a safe) it can dry out and start cracking. Ambient humidity is best for an opal, and cleaning with a soft dry cloth is best.
Sometimes tiny fractures in emeralds are filled with oils to improve the transparency of the gemstone, but, exposing an oil-treated emerald to heat or an ultrasonic cleaning could damage it. Emeralds are quite soft, so if using a toothbrush to clean your stone, go really gently!
Keeping your jewellery clean:
Apply any scents and hairsprays before you put on gemstone jewellery. Not only will these contain chemicals that reduce the brilliance of your gemstones (the ability to return light), they can be highly destructive to some gems, such as pearls, which can be damaged with acids and alcohol.
Storing your jewellery in a lined jewellery box with individual compartments will also help keep your gems in top condition whilst you’re not wearing them.
Thanks for reading this post!
