Jewelry Cleaning: Three Myths to Avoid

When it comes to the care of your treasured pieces, proper jewelry cleaning may require a little forethought. At Dondero’s Jewelry, we like to provide advice for families of jewelry on a case-by-case basis. A mix of certain gemstones and metals may require a specific method to both clean and protect a piece—methods that may not apply to other mixes of metal and stone.

Read on to learn about the importance of jewelry cleaning and which at-home hacks you should avoid with your favorite wears.

 


Why It’s Important
For fine jewelry, frequent cleaning is an important part of the upkeep and integrity of each piece. How often you should clean your jewelry is directly proportional to how often you wear them (with the exception of tarnishing silver, which has its own time clock.)

Over time, buildup of dirt and debris can have a negative impact, leading to discoloration and degradation of gemstones and metals. Buildup and bacteria can even lead to skin irritation and allergies when wearing an unclean piece.

Regular cleanings will help protect your jewelry and keep them looking like it did the day it was first purchased, restoring their fire, their flash, and their shine. That said, there are certain things you should never do between visits to our store when cleaning your jewelry at home.

Here are three myths about jewelry cleaning you should avoid.   


Three Myths About Jewelry Cleaning

Myth #1: Using Toothpaste
Toothpaste cleans dirty things, so it isn’t so surprising that this method of jewelry cleaning is often mistakenly used. But what many who have used this method to clean their favorite pieces forget is that toothpaste is a mild abrasive.

All different gemstones and metals are graded by the Mohs Hardness Scale and vary in firmness. And with many coming close or even matching the hardness of toothpaste, it makes sense that it can actually be damaging to jewelry.

Myth #2: Using Hot or Boiling Water
Often used as an at-home hack for mimicking the ultrasonic cleaners used in stores, hot or boiling water is another myth that can damage your jewelry. Ultrasonic cleansers use high-frequency sound waves and heat to dust off dirt and debris from hard-to-reach spaces in jewelry—but the heat never reaches a boiling point.

Extreme heat can not only damage gemstones, but cause metals to expand, loosening the hold on its stones. Further, gemstones can even experience thermal shock when going from hot water to cold, causing small fractures and cracking.  

Myth #3: Using Alcohol 
Alcohol is another jewelry cleaning myth that can have harmful effects on your favorite wears. Thought to remove the buildup of oils and grease, alcohol can actually make buildup worse, leaving behind a tacky coating on gemstones and metals. Even worse, certain gemstones, like emeralds and opals, for example, can actually absorb traces of the alcohol and lead to the stone drying out and fissuring.

If your fine jewelry needs a little TLC, we proudly provide jewelry polishing and cleaning in-store at Dondero’s Jewelry. Visit us at 2439 North Delsea Drive in Vineland, NJ, and browse our extensive collection of fine jewelry while you wait!