Gold jewelry is designed to be brilliant and eye-catching. But over time, you can find that it starts to lose its shine. One of the selling points of gold jewelry is that it can last for generations. But it might need a little help to get there.

The Karat of Your Jewelry

Knowing the karat of your gold jewelry is important. 24k jewelry is very soft, while 14k jewelry is much harder. If your jewelry is close to pure gold, it's going to scratch more easily. Either way, you should clean jewelry delicately — but it will be more common that you're going to need to have 24k gold jewelry polished compared to an alloy with lower gold content.

Cleaning Gold Jewelry

Gold jewelry can be cleaned gently with a soft brush such as a makeup brush. Dip the brush in warm, soapy water. You can get a special jewelry cleaner or use dish soap. Brush the gold jewelry in circles until you start to see the dirt come off. You should thoroughly rinse and dry the jewelry after finishing. Though gold cannot stain, it's still best to dry it to remove any lasting soap residue.

Getting Gold Jewelry Polished

If you clean your gold jewelry and it still appears to be dull, it's possible that it needs to be polished. Gold is a soft metal. Over time, there may be small scratches or scuffing that can make the jewelry look dull. Luckily, this is very easy for a jeweler to fix. A jeweler can polish your jewelry, so it looks new again.

If your jewelry is polished frequently, it may start to lose material. A jeweler can also add material if this happens, but this is rare; this is something that usually happens over the course of generations with antique jewelry. Otherwise, getting your jewelry polished shouldn't lead to any damage to the jewelry itself.

Cleaning White Gold and Plated Jewelry

White gold and plated gold jewelry may start to show wear over time, depending on how thick the plating is. If you're cleaning your plated jewelry and start to see the layers underneath, it means that you're going to have to get it plated again. Issues with plating can be mistaken for the jewelry developing a patina or being dirty; in reality, it's the lower layers of the jewelry starting to show. This is an issue that's easy to fix.

Using Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaners

Many people just drop their fine jewelry into an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, which cleans through micro-vibrations. For gold jewelry, this is a suitable way to clean your jewelry easily. But you should take care if your jewelry has any gemstones set in it. Gemstones can get vibrated out of their settings in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. If you have any antique or fragile jewelry, it should also not be cleaned in this way.

How Frequently Should You Clean Your Jewelry?

The more frequently you clean your jewelry, the more likely it is to stay in good condition. Try to clean your jewelry at least once a week; that's going to keep it looking fantastic and feeling fantastic all the time. As you clean your jewelry, take a look at any settings, and look for any damage. This will reduce the chances you could lose a gemstone or even lose the jewelry itself to an issue such as a broken clasp. If you have any questions about cleaning your gold jewelry, or otherwise maintaining and repairing it, contact the experts at Occasions Fine Jewelry. At Occasions Fine Jewelry, we have exquisite jewelry offerings for any occasion.