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Home- Jewelry box
Commercial Cleaners and Other Jewelry Cleaning Tips
When using any
commercial jewelry cleaner, you should be cautious with it. Many
times, household cleaners and solution mixes work just as
effectively as a commercial cleaner. The only difference is that
they’re slightly more convenient as you won’t have any solutions to
mix. Although these types of cleaners are usually okay to use for
diamonds, rubies and sapphires, they can harm other types of jewelry
such as pearls and gemstones as well as opal, coral, turquoise and
emerald to name a few. If you do find a commercial cleaner for
gemstones (only), take note that they should not be kept in
the solution for more than a couple of minutes.
For ultrasonic cleaning, only diamonds, rubies and sapphires should
be treated so, as they are damaging to softer jewelry such as
pearls, gemstones and emerald.
Below are more tips on how to clean other jewelry and what methods
are safe for them.
Diamonds- Diamonds are best cleaned with ammonia-based cleaners.
Rubbing alcohol is also safe to use on diamonds. When cleaning, you
can use a soft-bristled toothbrush or eyebrow brush to gently stroke
over it. You can rinse it in a rubbing alcohol-water mix and then
completely dry it with a soft clean cloth. If you’re interested in
using an ultrasonic cleaner, you can go ahead. However, if the
diamond’s fracture-filled, then don’t.
Emerald- To clean an emerald piece, use warm soapy water and a soft
toothbrush to get out any grime. Rinse it through with running water
and dry it with a soft cloth. In any case, do not use an ultrasonic
cleaner as it will damage the emerald.
Garnet- Clean a garnet with warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush
as well. Rinse it under running water and thoroughly dry with a
clean soft cloth. Using an ultrasonic cleaner is fine for the
garnet.
Opal- Wipe clean with a dry or damp cloth. If using a damp cloth,
make sure to wipe it with a dry cloth afterwards to dry. Do not use
any ultrasonic cleaners for cleaning.
Peridot- Use warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush for cleaning. To
dry, use a soft cloth. Ultrasonic cleaners should not be used for
peridot.
Ruby- For ruby-cleaning, you can use a soft toothbrush dipped in
warm soapy water to gently brush it through. You can also use
ammonia-based cleaners or rubbing alcohol to clean it. It should be
rinsed thoroughly in a rubbing alcohol-water based solution and
dried completely with a soft cloth. Ultrasonic cleaners can also be
used to clean rubies.
Sapphire- Sapphires can be cleaned just as rubies. Using a soapy
water solution, an ammonia-based solution or rubbing alcohol with a
soft bristled brush and drying with a soft cloth should do.
Ultrasonic cleaning is also ideal for sapphires.
Tanzanite- Can be cleaned using a warm soapy water. Rinse
thoroughly. Dry afterwards with a soft cloth. Ultrasonic cleaning
not recommended.
Topaz- Clean by using a soft toothbrush dipped in warm soapy waters.
Rinse with running water and dry it with a soft cloth. Ultrasonic
cleaning shouldn’t be used.
Tourmaline- Use a soft bristled toothbrush and warm soapy water to
clean. Rubbing alcohol can also be used on tourmaline. Rinse and dry
with a soft cloth.
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