Jewelry Care + Cleaning
Gold Jewelry Care Guide
Gold jewelry won’t tarnish or corrode. However, with regular wear, it can accumulate a film of soap, body oils, lotions, and everyday residue. Taking proper care of your fine gold jewelry means maintaining it when you’re not wearing it and cleaning it regularly to remove buildup and maintain its shine for years to come.
We highly recommend removing your jewelry before going to bed, working out, showering or swimming, and before applying perfume, lotions, or other beauty products. These activities can cause unnecessary wear, buildup, or damage over time.
Daily Care Tips
Remove your gold jewelry before showering, bathing, exercising, or cleaning. Exposure to soap, chemicals, sweat, and moisture can dull the gold and lead to more frequent cleaning. Gold is a soft metal and may scratch or bend if not handled carefully.
Store your gold jewelry separately. Make sure pieces do not touch each other during storage, as gold can easily scratch or lose shape when in contact with other jewelry.
Buff your gold jewelry occasionally. Even if it doesn’t need a full cleaning, gently polishing it with a soft chamois cloth can help restore its shine without additional wear.
Store your gold jewelry separately. It’s important to make sure your pieces of gold jewelry don’t touch any other jewelry when they’re being stored. Because gold is a soft metal, it can easily scratch or bend out of shape if it comes into contact with other pieces of jewelry.
Buff your gold jewelry occasionally. Even if your jewelry doesn’t need to be cleaned, buffing it occasionally is a good way to maintain it. Use a soft chamois cloth and gently rub the surface of the piece. It can help restore the shine of the jewelry right away, without further cleaning.
Cleaning Your Gold
Mix mild dish detergent with warm water. A gentle dish soap is ideal because it’s less abrasive than other cleaners. Add a few drops to a small bowl of warm water and mix gently. For a more efficient and convenient cleaning process, you can also use our jewelry cleaning kit, which is specially designed for safe at-home care.
Soak your jewelry. You can leave your jewelry in the soap mixture for up to three hours. You can’t over-clean gold with this mixture, so don’t worry about leaving it in too long. If your jewelry isn’t that dirty, you can leave it in for ten to fifteen minutes.
- If your jewelry has stones, don’t soak it. Instead, mix the cleaning mixture and then dip a soft cloth into it. Then use the cloth to carefully wipe down your jewelry.
Rub your jewelry one piece at a time. This helps you avoid scratching any of your other jewelry while you’re cleaning it. Dip the piece of jewelry in the soapy water, and then gently rub it with your fingers (you can also use a cotton swab).
- If you have a very heavily ornamented piece with many cracks and crevices, or if your jewelry is very tarnished, you can use a soft-bristled child's toothbrush. Be very gentle when using such a brush.
Rinse your gold jewelry in warm water. Make sure that all traces of suds are gone, especially if you’re cleaning a heavily ornamented piece. The water should run clear when you’re finished.
Dry your jewelry with a soft cloth. You don’t want to put your jewelry away wet. Use a soft cloth to gently rub the jewelry until it’s dry. You can also leave the jewelry out to air dry, usually overnight.
Clean your jewelry every few months. Every three months or so, give all of your gold jewelry a good, deep clean. Let your jewelry soak in the cleaning solution for three hours before you clean each piece.
- Don't perform this type of clean on your jewelry more than a few times a year. Over cleaning gold jewelry can cause the metal to break down, which can ruin your jewelry.
- Take your gold jewelry into a jeweler to have it professionally cleaned and polished once per year.