An alternative to jewelry made from precious metals is costume jewelry. It looks stylish and beautiful, but over time it can darken, blacken, lose its shine and presentability. Many fashionistas are interested in how to clean jewelry from darkening, using available products and safe methods.
We have collected useful tips that will help you whiten the blackness and restore your jewelry to its original shine.
Costume jewelry looks beautiful and is a worthy alternative to products made from precious materials. To ensure that it retains its shine, radiance and cleanliness for a long time, clean it regularly and organize storage correctly.
How to determine the material of decoration
Before you start cleaning your jewelry, determine the material from which it is made.
Typically, the following alloys are used:
- Nickel silver (nickel, copper and zinc) – the product is white with a bluish or greenish tint. A distinctive feature is that it is resistant to corrosion.
- Brass (copper and zinc) – the decoration has a yellow tint.
- Cupronickel (iron, copper, nickel, manganese) looks like silver.
- Pewter (based on tin) has a silver or gold finish.
Various materials are used to make decorative products - glass, copper, metal, plastic, and various alloys. When choosing a cleaning method, be sure to consider what the ring, bracelet or earrings are made of
Almost any jewelry contains metal, which oxidizes under the influence of water, air and contact with the body. Inlaid stones and rhinestones become cloudy and lose their shine. To restore the product to its original appearance, it is necessary to clean it properly using suitable products.
There will be no miracle, but joy is possible
As you already understand, only the last group of gold-containing alloys is relevant to our conversation. And also alloys containing silver - although oxidizing, it is also a noble metal. Along with noble metals, and even more actively, non-ferrous and other metals are used in jewelry: copper, tin, zinc, nickel, etc. But all this says only one thing. Costume jewelry, that’s what costume jewelry is for, to shine no worse than jewelry, but unlike them, alas, not for long. However, why alas? The cost of jewelry allows you to have a lot of it, change it often, and this is a great woman’s happiness.
However, you still shouldn’t expect miracles: any jewelry alloy darkens, fades, and loses its attractiveness, just some faster, and others longer. The maximum service life of the highest quality jewelry alloy is no more than 5 years. Average-normal quality is considered 2-2.5 years. There are many such products among Korean, American, Israeli, and even Chinese jewelry, and they are quite expensive, although compared to jewelry they are mere pennies.
But don’t believe unscrupulous sellers if they try to convince you that your great-granddaughter will also wear the jewelry ring. Don't count on it. But you can wear it yourself until you get tired of it. Before you get tired of it, it’s enough to know in what conditions you can wear it and how to care for it.
How to clean gold jewelry
A pressing question for many is how to clean jewelry from darkening at home. The problem is especially acute for products coated with imitation gold. They cannot be cleaned with abrasive sponges or aggressive agents, as they remove the top layer.
You can clean gold jewelry at home in the following way:
- Pour warm water into a bowl and add a little liquid soap.
- Dampen a soft cloth in the solution and treat the decoration with it. Use cotton swabs to clean hard-to-reach areas.
- Rinse items with clean water and wipe dry.
Products with gold plating require a special approach during cleaning. To care for them, you cannot use aggressive agents or abrasive substances, as they can remove the top layer, which will irreversibly damage the jewelry
Is it possible to remove rust?
Alloys that can rust are not used to make high-quality jewelry. However, this happens quite often in jewelry made in Southeast Asia, especially when the coating wears off or cracks.
You can remove rust from jewelry. The easiest way is to crush a couple of tablets of activated carbon, mix with any fat base (even vegetable oil!) and rub the problem area with force. You can also clean rust from your jewelry using kerosene, if you have it on hand.
But you need to understand that no matter how hard you try to protect your jewelry from oxidation, sooner or later rust will reappear in the cleaned area.
Always remove jewelry at night, during exercise and while swimming. Apply cosmetics and perfume first, and only then put on jewelry. This will extend the life of your favorite jewelry.
How to clean glass and plastic jewelry
A soap solution will help to wash jewelry made of glass, plastic or Czech beads . To prepare it, you can use any soapy product - liquid soap, powder, dishwashing liquid.
Do not use detergents containing bleaching ingredients to clean jewelry. They damage the material and lead to the loss of its presentable appearance.
How to clean your jewelry:
- Place a ring, bracelet, earrings or chain in a soap solution.
- Leave the decorations for a few minutes, but stir them occasionally with your hands.
- Rinse items in clean water and wipe dry.
To restore shine to glass beads, add a little ammonia to the water while rinsing.
The main causes of darkening
Removing blackness from jewelry is more difficult than preventing it from appearing. However, many materials used for its manufacture react sharply to factors whose influence is almost impossible to exclude. But you can at least pause the process, minimizing their impact.
Typically, the reason that jewelry has turned green, blackened, or lost its brightness is due to exposure to:
- direct sunlight;
- temperature changes and their extreme values;
- natural body secretions;
- water (especially salty);
- household chemicals;
- food products (when preparing food);
- hygiene and cosmetic products and so on.
It is impossible to reduce the impact of all these factors to zero: you buy jewelry to wear it, and not to store it in a display case. Therefore, even with careful use and proper storage, jewelry sooner or later loses its original attractive appearance.
Precious metals are inert to most external influences (which, in fact, is why they are valued). Why do products made from them darken and turn green? Because in their pure form they are not used to make jewelry: the blame for the loss of pristine aesthetics lies with ligatures (that is, additives).
Rules for cleaning copper products
Copper jewelry looks elegant and attractive, but when exposed to moisture, it quickly oxidizes and loses its shine and beauty. In order for them to maintain their appearance for a long time, experts recommend caring for them in 2 stages: cleaning and creating a protective layer.
To clean your jewelry, use one of the following methods:
- Dissolve 30 g of oxalic acid, 3 tbsp. l. turpentine and 4 tbsp. l. alcohol _ Rub the resulting solution onto the decoration, then wipe with a soft cloth.
- Prepare a paste by combining 9% vinegar and fine salt . Treat the product, then rinse and polish with a soft cloth. An alternative is a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice .
- Grate the peeled garlic on a fine grater and add a little salt to it . Apply the garlic mass and distribute evenly throughout the decoration. After 5 minutes, rinse it well and polish it.
- of whey and salt in a ratio of 10:1 will help restore shine and remove darkening . Soak a cloth in the mixture and apply it to the entire decoration. Rinse under running water and rub with a dry cloth.
Copper products look original and unusual, but their appearance is often spoiled by green plaque and dark spots. Affordable and safe home remedies will help you clean copper bracelets, rings and earrings
The procedure for creating a protective layer:
- Clean the copper product using one of the following methods.
- Rub with a sponge, which you periodically soak in water and turpentine.
- Dip the jewelry in a mixture of turpentine and copal varnish.
Features of cleaning products made from other materials
Soda
Baking soda will help clean metal jewelry without gold plating. Dilute the powder with a small amount of water to form a paste. Apply the mixture to the jewelry, and after a couple of hours, rinse with warm water.
Chalk/tooth powder
To polish metal jewelry, use chalk, tooth powder, or toothpaste without bleach. Using a soft cloth, rub the jewelry, then rinse with running water and wipe dry.
After cleaning, be sure to dry the products with a soft towel or napkin. Remaining water will cause further discoloration or rust.
Soap + ammonia
Gold-plated metal chains or rings can be cleaned using a special solution. To prepare it, dissolve a small amount of liquid soap in 1 liter of water and add 2 tsp. ammonia. Rinse the jewelry in the resulting solution and then dry.
Other
Features of cleaning products made from other materials:
- Jewelry with turquoise or artificial pearls should not be cleaned with aggressive agents or wetted.
- Wash items made of aquamarine or opal under running water without using detergents. After cleaning, be sure to wipe them dry.
- Do not use vinegar to clean mother of pearl. Chalk paste will help restore cleanliness and shimmer to your decoration.
To preserve artificial pearls and extend the life of the jewelry, coat the stone with colorless varnish. This will protect it from the negative effects of the environment and high humidity.
Cleaning silver with stones
Before cleaning silver with stones, you need to determine which stone is installed in the ring or pendant:
- Dense minerals such as sapphire, emerald and aquamarine do not limit the choice of cleaning agent, but it is recommended to use ammonia.
- If the jewelry contains moonstone, turquoise, malachite or opal, then do not use brushes, soda or other abrasive pastes for cleaning. These stones are not very dense, so friction with abrasives will cause scratches. It is best to use soapy water for cleaning.
- To prevent garnet, topaz or ruby from changing their color, jewelry is washed only in cold water or a solution without heating. For things with such stones, ammonia or soap solution is suitable. The minerals themselves are wiped with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
- Mother of pearl, amber and pearls need to be treated with care. They do not tolerate exposure to alcohol, alkaline and acidic solutions, as well as chlorinated tap water. That is why for cleaning they use a cloth soaked in filtered boiled water. If the stone is not glued, you can add a little soap to the water.
- Potato starch can be used to clean pearl jewelry.
Rules for storing jewelry
Proper care will help maintain the shine and purity of jewelry, protect it from green plaque, oxidation and darkening. However, storage organization and operating conditions play an important role.
To preserve the original appearance of your jewelry, follow these simple rules:
- remove jewelry before bathing, showering, washing dishes or cleaning to protect it from contact with water and detergents;
- in order to preserve the beauty of the products, cover them with colorless varnish before use;
- store rings and earrings in a dark and dry place;
- Avoid contact of jewelry with creams or perfumes.
Jewelry should be stored in a dark and dry place. The ideal option is a jewelry box with a soft inner lining.
You can clean jewelry from darkening and plaque at home, using available products and available substances. In this case, be sure to take into account the type of material, type of stones and general care recommendations so as not to damage the product.
