How to clean a gold plated chain

Gold-plated jewelry and cutlery are in no way inferior in appearance to products made from pure gold. However, during use, it often happens that spoons and forks, earrings, bracelets, pendants and chains lose their shine and become noticeably dull. But there are ways to clean gold plating and restore it to its original appearance at home.

How to clean gilding from darkening and restore shine?

Gold-plated products are popular due to their brightness and expensive appearance, at a relatively low price relative to gold products. If stored improperly or frequently used, the product gradually loses its performance characteristics: it darkens and fades. Keeping your product clean and tidy is easy if you use the tricks and secrets of cleaning and care. This article contains the most effective and proven methods for cleaning gold plating at home.

A little history

Cupronickel as such does not exist in nature: in fact, it is a group of compositions made of copper with the addition of nickel, iron, zinc, manganese and some other metals. Most often it is an alloy of copper and nickel, which has its own specific features and properties. According to historical sources, it was invented in China in the 8th century BC and given the sonorous name “pakfong”. All attempts to unravel the composition of “Chinese silver” by European alchemists were unsuccessful: only by the beginning of the 19th century did mass production of nickel silver begin in Germany. At first, the European nobility considered such dishes to be “the dishes of the poor,” and therefore still preferred dishes made of other metals - gold and silver. Only by the 20th century did production increase its speed everywhere. The attractive appearance of cupronickel was used to make cutlery, candlesticks, jewelry and other decorative elements. Wear-resistant, easy to maintain and not too expensive, the alloy is appreciated and actively used in household use.

Interestingly, psychologists consider cupronickel tableware to be beneficial for the psyche. The unobtrusive, calm, noble shine of the alloy calms the nervous system, relieves tension and sets you to a calm rhythm.

Cleaning Rules

A gold-plated item is different from silver or gold, so the methods used for them are absolutely not suitable. Gold plating is very easy to ruin. The first stage of cleaning is the removal of surface dirt - dust, stains, grease. To do this, it is enough to treat the surface with alcohol or turpentine.

Gold plating is soft, so it is not recommended to use strong mechanical impact, as there is a risk of damage to the surface. Suede fabric is excellent for care; it adds shine to products and removes stains. To clean a gold-plated watch, sometimes it is enough to treat it with suede. If you need to clean gold-plated silverware, remove any grease from it first.

Before processing, perform the following steps:

Take a clean, dry cloth and wipe the gold with it. Flannel, suede and wool are perfect for this.
Then remove surface dirt.

Soap, Vaseline and chalk

The procedure is simple.

Take 1 tbsp. l. Vaseline, chalk, water and pre-grated laundry soap.
Using a soft cloth, gold-plated products are carefully coated with this composition. You can’t rub it, you just need to apply the product to the surface.
Wait 10 minutes.
Rinse the items and rub them with suede.

If you strictly follow the recommendations, the method is completely safe. The chalk must be thoroughly crushed to a powdery state.

Methods for removing stains from gold plated

To clean gold plating at home, you need to select the product carefully so as not to harm the capricious surface. If the dark spots are in a small area and are not very ingrained, then at home it is enough to polish with a cloth. If the item is heavily soiled or has been stored for a long time without care, an effective cleaning method will be required.

Wine spirit

Gold-plated items can be easily cleaned from tarnish and dirt at home using wine alcohol. Saturate a soft sponge with the product and treat the surface of the product. You can replace alcohol with wine vinegar, which can be found in the kitchen. At the final stage, treat the surface with suede to rub the surface to the desired shine.

Cleaning with beer

You can clean a gold-plated chain, earrings, ring and other items dusted with gold at home using beer. Oddly enough, the mild action of this alcoholic drink effectively copes with darkening of the coating and any dirt, eliminating damage to the material.

Pour beer into a glass, dip the gold-plated item into it and leave for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.

Soap solution

Take any hard soap and grate it on a coarse grater. Take 1 tsp. shavings and dilute in 1 liter. warm water. For best results, use a couple of drops of ammonia added to soapy water. Immerse the gold in the container for 30 minutes, rinse with cool running water, and wipe dry with a clean cloth. The product effectively fights stains that have a green tint.

Alcohol and turpentine

The products help fight grease stains, darkening and dirt on the surface of gold-plated products. Ethyl, medical, denatured alcohol is suitable for cleaning. Take one of the products available in the house, saturate a soft sponge with it, treat the gilding, rinse off any remaining dirt and product under running water, and polish with a cloth.

Table vinegar

The diluted product is used to wipe or soak the product.

Stir 2 tbsp. acids in 1 tbsp. water, moisten the sponge and treat the surface with the composition.
Stir 2 tbsp. acids in 1 l. water and place the item in the composition for 15 minutes.

After all procedures, it is important to rinse the gold plating from any remaining product and dry it thoroughly. Acid residue can destroy the gold plating and permanently damage your favorite jewelry or cutlery.

Egg white against darkening

Break the egg and separate the yolk from the white. In this recipe we need protein. Dip a cotton pad into the white and apply it to the gilding. Cleaning will restore the shine and brightness of the coating. The effectiveness of the product will be higher if you add a tablespoon of white to the protein. When working with chemicals, you will need to protect your hands with gloves.

Ammonia and soap

This method helps to quickly get rid of greenish stains that can appear on gold-plated silver items. Let's consider the procedure.

Add 1 tsp to a liter of warm water. soap (you can rub the bar on a fine grater or just take liquid).
Add ammonia to the resulting soapy liquid - 6 drops.
Mix the resulting solution.
Immerse the products in it for half an hour.
Rinse the silver.

The final stage is to polish the gilding with a suede cloth.

This substance helps to quickly and effortlessly remove stains from a gold-plated item without spoiling it. How to proceed?

Soak a sponge in alcohol.
Rub the product until completely clean.

Finally, you can also use a piece of suede, then the products will shine like new.

What can't you do to clean gold plate?

Any products used should not contain abrasive particles. Even the smallest particles can severely damage the spray. For example, you should not clean gold plate with chalk, toothpaste, soda or powder.

Any abrasive product will cause scratches.

Some products are coated with a very thin layer of coating; abrasives easily erase it. Do not use rough scourers or brushes, or aggressive acids for cleaning.

Prevention and care rules

The gold plating wears off over time. Constant use leads to a gradual thinning of the spray layer. By following some recommendations you can extend the service life. Rules for caring for gold-plated products:

Regularly polish cutlery and decorations using a suede cloth.
Minimize contact with water, perfume and body creams.
Place each product separately, so that they do not touch each other. After each use of jewelry, put it back in place. Distribute each decoration into separate suede bags, and cutlery into special boxes.

Clean regularly, regardless of whether the product has lost its attractive appearance or not.

Source

Caring for gold-plated jewelry

24.06.2018
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Gold-plated women's jewelry is a special type of jewelry, during the manufacture of which a thin layer of pure gold is applied to the metal surface of the product.
This coating makes costume jewelry visually indistinguishable from expensive jewelry products. But, despite the external similarity, the cost of gold-plated jewelry is significantly lower than the cost of products made entirely of gold, because the content of precious metal in jewelry is minimal. 14k gold jewelry has gained wide popularity among women who cannot afford to buy jewelry regularly, but still want to look irresistible in any situation. But in order for the jewelry to retain its beautiful appearance for a long time and delight you with its natural golden shine, it must be regularly and properly cared for. Imitation gold is a real precious metal on the surface of the product, requiring careful handling, regular cleaning and proper storage conditions.

How to clean a gold-plated chain yourself without ruining its appearance

Gold plated items are an excellent budget alternative to gold jewelry. Outwardly, they do not differ from precious ones. With their help, you can also create a stylish and beautiful look without a serious hit to your wallet. In order for a gold-plated chain to delight you with its shine for as long as possible, it must be properly stored, not subjected to mechanical stress, and periodically cleaned of dirt. Gold plating is very soft and can be easily damaged. Therefore, all manipulations should be carried out as carefully as possible.

How to understand that it's time to clean the gold plating

A gold-plated chain is a silver product coated with gold on top. Both metals can darken and become stained over time. This happens due to the interaction of jewelry with human sweat and sebum. After a certain time of wearing, they become clogged in the links and fasteners of the chain, become covered with dust on top and cause a change in the color of the product. If the jewelry has lost its shine or a noticeable black or greenish coating has appeared on it, then a cleaning procedure needs to be carried out.

How to wear and store it correctly?

Many people are sure that the gilding wears off very quickly, and as a result, the jewelry is not as impressive as it was immediately after purchase. For example, if after a shower the jewelry began to quickly lose its appearance, then most likely you bought a fake. Real gold-plated silver cannot be damaged by water alone. If you know some rules and wear it correctly, your favorite jewelry will delight you for many years:

It is advisable not to shower if you are wearing earrings or a chain. Firstly, in this way the product will fade, since soapy water will do everything necessary for this. Secondly, after a shower you should not rub the product with a towel, as this can really ruin it. Therefore, when going to the shower, remove all jewelry.
It is also better not to wear jewelry while playing sports. When human sweat gets on gold-plated jewelry, it loses its appearance.
Store the product in a box. Try to keep it in a separate box and do not store jewelry all together, as they can scratch each other.

The decoration should be cleaned regularly, then it will last a long time. But it needs to be done correctly.
Do not store the product in the bathroom, as high humidity can quickly cause it to lose its shine.
Make it a rule: after everyday wear, wipe your jewelry with a piece of suede cloth. This will help keep the product clean and you won’t have to frequently clean it using more radical methods.

Products for cleaning gold plated chains

There are several ways to return your jewelry to its original state, each of which has its own characteristics. When choosing what to use, you need to assess the severity of the contamination and choose the most suitable product.

Special means

Jewelry workshops use special compounds that remove plaque and do not harm the metal. With their help, the original appearance of the product is quickly restored. You can buy such products at any specialized store and carry out the procedure at home. Depending on the type of contamination you will need:

a solution that will remove any stains and plaque in a short time;
fabric napkins that polish the surface without harming the surface;
paste for cleaning heavy stains.

Special tips for cleaning gold-plated jewelry

Jewelers do not recommend cleaning jewelry yourself. Using strong detergents or a hard brush will damage the integrity of the gold plating layer. As a result, it will not be possible to restore such an accessory.

But if you still decide to clean your gold-plated chain at home, follow these tips:

products containing stones require special attention and care; when lowering them into the solution, you should not allow the gems to hit the edges of the container;
chains that combine gilding and ordinary metals should be cleaned separately and not according to general recipes - it is advisable to take them to a workshop to prevent oxidation of exposed areas;
Special jewelry cleaning products reduce the risk of damage to items when cleaning them at home.

Advice. If you have never had to clean gold-plated chains, it is advisable to entrust this work to a jeweler. So, for little money you will get a perfectly restored product that you can wear for many years without taking it off.

How to clean a gold plated chain at home?

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Gilded tableware and jewelry have always looked very elegant, despite the fact that they are not made of pure gold. The main problem is always the gradual fading of the item. Of course, you can reduce such cases to a minimum, but what to do if the product has already lost its attractiveness? You will learn how to clean a gold-plated chain at home and prevent it from darkening in the future from this article.

How to create a bright image?

And now - a few tips that will help you complement your bright image and amaze everyone around with your beauty.

If you decide to wear, for example, a pendant made of silver with gold plated, then remember that you should only wear gold jewelry. Try not to combine gold with silver.

As a rule, fashionistas choose gold-plated pendants most often. Try to wear an outfit with a “V” shaped neckline, then your pendant will look great. Especially if your decoration is not too large and massive.

Try to wear earrings and pendants from the same set. This will make you look more impressive. If you chose earrings that are too large, then you should not choose a large pendant or pendant - it’s not beautiful.

If you are right-handed, then be sure to wear the bracelet on your right hand. It will be much more impressive. Also, try not to match your bracelet and watch together.

Gold-plated jewelry looks impressive with outfits in black, dark blue and green. These colors in clothing help jewelry to fully reveal its beauty.

For information on how to properly clean gold and silver, see below.

Despite the fact that gold-plated jewelry is not made of pure gold, it always looks elegant and aristocratic, emphasizing the good taste of its owner. But in order for such products to always have a bright appearance and not fade, they need to be properly looked after and cleaned in a timely manner.

Basic Rules

Most often, silver items are plated with gold, but the methods for cleaning them differ from each other. To properly clean gilding at home, you need to consider the following points:

When cleaning, use a dry chamois cloth.
Before starting the procedure, it is necessary to degrease the product. To do this, you need to moisten a cotton pad in turpentine or alcohol and wipe the item with it.
If desired, you can wash the gold-plated item using a small amount of ammonia and soap solution. You need to put the accessory in such a container with the solution for 15-20 minutes.

Important! Such a bath will help to avoid the greenish tint that the product may acquire after restoration of the gilding.

Lemon acid

It’s easy to prepare a composition that helps clean homemade gold-plated silver items.

Pour ½ liter of water into an enamel pan.
Add a packet of citric acid (15 g) to it.
Place the container on the fire and bring to a boil.
Place decorations in boiling liquid.
Boil them for 15-20 minutes.

Next, the products must be cooled and rinsed. This method is suitable for cleaning tarnished jewelry and gold-plated cutlery.

How to clean gold plated chains and spoons?

There are many ways to clean gold plated spoons at home. However, to get started, you need to arm yourself with the following tools:

Soap.
Dishwashing liquid.
Ammonia.
Turpentine.
Egg yolk.
Vinegar.
Petrolatum.
Beer.
Chalk, which will need to be finely crushed first.
Ethanol.
Alum.
Nitric acid.

From these things it is worth choosing those that are suitable for one method or another. In addition to basic cleaning products, some minor items will also come in handy:

Suede scraps of fabric, sponges.
Deep bowls or saucepans.
Soft and pure cotton fabrics.
An unnecessary toothbrush with soft bristles.

Important! Please note that gold-plated spoons and jewelry cannot be cleaned with the following materials:

Dry powders.
Hard washcloths and brushes.
Acids that act aggressively on the material.

Cleaning the internal mechanism

This process consists of several stages and is the most difficult. Therefore, be very careful and careful in your work:

Find a small container and pour alcohol or refined gasoline into it.
Carefully remove the cover from the mechanism. To do this, you will need the smallest screwdriver with a magnetized tip.
Remove all parts one by one. Place them in the order in which you will later assemble them.
Start cleaning with the balance: grab it by the rim with tweezers, lower it into a container with a cleaning agent and rinse. Shake the part in the air a little to dry it, then put it on a napkin to dry. Sawdust works well for this purpose. They quickly absorb liquid.
All parts are cleaned in the same way, large ones are dried on a napkin or in sawdust, small ones are dried on a sheet of paper.
After all the parts are cleaned, they should be left for a few minutes to dry thoroughly. If large stains remain, clean them with a brush or toothbrush soaked in a cleaning product.
Then you need to assemble the mechanism. Do not wait too long so that dust does not settle on the parts again.
When the mechanism is completely assembled, it needs to be lubricated with oil. It is better to use a pipette and carefully drop the oil onto the parts.
All that remains is to insert the mechanism into the body of the product and complete the assembly of the watch.

Important! If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to use the services of specialists, because the internal parts need to be cleaned only once every 3-4 years, and if you assemble the parts incorrectly, the watch will not work, and you will still have to contact a workshop.

Basic methods for cleaning gold plates

Gold-plated materials can be restored using many proven methods - the best option is up to you to decide. Below are a number of the most effective and popular options.

Use of wine alcohol

A material such as wine alcohol not only perfectly restores gilding, but also gives the processed object the shine that it had on the store counter.

To process an item in this way, you only need to follow two steps:

Dampen a soft sponge with the mixture.
Wipe the surface of the accessory with it.

Important! This alcohol can be used not only to restore gilding, but also for weekly cleaning of gold-plated spoons or decorative jewelry to add extra shine.

We use beer

This drink can remove even the most stubborn stains on a gold-plated item. You can use any type of beer, but many note that dark varieties help best.

The process of restoring gilding is extremely simple:

Soak the item in the drink for about an hour (it all depends on the condition of the gilding). Even with regular use, beer will not cause any harm to the gold-plated product.
After the time has passed, rinse the accessory under running water.
Dry the item.
Wipe it with suede to add extra shine.

How will egg white help?

No matter how exotic this method may seem, it is possible to restore the former shine to gilded silver by using egg white. To do this, you just need to dip a cotton pad in it and clean the product with it.

Important! If desired, egg white can be mixed with “Whiteness”, however, you need to work with such a product carefully. It is recommended to wear protective gloves before working.

Classic soap solution

You can clean gold-plated earrings or other materials using a regular soap solution. To do this, you need to follow the following algorithm:

Mix 1 teaspoon of crushed soap or dishwashing detergent with water at a temperature of 30-40 degrees in a pre-selected container.
Place the product in this solution.
After a period of time that you choose yourself, you need to brush the surface of the product with a soft toothbrush.

Nitric acid and alum

This method is only suitable for gold-plated copper:

Dissolve 40 grams of alum and 50 grams of nitric acid in half a glass of water.
Apply the resulting solution to the object.
Leave it in this position for 20 minutes.
Polish the product thoroughly.

How to care for a rubber watch strap?

Rubber is easy to care for and does not require much effort from the owner. For such an accessory it will be enough if from time to time they wipe it with soapy water, rinse it in clean water and wipe it dry with a cloth.

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What to do to prevent gold plating from tarnishing?

To ensure that the question of how to clean gold-plated spoons at home no longer arises, you must treat such items with care. To do this, you must remember the following rules:

It is unacceptable to store gold-plated items in rooms where moisture and temperature often fluctuate, for example, in the bathroom or kitchen. The impact of these factors, which are unpleasant for gilding, will significantly reduce the service life of the item, and at the same time its attractiveness.
Any gold-plated jewelry should be stored away from other metals. It would be ideal if they were wrapped in suede fabric and stored in a separate box. If we are talking about gold-plated cutlery, then it is also better to store them in a special case away from other cutlery.
After an item is used, it is necessary to wipe it with a suede cloth to remove a thin layer of fat and excess dirt. It is better to carry out such mini-cleaning regularly than to restore an already blackened coating.
Protect gilding from direct sunlight - ultraviolet radiation also affects the brightness and shine of the object.
Keep such items away from sharp objects to avoid scratching the finish.

How is gilded silver produced? Why does gold plating turn black?

The coating has a minimum thickness of no more than 2 microns. This opportunity became possible thanks to the development of a technology called electroplating. In this case, the product is immersed in the solution along with a fragment of gold. When an electric current is passed, yellow metal ions are electrodeposited onto the silver. This is facilitated by the correct choice of electrolyte. Previously, a cyanide solution was used. However, it causes great harm and contains a dangerous substance. Later the method was improved and a non-cyanide electrolyte was used.

The standard of silver with gilding does not change. For example, if you need to coat a 925 alloy, then even after electrodeposition of yellow metal ions, the main characteristics remain the same. The standard of gold-plated silver is 925. But the coating protects the jewelry from tarnishing only for a limited period. Causes of blackness:

contact with sweat due to illness, taking medications, excessive physical activity;
exposure to cosmetics and detergents;
violation of storage rules - in a room with high humidity;
damage: where there are scratches, patina appears on the silver faster.