question about jewelry cleaning

[CardinalSM]

Ok, I have a white gold ring that has tanzanites and diamonds in it. The tanzanites are starting to look really dingy. What is the best thing to clean them with? I didnt know if there was something for effective than water!!

[Jadey28]

They sell jewelry cleaner at Wal-Mart, Target, and the jewelry stores. Drop your ring in the cleaner for a few secs, swish the tray around, and take it out and rinse with water. They also have jewelry cleaner cloths.

[justamom]

Hootie too would probably have some ideas. That's been her area for a long time.

I use tooth paste, a very soft tooth brush and a very soft hand for a lot of my jewelry. Makes diamonds sparkle!

I found this for tanzanites

Soak in lukewarm soapy water using a mild liquid detergent. Rinse with water that is the same temperature and dry with a paper towel or soft cloth. You can also use window cleaner. Wipe immediately after spraying.
Avoid exposing your stone to sudden changes of temperature. This includes hot tubs, very cold water, and reaching into ovens and then going straight to a cold sink.
Do not wear when doing any type of physical labor. e.g. gardening.
Always store in soft cloth away from other articles of jewelry.
Occasionally tap the ring next to your ear to listen for any rattling noises indicating a loose stone.

[aephi alum]

Originally posted by justamom
I use tooth paste, a very soft tooth brush and a very soft hand for a lot of my jewelry. Makes diamonds sparkle!

I've read that toothpaste is a very bad idea because it's abrasive and will damage jewelry.

I have a sonic jewelry cleaner that works wonders.

[CarolinaCutie]

I work in a jewelry store. You can use the bottled jewelry cleaner that is sold just about anywhere. No matter what anyone tells you, the expensive kind is not really better than the cheap kind.

My own personal choice is equal parts of Mr. Clean and water. Works just as well as a bottled cleaner. Another important part of the jewelry cleaning process is a cleaning cloth. Sad to say, I don't know really how these things work- but they do! After you clean and dry the ring, rub it with the cloth and it will sparkle brilliantly.

ETA: Toothpaste works well on diamonds and other non-porous stones in lower carat gold, and it works particularly well on silver. I would not, however, recommend toothpaste for semi-precious stones or anything more delicate, like 24K gold.

[justamom]

I HAVE used it on silver for a quick brightener. Old Meican silver, with all the niches and grooves comes clean with the toothbrush.
(I don't like it too shiney though.)

I'll remember that about the semi-precious stones though!

We have an ultra sonic at the office. It really produces a lot of vibration and I'm hesitant to use it.

[astroAPhi]

Do't use a sonic cleaner on Tanzanite. It is too soft to handle all the vibration.

[ADPiSAI]

I always take my stuff to the jeweler in the mall. They clean it for free and know what kind of care to give it, so I know I won't be doing anything that will harm my jewelry.

[ThetaGrrl]

My grandma used to own a jewelry store, so I have tons of jewelry... I soak all of it in ammonia, and then *lightly* scrub it with a soft toothbrush and rinse it off.

[hottytoddy]

IN jewelry stores when I've bought jewelry, they;'ve always told me NOT to use jewelry cleaner. They told me Windex is the best thing to use.