How to Care for Gold

Method 1- General Care

1. Remove your gold jewelry before showering, bathing, or cleaning.
The exposure to soap and chemicals can dull the gold, necessitating more frequent cleanings.

• This is especially important if you're using abrasive cleaners, as fine gold is a soft metal and will scratch readily.
• Chlorine can also permanently discolor gold, so take your jewelry off before going into a hot tub or swimming pool.

2. Handle your gold jewelry carefully, as delicate pieces and gem settings can also easily bend out of shape.

3. Buff your gold jewelry with a soft chamois cloth if it seems to be losing its luster. This might be enough to restore the shine right away, with no further cleaning necessary.

Method 2- Periodic Cleanings
1. Mix a few drops of mild dish washing detergent and warm water in a small bowl.

• Some jewelry stores recommend using a few drops of ammonia in water to clean your gold pieces. Although this is an acceptable option, a few stores also recommend against using ammonia. Mild dish detergent, however, is universally accepted as a good way to clean your gold.

2.Dip each piece of gold in the mixture, 1 at a time.

• Don't pile all your gold into the bowl at once; the pieces might get scratched.

3.Wipe the gold gently with a very soft cloth.

• Vigorous scrubbing with a toothbrush could scratch your gold. Nevertheless, if you have a very heavily ornamented piece with many cracks and crevices, using a soft-bristled child's toothbrush may be the only way of getting it clean.

4. Rinse the gold gently in warm water until all traces of the suds are gone and the water runs clear.

5. Buff and polish the gold gently with chamois or another soft cloth before you put the jewelry away.

Tips:

• If you're not sure you can properly care for your gold jewelry, take it to a jeweler to be professionally cleaned.
• Ultrasonic cleaners are an acceptable alternative method for cleaning gold jewelry.
• If your gold jewelry contains gemstone accents or other metals, make sure that the other metals and gemstones can handle the cleaning process.
• How you maintain gold jewelry is as important as regular cleaning cleanings and cautious handling. Scratches and abrasion are some of the biggest source of dangers to your gold pieces, so store each one apart from the other in a soft cloth box. If you must store several gold pieces together, enfold each piece of gold jewelry in a piece of tissue paper or soft cloth to protect it.
• You can also use one of many commercial gold-cleaning products; follow the directions on the label.