Spring Clean Your Jewelry

Spring will be here shortly and along with it the annual ritual of spring cleaning. Closets and cupboards will be cleaned out, rugs washed, and furniture polished. But how many of us will spring clean our jewelry? Jewelry collects dust and grime. You may notice gunk stuck between the prongs of a ring, dim diamonds, tarnished silver, or dull pearls.
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Keeping your jewelry clean is easy. Start with a soft toothbrush (battery-operated ones are great) and plain dish detergent (like original, blue Dawn). For very dirty or tarnished pieces, I use Jewel Brite Jewelry Cleaner or Tarnish Remover. Both are biodegradable and safe for most metals, gems and gemstones including pearls.

For gems set in prongs, as in rings, pendants, or bracelets, use a toothbrush and either dish detergent or Jewelry Cleaner. Wet the toothbrush, add a tiny bit of detergent or Cleaner, and gently scrub your jewelry. Work the brush between the setting and the gems. Rinse with warm water, dry with a soft cloth, and see your gems sparkle.
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Pearls require special care to keep their luster. They should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. If they look dull, wipe gently with a damp cloth. Never use detergents, toothbrushes, scouring pads or steam or ultrasonic cleaners. 

For gemstone, glass and crystal bead jewelry simply wipe with a damp cloth. If the piece is very dirty, wet a soft cloth, add a tiny bit of Jewelry Cleaner or detergent, wipe the piece, and rinse by wiping again with a cloth dampened with water.
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For sterling silver, copper, brass, bronze or gold, swish your jewelry in Jewelry Cleaner, let it sit a bit, rinse with warm water, and dry with a soft cloth. For really tarnished pieces, wet the toothbrush, pick up a bit of Tarnish Remover, scrub gently, rinse with warm water, dry with a soft cloth and your metals will gleam.

Finally, don’t use toothpaste to clean your jewelry. It contains abrasives and may leave scratches.
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May your jewelry always shine!