How To Clean Your Gold-Plated Jewellery with 4 Easy Steps

Do you have a piece of gold plated jewellery that you love but it's starting to look a bit dull?

Get ready to clean your jewellery at home and get ready to make your gold plated jewellery new again with these 4 easy steps.

Tarnishing is a natural occurrence and not a problem with the quality of the metals used in your jewellery. It can happen to any gold plated or sterling silver jewellery!

When jewellery changes colour, it's actually the result of a chemical reaction. Your jewellery is in contact with the oils and sweat from your body, as well as the various chemicals in the air on a daily basis. The metal of your jewellery will be affected over time after long-term exposure to these chemicals and gases, and the surface will begin to form compounds that change the colour of the metal.

Why does this happen?

Gold in its natural state is very soft and in order to create strong jewellery suitable for daily wear we combine gold with other metals to strengthen the gold. These combinations are called alloys. It isn't the gold nor the alloy that's tarnishing- it is actually the silver underneath the gold plating that is reacting to natural elements in the air and surfaces. 

Many metals naturally tarnish. Copper, brass, bronze, and silver will eventually darken and change colour over time if not cleaned on a regular basis. Which means plated jewellery will eventually tarnish as well, as the oxidation of the base metal will seep through the gold plating. 

In this blog post we'll show you how to clean your gold plated jewellery and make it look as good as new! This method won’t remove the gold layer of your gold plated jewellery. It basically works as a battery, simply moving ions around which clears the layer on top of the gold. 

What about my jewellery with gemstones?

We do not recommend using this method on pearls and gemstones. The products used could be too harsh or abrasive.

And my silver pieces? 

This technique works best for gold plated jewellery. When it comes to silver pieces you might need to rub in the mix into the jewellery to get all the oxidation cleared. You can use a soft tooth brush or a cotton cloth to do this.

How often should I clean my gold-plated jewellery?

It's a good idea to wipe down your jewellery with a soft cloth after each use to remove any sweat, residue from lotions, and smudges. Follow the steps below for a deep-clean whenever your gold-plated jewellery shows signs of tarnish or after exposure to chlorine, such as after taking a dip in the pool. (Hint: It's best to remove jewellery before going for a swim.)

What you’ll need:

• Small bowl
• Tin foil
• Tea spoon
• Baking powder (bi-carb soda)
• Salt
• Hot water (almost boiling)

The steps:

Add enough hot water to the bowl so that the powders dissolve and ensure that there is enough of the solution to fully submerge your jewellery. You’ll begin to notice black and yellow flakes float away from the jewellery.

If your piece is damaged from wear and tear, then this won’t recover the gold plating, but it will help give a better shine to your piece. If your jewellery has tones of black, purple, or red on the metal then that’s tarnished, which can usually be solved with this method.

 More tips to keep your jewellery looking good: 

1. Put it on last – take it off first

Take off your jewellery before performing any sports or doing anything that would require heavy physical work, and also when swimming and showering.

Try not to expose your jewellery to everyday chemicals like hair products, cosmetics, perfumes, oil, nail polish remover, unabsorbed cream, etc. as they are likely to damage your favourite items. We recommend to apply all lotions and cosmetics before dressing in jewellery.  On the opposite, when undressing, wipe each item with a soft cloth to remove oils or sweat.

2. Wipe your jewellery after every use

After every use, we recommend you to clean your jewellery with a cotton ball or a very soft cloth to remove any dust and oil that may have landed on the item. Also, gently rubbing the surface of your jewellery with a soft cloth helps restore its shine.

3. Keep it nicely organized 

Always store your jewellery in a jewellery case (or box) in which you separate gold from silver. Additionally, make sure each item is individually placed in its own Bonito pouch bag to prevent scratches and tangle. Particular care should be taken with gemstones to ensure that they do not knock against one another when stored.

Avoid storing your jewellery in particular in a humid place - especially the bathroom. Humidity will speed up tarnishing, so it's best to pick cool, dark and dry spots.

4. Keep gold plated jewellery out of daily water

Do not swim or shower while wearing gold-plated jewellery, and remove rings and jewellery with stones when washing your hands.

5. Give it some space at night

Sleeping with your jewellery can damage it. Play it safe – give your jewellery some space when going to bed. 

We were also featured in SITCHU in their article: How To Clean Your Gold-Plated Jewellery Like a Pro which shows you how to bring dull pieces back to their bright look.