How to Clean Pearl Necklaces or Jewelry Professionally?

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Pearl necklaces are exceedingly beautiful, and they’re also delicate. We don’t recommend you to try cleaning pearl jewelry if you don’t know the basics of professional pearl cleaning. Read our guide on how to clean pearl necklaces or pendents at home after you’ve read today’s definitive guide on cleaning pearly the professional way.

Table of Contents

How to Clean Pearl Necklaces?

Cleaning pearl necklaces professionally (like in Mikimoto!) is easier than you may think. You can use either 5 ml of a gentle laundry detergent combined with one liter of water for the cleaning solution. If you don’t have laundry detergent, mild dish soap will do. Don’t use dish soap that’s designed to wipe away grease in one second. These harsher soaps may harm your pearl necklaces.

After mixing your soap and warm water, pour the cleaning solution in a bowl. Put your pearl necklace in the solution and allow the chain to be cleansed for about fifteen seconds. If you have been instructed not to soak the pearls (this is one of the views on pearl cleaning), what you can do instead is take a small cleaning cloth or microfiber cloth and soak it in the solution. Use the towel to wipe down all of the pearls from all angles gently, so the soap solution has a chance to break down excess oils, dirt, and grime.

After cleaning the pearl necklace with soapy water, it’s time to rinse them out. Grab another clean cloth and prepare a separate bowl of bright, warm water. Use the material to remove the soap from the necklace. Make sure to get between the pearls to remove as much stuck grime and dirt as possible. If you still get a lot of dust during the rinsing phase, feel free to repeat it with the soapy water and then rinse again. Sometimes it takes a few repetitions to ensure that all of the grime is completely removed.

Get a towel and place it on the table. Place the pearl necklace flat on the sheet and use it to remove as much moisture as possible from the pearls.

The towel should be able to remove most of the moisture. Now is the time to allow the pearl necklace to dry naturally.

How to Clean Pearl Necklaces at home? Doing it in a wrong way may destroy the piece.

How to Clean Pearl Pendant: Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

– Monitor how your pearl necklaces look regularly. Monitor for stains and possible damage, so you can have them fixed quickly. Also, check the threads that are binding your pearls together. These stretch and take damage over time as well.

– Damp cloths may be used from time to time, but limit their use. Visible staining requires the application of a gentle cleaning solution.

– Do allow your pearls to dry thoroughly before bringing them back to storage. This is important for all kinds of pearl jewelry, as beads are semi-porous and will take on moisture if given the opportunity. Too much moisture over time can ruin your pearls and can significantly affect their investment value. Another benefit of allowing your beads to dry thoroughly is that drying helps prevent the multitude of satin threads that make up the ‘string’ of pearls. What we’re after is for these satin threads to remain as elastic as possible. Elasticity is favorable because the beads have weight (however slight), and they move around when you walk around. The pull of gravity plus your movement is going to impact the durability of your satin threads.

Don’ts

– As a preventive measure, don’t allow your pearls to become soaked in colognes, perfumes, lotions, and other personal care products. If you are going to wear any perfume, do so before wearing your pearl necklace. Allow the solvents in the bouquet or cologne to dissipate before wearing pearl necklaces and other fine jewelry. Just to remind everybody, most gemstones are also opposed to exposure to personal care products. The reason for this is that they’re semi-porous, so they might absorb liquids and eventually take damage.

– Don’t expose your pearl necklace to harsh chemicals, including routine cleaning or disinfection products. Haircare products can also harm your pearls, so skip them. If you are going to use any kind of hair spray, be sure that your pearl necklace is shielded or better yet, wear your pearls after you’re done setting and fixing your hair.

Pearls are delicate and need to be stored wisely and carefully.

Caring for Pearl Jewelry

No matter how you clean your Pearl necklaces, how to store them wisely is also important. Pearls can last just as long as other gemstones. It’s not exactly a gemstone, but it’s an organic gem that can become valuable when it comes. This being the case, follow these tips to maintain the condition of your pearl necklace:

Always wear your pearl necklaces last. You can wear as much lotion or perfume as you want, as long as the pearl necklace is fitted last. This allows liquids to dissipate before your skin comes into contact with the pearls.
Wear your pearls regularly. Pearls can indeed become dry and cracked over time. The natural oils and moisture on your skin can maintain the natural sheen and shininess of your pearl necklace. Wearing them regularly may expose them to some dust, but what is more important is that you are rehydrating the pearls naturally, allowing your pearls to thrive for years to come.
Learn to wipe your pearls with a clean cloth daily. Perform this right after you remove the pearl necklace. It’s hygienic and will ensure that your pearl necklace is in top form when you wear it to parties or anywhere you’d like.
Place your pearl necklace in a separate pouch before putting it back to your jewelry organizer. Other metal jewelry can easily scratch the pearls. We don’t want scratched pearls because this will devalue your jewelry.
Remember to lock your pearls before putting them back into storage.
Don’t mix your pearl jewelry with other kinds of jewelry. If you can have a solo box for it, go for the single box.