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Here’s How to Clean White Gold Necklace and Earrings
White gold jewelry is best for people who have fair complexions. It is the most classic form of gold and is appropriate for most events and occasions. In today’s blog, we will show how to clean white gold like a pro, so you won’t have trouble maintaining your white gold jewelry collection.
What is White Gold Actually?
Pure gold material is a rather soft metal for making jewelry items. It is precious for its glamorous golden color. White gold is an alloy of gold with one or more silvery metal, for example silver, nickel or palladium, which makes a cheaper and stronger material. White gold does not refer to white in color. Instead it is a family of pale yellow, light brown colored metal. There is no specific mix of white gold. For example 90% of gold mix with 10% of nickel and copper alloy make it a malleable while strong white gold while is good for making long, stringed material.
How to Clean White Gold Necklaces
White gold necklaces can absorb and accumulate a lot of grime over the years because the surface area is much higher than your regular pair of earrings. This being the case, it needs to be soaked before brushing.
Before you do any kind of cleaning on jewelry,
- Prepare a cleaning solution by combing some warm water and soap. Add a few drops to the water and stir to incorporate the soap.
- After incorporating the soap, soak your white gold bracelet for 25 to 30 minutes. This should be sufficient time to loosen the grime and lift most of the dirt off of the jewelry. Mild soap is best as any corrosive cleaners can damage your jewelry. Despite the hardiness or durability of gold, it can still react to most household cleaners. This is why the general cleaning guidelines for fine jewelry usually require the plainest dish soap and not laundry detergents.
- After soaking for 25 to 30 minutes, it’s time for the scrubbing. Bracelets can be notoriously hard to clean because they have links and complicated corners. This can be remedied by using baking soda paste. Take a small quantity of baking soda (about one tablespoon) and combine it with a few glasses of water spritzes. What we want is a consistent paste that you use for scrubbing your jewelry.
- Take a toothbrush and dab some of the paste. Start scrubbing your bracelet in circular motions, and then up and down. This should take care of any stuck grime in the links and across the surface of the bracelet. Continue scrubbing, but be sure to be gentle. Excessive scrubbing and rubbing can damage the delicate surface of white gold. Gold is naturally soft and malleable, so it’s essential to be careful when cleaning it.
- When you are done scrubbing and cleaning the bracelet, rinse it with warm water. Ensure it stays under the tap long enough for all the soap and baking soda to be washed off. Residues can dull the surface of the bracelet.
- Use a microfiber cloth to buff your bracelet. If there is excess moisture, what you can do is use a towel to dry it out properly. Paper towels work well, too.
- Air-dry your bracelet entirely before putting it back to your jewelry organizer. It helps if you turn the bracelet a couple of times so that all sides are exposed, so everything dries faster.
An amethyst earring with white gold parts.
How to Clean White Gold Earrings
White gold earrings may also have a load of sweat and grime attached to them after weeks or months. You may use the method we outlined above, or if you want to, you can follow this second method for variety.
Instead of using the usual dish soap and water route, you can instead lean your white gold earrings with white vinegar and baking soda. Why use white vinegar? White vinegar is a natural disinfectant, and baking soda is one of the best cleaning agents around. What’s more is that both of these cleaning agents are adequate in removing stains and smells from most objects, including jewelry. Since earrings can accumulate a lot of sweat and odor from frequent use, a regular cleaning with vinegar can improve its overall appearance and smell.
To create the cleaning solution, combine a cup of pure white vinegar and two to three tablespoons of baking soda. Add more baking soda for more effective cleaning power. If your jewelry has never been cleaned before, this is the best cleaning solution.
After preparing the solution, soak your earrings in the cup for three hours at first. This should be enough time to clear most of the debris and grime from your jewelry. After soaking, grab a toothbrush and scrub clean your jewelry until it is restored to its former shine.
Rinse everything with warm water and dry well with a towel.
You can use a microfiber cloth or buffing cloth to make your earrings look even shinier. The essential thing here is that you dry your earrings well enough before bringing them back to storage.
How to Clean White Gold Rings
White gold is very common material for making wedding rings.
Cleaning white gold rings is just as easy as cleaning other kinds of white gold jewelry. Unless the jewelry is very tarnished or dirty, you can use the previously discussed cleaning solution, a combination of water and soap. Soak your white gold rings for about an hour and then use a toothbrush to scrub the surface. If there is some staining, you may use baking soda paste to deal with the staining. Remember always to brush gently to avoid creating any micro-damage to the surface of the white gold.
Summary
Cleaning white gold jewelry is easy as long as you have the necessary materials at home. Furthermore, you can retain your jewelry’s natural shine by wiping it down after use every day. A clean microfiber cloth or a buffing cloth explicitly designed for polishing jewelry can be used. The truly essential and important thing here is that you can remove the natural oils and dirt accumulated on the jewelry daily. This way, your jewelry will always look shiny and fresh. You can also use an ultrasonic cleaner if you like, and use a cleaning solution to ensure that the jewelry is cleaned appropriately. In case your white gold jewelry becomes scratched, your best option is to approach your professional jeweler for help.
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