Cleaning rhinestone jewelry

[shipgeeks]

What is the best, and safest, way to clean jewelry with rhinestones set in non-precious metal? I want to sparkle!

[klauer]

Suggestions from a Miss America message board this week:

 

1) Toothbrush and toothpaste, dry with a blow dryer.

2) Worley's jewelry cleaner, brush lightly with toothbrush.

3) Liquid silver cleaner.

4) Spray with Windex, hold upside down and wipe.

5) Polishing cloth and top rack of dishwasher.

6) Steam cleaning by jeweler.

7) Soft short-bristled paint brush and foaming hand soap.

[shipgeeks]

Thank you! (It's good to know a Miss America or two.)

[cb at sea]

Every jewelry store (and Wal-mart) carries jewelry cleaner....it's a liquid with a basket and brush...works fine! Windex is great, too. Get an old, soft toothbrush for getting behind the stones....rinse and pat dry. Easy and sparkling!

[sail7seas]

For mystery metal and stones that may not be set with prongs, I would not use a jewelry cleaner.

 

I would use ordinary soap.... Get a good lather on your hands and gently wash the jewelry and lay on towel to pat dry.

 

The jewelry cleaner described above is great for gold but could damage 'mystery metal'. IMO

[royalcruz]

Be careful, even with precious metals. My friend bought a David Yurman silver ring at Neiman Marcus and after a while it was looking dull, so I offered to clean it for her with Tarn-X, like I do with all my silver. Well, it came out even duller, really awful.

[Keith1010]

My wife goes to our local jeweler and shows them the jewelry and ask what they recommend. I would do this rather than relying on advice from others who don't know specifically what your pieces look like.

 

Keith

[Langley Cruisers]

Personally, I don't think I would want water or other liquid to get under the stones. What I would do would be to use a tiny bit of glass cleaner on a soft cloth and clean just the top surface of each stone. YES, painstaking, but at least the whole piece is not saturated or immersed in liquid.

[AmativeDame]

What is the best, and safest, way to clean jewelry with rhinestones set in non-precious metal? I want to sparkle!

 

I have always soaked a soft bristle toothbrush in some jewerly cleaner and gently scrub. You don't want to soak the piece just get it a damp, I finish with a dry washcloth and buff gently.

 

This has always worked for me... but it may not get it clean enough if its really grimy.

[klauer]

They are mystery metal as well! If the rhinestones are in pronged settings, you shouldn't have to worry about stones falling out if they get wet.

[LeahLime]

Hi, Follow my tips/Steps,

 

• To clean gold jewelry, soak it in a warm water and liquid detergent solution. You can also use sodium free seltzer water or club soda instead. Once the pieces are have been soaked for 15 minutes you can scrub them using a soft toothbrush or a brush meant for this purpose then rinse each piece in warm running water.

 

• Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners use sound waves to clean jewelry placed in a small basket of water or other solution, generating tiny vacuum bubbles that blast your jewelry. It sounds harsh, but is actually a suitable cleansing method for many types of jewelry. Avoid using the cleaners with opal, turquoise, pearls and other gems that must be treated with extra care, including many types of costume jewelry and pieces created by placing a thin layer of a genuine gem on top of glass or another material -- kind of like a sandwich.

 

• Ammonia is one of the most effective but also one of the most potentially risky home cleaning methods that you can use to clean your gold jewelry. An ammonia cleaning solution should consist of 6 parts water and 1 part ammonia. The ammonia solution is very powerful so you should not leave your jewelry soaking in it for longer than a minute to prevent damaging the item. You must also rinse very thoroughly and be certain that you have rinsed away all of the solution.

 

Have a good day :)