Buying potions, sponges and special brushes to clean your fine jewelry is fine if you have extra money, but usually, you can clean jewelry and make it sparkle with supplies you have in your cleaning cabinet. Warm water and a mild dish soap will clean most any jewelry safely. For gold, simply soak jewelry in warm water and a few drops of soap, like Joy or Dawn, and if you need to get into tiny crevices or settings, use a soft toothbrush to scrub gently. The same solution can be used for pearls and other gemstones; however, never soak pearls - the water can stretch the string. Dip a soft, clean cloth into the solution and rub each pearl gently. Allow to dry overnight. Because they're harder than anything else, diamonds need a little extra something to get them clean and sparkling. Soak them in a solution of one cup of warm water to ΒΌ cup ammonia for 20 minutes, and use a soft-bristled toothbrush to get into the crevices of the setting.
Dry on a tissue. This method is effective for platinum jewelry as well. For silver, a little more elbow grease might be needed. Try a silver polish like you'd use for silverware if it is tarnished. A paste is more effective than a liquid when you have intricate silver with lots of tiny grooves. For heirloom pieces that haven't been used in awhile, one easy and safe way to get the dirt out is with an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. Chemicals and sonic waves combine to create bubbles that cling to dirt, oils and other jewelry-dulling substances. They're lifted off and carried away in the solution. However, the method isn't recommended for porous stones, like opals, amber, turquoise and pearls. Keep jewelry clean and sparkling - fuss free!