Cleaning + Care Tips

Caring for your jewelry properly ensures it will last a lifetime. Just like many things in life, establishing a cleaning routine for your jewelry is the best way to ensure it stays looking pristine.

Take off your jewelry in active situations, clean it at home, and get fine jewelry professionally cleaned every 6 months. Be wise with all types of jewelry, it is delicate and can easily get damaged. See below for some basic tips to keep your fine or artisan jewelry vibing!

Basic Jewelry Care Tips

Use a soft cotton cloth to polish your beaded jewels. A coarse cloth may scratch glass, pearls, crystals, and some metal beads.

It is a good practice to wipe body oils, makeup, and hair spray from jewelry after each wearing.

Put jewelry on after bathing, applying body lotions, perfume, and hair spray to avoid build-up and damage from ingredients used in beauty products.

Make sure you’re not seeing more string/wire than normal. This could mean that your necklace or bracelet is not secure and will eventually fall apart. If it breaks while you’re wearing it, you may lose beads that are hard or impossible to replace. This will increase the cost of your repair.

Use a gentle jewelry cleaner or a very mild soap and water solution to clean your beaded jewelry. Use a soft toothbrush or special jewelry brush to clean silver.

Use extra special care when cleaning color enhanced or delicate natural beads including turquoise, red coral, bone, and pearls.

How to Care for Copper Jewelry

Over time, copper jewelry will lose its bright shine and take on a patina of its very own. This is due to oxidation. Moisture in the air causes copper to tarnish or patina, but some people enjoy the natural vibes of patina. See tips below how you can keep you cooper shiny and vibing.

Mix equal parts of salt and distilled white vinegar and soak your copper jewelry in the solution for a few minutes. Then brush away any tarnish with a soft brush or cloth.
Mix water, lemon juice, and baking soda and soak your copper jewelry in the solution for a few hours or overnight. Then rinse and buff the jewelry with a soft toothbrush or cloth.
Dunk your copper jewelry in a bowl of vinegar and add a drop of tea tree oil. Leave it to soak overnight or for at least eight hours. Then sprinkle with baking soda and rinse.
Cover your copper jewelry with a layer of ketchup and add a splash of water. Let it sit for 10 to 30 minutes depending on how dirty it is. Then wash off the jewelry under warm water.
Soak your copper jewelry in a bowl of vinegar for 15 minutes and add table salt to bring out more shine. Then rinse and buff the jewelry with a soft cloth.

Cleaning Silver, Sterling Silver, and Silver-Plated Jewelry

The silver pieces in your jewelry box are likely made of sterling silver or silver plating rather than pure silver. Silver-plated jewelry and sterling silver have a lower percentage of silver and are more likely to tarnish, which is a loss of luster due to exposure to air and moisture.

Pure Silver: Contains 99.9% silver. This type of silver is rare in jewelry.
Sterling Silver: Contains about 7.5% copper, a primary culprit behind tarnish. However, tarnish is fairly easy to remove from sterling silver, using the methods outlined below. Sterling silver is more durable than silver-plated jewelry.
Silver-Plated: Silver-plated jewelry features a very thin layer of silver that is spread around an alternative metal, such as copper, brass, or bronze. Silver plating is generally only a few microns thick. Because of its thin layer, it's important to be gentle when cleaning silver-plated jewelry to prevent wear on the coating. Silver-plated jewelry is generally lightweight.

How to Clean Silver Jewelry with Dish Soap

This method for cleaning silver jewelry works for both sterling silver and silver-plated pieces.

Soak Silver Jewelry

Add a few drops of liquid dish soap to warm water. Mix until bubbles form. Soak jewelry in the solution for five to 10 minutes.
Scrub Silver Jewelry

Use a soft-bristle brush, such as a toothbrush, to clean any crevices. Rinse jewelry in warm water.
Dry Silver Jewelry
Dry, gently rub jewelry with a microfiber towel. Please avoid using paper towels, then tend to scratch the silver.

How to Clean Sterling Silver with Baking Soda

Make a Paste

Mix two parts baking soda with one part water to make a paste, then gently rub the mixture onto the jewelry. Let the paste dry completely to remove the tarnish.
Rinse and Dry Jewelry

Rinse and dry with a soft cloth or microfiber towel. You can also follow a similar method using cornstarch.

There are many ways to clean your silver jewelry these are tips on how to keep your jewelry vibing.

General Storage Tips

Store your jewelry in a jumble in one drawer or box. Metal findings and certain beads can become scratched easily.
Always be sure the clasps are securely closed before storing to prevent necklaces from tangling.
Invest in jewelry boxes, pouches, or bags that keep each individual piece separate to keep jewelry from dust and keep it shine.
Store heavy beaded jewelry, especially necklaces, flat so that the stringing material does not stretch or break.
Keep your jewelry where it is free of dust and protected from sudden changes in temperature, light, and humidity. Dust is abrasive to jewelry, especially to sensitive materials such as pearls. Extreme temperatures and harsh sunlight sustained for long periods of time can cause your jewelry to deteriorate. The higher the content of pure metal, the less likely it is to tarnish. That’s because it’s the alloys, such as copper, in metals that actually encourage tarnish. So, Thai silver (95 to 99 percent real silver) is less prone to tarnishing than sterling silver (92.5 percent real silver) because it has a higher silver content. Heed the following advice to hinder oxidation:
Keep jewelry in a dry in tightly sealed plastic bags with moisture-wicking products, such as silica-gel desiccant (the packets often found in shoe boxes), anti-tarnish tissue paper and strips, or even chalk to reduce exposure to oxygen and moisture.

Skin Discoloration:

Gold is durable enough for daily wear, but it is still a porous material that can absorb anything applied to the skin. If you wear your piece daily without regular cleaning, those elements can build up and leave a black or green mark on the skin. If your item has been exposed to any harsh detergents or chemicals, that may cause a reaction with the alloy metals in your jewelry and leave a mark as well. Wearing your piece while working out or in a more humid climate may also lead to discoloration.

The discoloration on the skin can be washed off with soap and water, and we recommend giving your piece a good cleaning to remove any build-up that may have accumulated.

Jewelry Allergy Disclaimer:

It is important to be aware of any allergies you may have to metals. Some people don’t vibe with metals and finishes commonly used in making jewelry. It is the responsibility of the customer to be aware of any allergies they have to metals before making a purchase. Tiewekee will not be held liable for any allergic reactions that may occur as a result of wearing jewelry