How to Clean Jewellery at Home: Gold, Silver, Pearls and Gemstones

Celestial Pearl Drop Earrings

£36.65

Emerald Dreams Set

£89.23

Luna Pearl Chain Necklace

£223.66

Rose Quartz Dreams Bracelet

£56.10

Pieces from our collection — each material needs its own care

The most common way people damage jewellery isn't by wearing it — it's by cleaning it the wrong way. The right method depends entirely on the material, so here's a straightforward guide for each, using things you already have at home.

The universal safe method

For most jewellery, this is all you need: lukewarm water, a few drops of mild washing-up liquid, a soft cloth or very soft brush, a thorough rinse, and a complete dry with a lint-free cloth. Five minutes, no risk. Everything below is a variation on this — with important exceptions flagged.

Solid gold

The most forgiving material. Soak for 10–15 minutes in warm soapy water, brush gently around settings where grime collects, rinse and dry. Gold doesn't tarnish, so what you're removing is skin oil, lotion and everyday film — which alone restores most of the shine.

Gold plated and gold vermeil

Here the golden rule is gentle and brief. The gold is a surface layer, so anything abrasive — polishing pastes, baking soda, toothpaste, stiff brushes — can wear through it. Wipe with a damp soft cloth after a quick soapy wash, dry immediately, and never use silver dip or ultrasonic cleaners on plated pieces.

Sterling silver

Use a silver polishing cloth for tarnish, or the soapy-water method for general grime. If your silver is rhodium-plated (common in modern jewellery, including ours), treat it like plated jewellery: soft cloth only, no dips, no polish — the rhodium layer itself doesn't tarnish.

Pearls

Pearls are organic and soft, and they're damaged by almost every "jewellery cleaning hack" on the internet. Never soak pearls, and keep them away from vinegar, lemon, alcohol, perfume and ultrasonic cleaners — acids literally dissolve nacre. Instead, wipe them with a soft, slightly damp cloth after each wear and let them dry fully before storing. That's it — pearls kept clean this way last generations.

Gemstones

Hard stones like moissanite, cubic zirconia, agate and quartz handle the soapy-water method well — sparkly stones especially benefit, since oil film is what kills their fire. Porous or delicate stones (turquoise, larimar, opal) should only be wiped with a damp cloth, never soaked.

Quick reference

One final habit worth building: give jewellery a quick wipe with a soft cloth every time you take it off. Thirty seconds of prevention beats any deep clean.