I am going to tell you a couple old wives' tale-style cleaning techniques that actually work! But first, we need to chat about the most important thing: Material. Before you attempt to clean your jewelry, always know what material your jewelry is. Let's discuss.
Gentle Soap + Brush Method
Gold plated jewelry, like most Nina Berenato Jewelry items, can be cleaned to remove dirt and grime with a few methods. The easiest, and my most suggested, is a gentle soap or alcohol and brush.
Select a gentle, fragrance-free soap (like Dawn). Next, get a SOFT toothbrush you can gently clean your jewelry with. Brush lightly in small circles to loosen grime. Rinse with clean water. Repeat until your satisfied with the shine of your jewelry.
It is important you do this cleaning method gently to not disturb the plating.
Plating is by nature a coating. Anything abrasive will harm it further and crack the plating.
Yearly Replating (Community Replate)
The best way to clean and bring the shine back to your gold-plated jewelry is to wait for our yearly replate. Let us use our magic fairy dust and get it back to its original glory for you. No amount of cleaning will do what a full replating can do for plated jewelry.
Baking Soda Method
Solid sterling silver & gold can be cleaned with baking soda. This is the best method I have found, but you need to follow these steps for it to actually work. I only recommend this for jewelry WITHOUT STONES. If you have stones, I recommend you bring it to your local jeweler. Stones are SO finicky and can be damaged or scratched. Best to leave it to the professionals when they’re involved.
To clean your solid gold or silver jewelry, first create a mixture of 3 TBSP Baking soda and 1 TSP Salt. Line a plate or pan with aluminum foil. Lay your sterling silver on it and pour warm water over the top. Then sprinkle on the baking soda & salt solution. Rub lightly with a SOFT toothbrush.
Remember: Plating is by nature a coating. Anything abrasive will harm it further and crack the plating.
If you have extra grimy sterling silver, you can add a squeeze of lemon juice. Let this sit for 10 minutes. Rinse it all off thoroughly with clean water!
Ketchup Cleaning Method
You may have heard you can cover your silver in ketchup to clean it. Apparently, that "method" is going viral. This does not work. And, your jewelry will smell like ketchup forever. I do not recommend it.
Polishing Cloth Method
The best polishing cloth for normal touch ups is the Sunshine cloth. This is an industry trade secret. https://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Polishing-Cloths-Silver-Jewelry/dp/B075Z13GMQ
These cloths last forever and are amazing. Above is an actual photo of my sunshine cloth, going 10 years strong.
Ask a Jeweler!
I'm Nina Berenato - Owner and Founder of Nina Berenato Jewelry. I've been in the jewelry and fashion business for over 15 years. If you have a question about your jewelry, my team and I would be happy to help. Ask away on our socials @ninaberenato or email us at hello@ninaberenato.com
You can shop my handmade jewelry here or stop by to get a permanent bracelet at one of my Texas stores.
