Gold plated jewellery adds a luxurious touch of warmth to any outfit and compliments almost every skin tone. From gold plated earrings to be worn as your everyday staple to chunky and layered gold plated necklaces for a glamorous evening look, gold plated jewellery combines style and affordability in comparison to solid gold jewellery. There is a vast range of design choices available with gold plated jewellery, meaning there is something for every style and occasion. However, just like solid gold jewellery, gold plated jewellery can tarnish if not cared for properly. There’s no reason that your Estella Bartlett jewellery can’t last a lifetime and with a little love and care you can keep your gold jewellery gleaming with light. Find out how to properly care for and clean gold plated jewellery.
Why Does Gold Plated Jewellery Tarnish
Not only does gold plated jewellery capture the natural light but it also captures the beauty of the wearer. However, over time the jewellery can lose its shine and become slightly tarnished. This can happen when the gold reacts with moisture and air leading it to oxidize. As dust, dirt and oil from your skin, moisturiser and perfume accumulate onto the gold plating, the jewellery begins to dull or appear darkened. To restore gold plated jewellery to its original lustre the jewellery needs to be properly cleaned and taken care of. This can be achieved by using a variety of household items.
Can You Restore Gold Plated Jewellery
There are several ways to clean gold plated jewellery, all of which can be carried out at home. From a light sprucing to a deep clean, our handy guide will show you how to carefully and properly clean your gold plated jewellery.
1. Apply Perfume and Moisturiser Well Before Your Jewellery
Keeping your gold plated jewellery in pristine condition starts before you even put your jewellery on. Beauty products such as moisturisers and perfume often contain chemicals and oils that can cause the jewellery to tarnish. Although keeping your skin looking fresh with moisturiser and spritzing yourself with perfume is an accessory in itself, it's important to apply these beauty products several minutes before putting on your jewellery to avoid damaging your favourite pieces. This will give the beauty products plenty of time to soak into your skin before adorning yourself in gold plated jewellery.
2. Clean With Soap And Water
If your gold plated jewellery is starting to look a little lacklustre then a light clean with soap and water will help restore it to its former glory.
- Mix a mild liquid soap and warm water in a bowl to create a foamy solution. Place the jewellery in the water and leave for several minutes.
- Take the jewellery out of the water and use a soft cloth to rub the items, taking care to wipe all surface areas. If the jewellery has lots of small details and engravings then use a soft bristled toothbrush to clean any hard to reach areas.
- Once the dirt has been removed, rinse the items in warm water.
- Wipe with a lint free cloth and be sure each piece is thoroughly dried before storing in a jewellery box.
3. Use A Jewellery Polishing Cloth
Your gold plated jewellery may just need a little bit of TLC to get it back to its once dazzling self. If that’s the case then a gentle polish with a jewellery cloth should do the trick.
- Use a quality jewellery polish cleaning cloth that will remove dirt and tarnish as well as give the pieces their shine back.
- Be sure to be gentle when polishing the jewellery by wiping instead of scrubbing.
- Buff your jewellery in between deeper cleans to maintain its shine.
4. Use Aluminium Foil And Baking Soda For A Deep Clean
This deep clean method is perfect for cleaning heavily tarnished gold plated jewellery. It will work wonders in restoring its brilliance and removing severe cases of tarnish. Not only that but this method is gentle on the gold plating because it doesn’t require abrasive contact with the jewellery. The chemical reaction between the solution and the jewellery will remove any tarnish whilst not being harsh on the gold plating.
- Line a glass bowl with aluminium foil. Make sure the shiny side of the foil is facing upwards
- Add one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of salt to the bowl.
- Add enough hot water to the bowl so that the powders dissolve and ensure that there is enough of the solution to fully submerge your jewellery.
- Submerge your gold plated jewellery in the solution and leave for several minutes
- You’ll begin to notice black and yellow flakes float away from the jewellery. This is the sulphur, which is what caused the oxidation of the gold in the first place. These flakes will be attracted to the aluminium and will float towards it.
- Once the tarnish has mostly come off the gold plating, remove the jewellery from the bowl and rub with a lint free cloth.
- Rinse the gold plated items in warm running water and dry thoroughly with a lint-free cloth.
How To Store Gold Plated Jewellery
Once your jewellery is perfectly clean be sure to carefully store your jewellery in a safe place. A jewellery box is the perfect home to store your gold plated jewellery and we offer a variety of jewellery boxes for earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Whether you have lots of jewellery or are after something ideal for travelling, our jewellery boxes will ensure your jewellery remains tangle free.
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Explore our full range of jewellery boxes today. For more jewellery storage ideas, read our blog post How To Store Jewellery and Jewellery Organisation Ideas
