Resources
Caring for Your Jewelry
How to keep the sparkle — and what never to soak in ammonia.
A letter from David
Caring for Your Jewelry
I see many beautiful pieces of your jewelry every day and the most common thing I see about them all, aside from their beauty, is that they are very neglected, dirty, and the sparkle is far less than it should be. Sure, you say, my eye is trained, but after I clean your piece for you I get amazing results, literally all of the time. You say: “Wow, my piece hasn’t looked that good in a long time.” Well, that’s the point.
I use an ultrasonic where appropriate and a super steam jet to blow off all offensive materials. I get great results. You are invited to get a complimentary demonstration, and if you become a customer of mine I will really take care of you. You can keep up with me if you put your jewelry on a weekly to monthly maintenance program.
I suggest that you put some cleaning concentrate, about ½ inch of each (I use Whisk and ammonia), filled with hot water in a big mug, soak the jewelry about an hour and use a soft toothbrush to keep most stones clean, especially diamonds.
Do not use this method on your pearls or opals or soft stones like lapis or coral. You will lose their sparkle. Ammonia is caustic to some stones.
Most silver can be kept well in airtight bags with a small strip of anti-oxidant. That will work as well for you as it does for me here at the store. All metal can be brightened up a bit with some small amount of rubbing. I use our jeweler’s cloth to do the trick. I can supply you with all these tools if you need me to.
Sincerely,
David Martin
P.S. Email me anytime you want a solution for something that has you stumped: david@goldworksusa.com
Quick reference
Cleaning Do's and Don'ts
Diamonds & hard stones
Soak an hour in hot water with a little cleaning concentrate and ammonia, then a soft toothbrush.
Pearls, opals & soft stones
Never ammonia. Wipe with a damp soft cloth only — lapis, coral, turquoise and opal lose their sparkle in solvents.
Silver
Store in airtight bags with an anti-tarnish strip; brighten with a jeweler's cloth.
Professional cleaning
Ultrasonic and steam cleaning where appropriate — ask David for a complimentary demonstration.
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