Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Get the right materials
• Method 2 of 4: Cleaning your diamond earrings at home
• Method 3 of 4: Protect your diamond earrings
• Method 4 of 4: Clean gold and silver backs
• Tips
• Things you need

Diamond earrings become dull and dirty when worn regularly. They absorb oil from your hair and skin, making the metal look worn and the stones losing their shine. Fortunately, there are many household products that will bring back the shine to your diamond earrings. If they need to be cleaned more intensively, consider getting it professionally done.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Get the right materials

1. Buy a jewelry cleaning kit. These sets contain a solution specially designed for cleaning jewelry. Because it is specially designed for that, you will know that it will not harm your jewelry.
   • Get a special cleaning solution from a jeweler, department store, drug store, or even a hardware store. Read the instructions on the bottle to make sure the solution is safe for diamond jewelry.
   • Pour a little bit of this solution into a container. Soak your earrings in the solution overnight. Then rinse the earrings with warm water. Dry them and polish them with a lint-free cloth. If the instructions on the bottle are different from what is above, follow those of the bottle.
2. Make sure you have the right brush and cloth. You need a brush with soft bristles. This is very, very important. If you use a brush that is too hard, it can damage the jewelry. You also need a cloth to gently clean the earrings.
   • All you need is a toothbrush, but choose one with soft bristles. Make sure not to use a wire brush or a brush with stiff bristles. This will damage the setting of the diamonds.
   • A children's toothbrush is a good choice, because the bristles of those brushes are very soft. You can also buy brushes specially designed for cleaning jewelry. You can find them in department stores or online.
   • However, don't tack for the tip of using a toothbrush. It can be too abrasive and there are better household products to use.
   • Use a microfiber towel to dry the earrings. These are softer and will help you dry the earrings gently.
   • Make sure to only use soft-bristled brushes for earrings with gold settings. If your diamond has a delicate setting, or is an antique piece of jewelry, you may want to consider skipping the brush altogether.
3. Choose a flat surface. Do not clean your diamond earrings near the sink, otherwise there is a good chance that your earrings will end up in the drain. And if you think it won't happen to you; ask any plumber: it happens often!
   • Instead, opt for a table or other flat surface away from the sink. You need enough space for a bowl and a towel.
   • You also need a bowl or cup to put the earrings in. You may also want to use rubber gloves, depending on the toxicity of the solution you choose.

Method 2 of 4: Cleaning your diamond earrings at home

1. Use dish soap. If you don't have a jewelry cleaning kit, you can also create your own solution, choosing from a variety of cleaning products. You can use regular dish soap to wash off the dirt and skin oil from diamond earrings.
   • Mix 250 ml of lukewarm water with a teaspoon of mild dish soap. Stir the water with your fingers until you see bubbles. Make sure the detergent does not contain perfume or dyes, or it could damage the earrings. Soak the earrings for 3-4 minutes to allow any dirt or oil to dissolve.
   • Then take a soft toothbrush and wet it in the solution. Brush the diamonds gently. Let the earrings soak for another minute or two. Then take them out and put them on a piece of kitchen roll. Take a bowl of clean water and rinse the earrings. To avoid the risk of losing them down the drain, do not rinse them under the tap.
2. Try Glassex. There are many different household products that you can use to clean diamond earrings. Glassex also works. You can also soak the earrings in a mild liquid detergent. Take one with sodium lauryl ether sulfate.
   • Spray a toothbrush with Glassex. Then brush the diamonds gently.
   • Be gentle and use a small soft brush. Then rinse the earrings with water and wipe them dry with a soft cloth.
3. Use ammonia. It sounds like it could be too rough, but it is one of the most common ways to clean diamond earrings.
   • Mix 1 part ammonia with 6 parts hot water. However, do not use hot water if there are gemstones other than diamonds in the setting. It could damage them. Place the earrings in the solution for twenty minutes. When working with this solution, use rubber gloves.
   • Then put the earrings in another container with warm water. Add a teaspoon of dish soap to the container. Brush the earrings with a soft toothbrush or a special jewelry brush. Rinse the earrings in warm water.
4. Week the earrings in carbonated water. You can make your diamonds - and other gemstones - brighter if you soak them overnight in carbonated water.
   • Simply fill a glass with carbonated water and place the diamonds or other gemstones (such as rubies or sapphires) in the glass. Leave it on overnight.
   • Another technique involves using a denture cleaning tablet to keep your diamonds sparkling. Put the tablet in a cup of water and put your diamond earrings in the cup for a few minutes. Then rinse the jewelry.
   • Remove any conspicuous bits of dirt or clothing fibers. Use a toothpick to gently remove any debris from between the metal teeth and the diamond.Remove any clothing fibers that may be stuck in the setting with tweezers.
5. Try water and soap as a simple solution to remove some dirt or oil. If you don't have anything else on hand, try the obvious: soap and water.
   • Put one part mild dish soap with three parts warm water in a small container. Dip a soft toothbrush, a piece of soft cloth or a cotton pad here.
   • Gently brush the stone and metal back. Alternatively, you can soak your diamond earrings in this solution for up to thirty minutes.
   • Remove the earrings after they have soaked and then rinse them with warm water. Dry and then polish the earrings with a lint-free cloth.
6. Try vodka. Soak your earrings in the vodka if nothing else is available.
   • Fill a shot glass with vodka. Drop your earrings into the glass and let them soak for two minutes. Remove the earrings and rinse with warm water.
   • Dry them and polish them with a lint-free cloth.

Method 3 of 4: Protect your diamond earrings

1. Don't always wear your diamond earrings. If you don't let your diamond earrings get so dirty to begin with, it will be easier to clean them. That's why it's a good idea to take them off if you have activities where they can get dirty. For example, if you go to the beach, go gardening, exercise, even if you are going to do the dishes.
   • Keep diamond earrings away from chlorine. It can cause damage.
   • Natural oils can leave a coating on diamond jewelry. This must be removed to restore the natural shine of the earrings. Contact with skin, powders, make-up, lotions and soaps can leave such a film.
   • Put on your earrings last, after you've styled your hair, put on your perfume, and applied your lotion. All of these products can damage the earrings, so try to avoid exposure.
2. Store your earrings properly. Diamond earrings will have less wear and tear if you store them properly. That means you shouldn't just throw them in a drawer. Diamonds can hardly be scratched - except by another diamond.
   • For that reason you should not keep them together. The diamonds can scratch each other.
   • Avoid handling the earrings too often. Your hands contain skin oil, which makes diamonds dull.
3. Insure them. Sometimes your household insurance also has cover for lost or stolen jewelry. Check your insurance policy. If it is not covered, it may be wise to adjust your policy conditions to include the earrings.
   • Of course, whether this is worth it depends on how much the earrings cost, but it also depends on whether they represent great sentimental value.
   • Do your homework and compare the different insurance companies and their insurance policies before choosing one. Also remember to check the deductibility.
4. Have your earrings checked. A certified jeweler will discover weaknesses in your earrings that you would never see. It is therefore a good idea to have the earrings checked if you want the diamonds to maintain their shine.
   • Of course you want to make sure that the setting of the diamonds is not weak, otherwise you could lose the diamond.
   • You should have your diamonds checked by a certified jeweler every year or twice a year.
5. Also consider having your earrings professionally cleaned.
   • Ask your local jeweler if they have an ultrasonic cleaning device. Most jewelers will only charge a standard amount for such a service.
   • If you have extremely dirty diamond earrings that cannot be cleaned otherwise, look for a jeweler who offers sulfuric acid cleaning. Sulfuric acid cleaners are still relatively inexpensive, but they cost a bit more than ultrasonic cleaners. If not done properly, it can damage the jewelry.

Method 4 of 4: Clean gold and silver backs

1. Remove deposits from gold or silver. You can also use household products to remove silver deposits.
   • Take 50 g baking soda and mix it with two tablespoons of water until it becomes a thick paste. Then take a damp sponge and rub it on the silver. Then rinse and dry it.
   • You can also use baking soda to polish gold by sprinkling a thin layer of it on the gold. Then pour vinegar over it and then rinse it off.
   • You can make gold shine a bit more if you pour a little beer on the tip of a towel and rub it over the jewelry.
   • Believe it or not, you can also put silver in ketchup to make it shine more. Do not put the jewelry in the ketchup for more than a few minutes.
2. Use baking soda. This will remove tarnish from earrings with silver backs. You can also polish earrings with gold backs with it.
   • For silver earrings, put 50 g of baking soda with two tablespoons of water in a small container. Dip a damp sponge in the baking soda mixture.
   • Gently rub the baking soda mixture onto the metal backs of both earrings. Dry and polish the earrings with a lint-free cloth. Cover gold earrings with a thin layer of baking soda. Then pour a small amount of vinegar over the back.
   • Rinse it clean with water. Dry and polish the earrings with a lint-free cloth.

Tips

• When cleaning your jewelry, err on the side of caution. Don't soak your earrings too much or scrub them too roughly.
• Note that some of these solutions should not be used for earrings or other jewelry that contains gemstones other than diamonds. Vodka, for example, will damage any gem that is not a crystal.
• Don't do all this with a sink with an open drain. Before you know it, you'll have to call a plumber to get your precious jewelry back from the siphon!
• Don't dry it with a towel or cloth or whatever. Let them air dry!
• The best method is to simply take a tube of toothpaste and put some on an old toothbrush. Then gently brush the earrings, rinse them under water and let them air dry. You may want to consider buying a toothbrush that you keep specifically for cleaning your diamond earrings.

Things you need

• Small container or glass
• Lint-free cloth
• Soft toothbrush
• Cotton pad
• Toothpick
• Tweezers
• Sponge
• Water
• Mild dish soap
• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Ammonia
• Cleaning solution for jewelry
• Glassex
• Sparkling water
• Cleaning tablets for dentures
• Vodka