Jewelry Cleaning

An experienced staff of professional jewelers can help with everything from simple repairs to complete restorations. We can assist in all aspects of jewelry care, including cleaning gemstones, restringing pearls, sizing of rings, and repairing clasps. Moyer offers a complete check of your jewelry and thorough cleaning for free! All jewelry repairs are done in house by three master jewelers in our state-of-the-art repair shop.

Remember: When in doubt, do not clean the jewelry yourself! Always bring it in to the jewelry professionals at Moyer Fine Jewelers to have it cleaned and inspected.

Cleaning and Caring for Your Jewelry

General Jewelry care

Do not use perfume or hairspray on areas that are adorned with jewelry. Do not use lotion or sunscreen near your rings. Lotions will dull the shine of the ring's gems and metal. Do not wear jewelry while playing sports or doing other activities such as gardening, swimming, etc. Do not wear jewelry in chlorinated swimming pools. Chlorine may cause permanent damage to the alloys in your gold. Do not wear jewelry while cleaning with household chemicals. Many of these cleaners contain chlorine bleach, which can permanently damage your gold.

Use common sense when wearing your jewelry. For instance, if you work with young children, it would be inadvisable to wear thin chains or dangling earrings that break easily when yanked. Keeping your jewelry clean (with the methods listed below) will help you to notice if anything on the jewelry needs repair (like loose stones, broken prongs, cracks in the metal, etc).

While it's best to keep all of your jewelry clean, it is especially vital that you keep tennis bracelets clean. Tennis bracelets have many parts that harbor dirt. As they are expensive items (to replace or to fix), we highly recommend cleaning these frequently, either at home, or by professionals at the jewelry store.

Regularly bring your jewelry in to a jewelry store to have the piece inspected for problem areas. This will prevent major problems in the future, and at the very least, you will get a professional cleaning. We recommend that you have your jewelry professionally inspected and cleaned every six months.

DIy jewelry cleaning

You will need an old, gentle toothbrush (or a new toothbrush with soft bristles), and a solution of water and mild, liquid dish detergent (such as Dawn or Joy), mixed in equal proportions. Dip (or soak) your jewelry in the solution. Block the sink's drain, and gently scrub the item, especially around the gemstones. Rinse the piece and either set it aside to dry, or pat it dry. Under no circumstances should you ever clean pearls, coral, emeralds, tanzanite, or other "soft" gemstones with this method! If you have a question about whether certain gemstones can be cleaned, please bring them in for a professional cleaning.

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaners

Ultrasonic cleaners use vibrations to remove dirt from your jewelry. Most that you will find for sale in jewelry and department stores are smaller versions of what professional jewelers use. Generally, you can allow your jewelry to soak in the solution for a few minutes while the cleaner vibrates and warms the solution to deeply clean your jewelry. If you need to, use a soft-bristled toothbrush to scrub the area around the gemstones with the solution. Plug your sink and rinse your jewelry. Then, either air dry or gently pat the jewelry dry. Because the vibrations can further loosen any already loose gemstones, please be sure to check for any loose stones prior to wearing your jewelry again. If you aren’t sure how to check your jewelry for loose stones, bring it in to have a professional jeweler assess the prongs, bezels, channels, etc.

Stones That Are Safe:

Amethyst, Bloodstone, Chalcedony, Chrysoberyl, Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Spinel, Topaz

Pearls

Be gentle with pearls, both when you're wearing them, and when they're stored. When they're stored, keep them wrapped in a cloth or a chamois bag. Do not keep them in plastic, as they need to breathe. After you wear pearls, wipe them down with a soft, clean cloth to remove makeup, dust, and dirt. Do not allow other jewelry to rub up against pearls—they will scratch easily.

Apply hairspray and perfume before putting on pearls. Do not apply perfume to your skin in areas where you will be wearing the pearls. If you notice that the pearls can slide between knots on your pearl strand, it is time for a restringing. If you wear pearls regularly, we recommend that you restring once per year. If you do not wear them regularly, just use your best discretion for when you should have them restrung.

Be sure that your jeweler cleans your pearls when they are being restrung. Do not use regular jewelry cleaner at home. If you want to clean them at home, wash them with mild hand soap and water, but do not soak them. Let the pearls dry for 24 hours on a towel, but do not hang them to dry. You may use jewelry cleaner that has been specifically formulated for pearls.