We are all spending more time at home right now, and if you find yourself with a little extra time on your hands, you may have noticed that your jewelry could use a good clean. Of course, a trip to your local mall or independent jeweler might not be feasible, but the good news is you can make a big difference to your jewelry without even leaving the house.

Take a look at your engagement ring, your necklace, your huggies – really any piece of gold and diamond jewelry you wear often. You may notice buildup and grime from dead skin cells, lotions and other products is clinging to your jewels, but don’t despair! It’s easily removed with our favorite secret weapon – ordinary dish soap. Specialized products are available, but dish soap works great. In a small dish or bowl, create a solution of dish soap and warm water. Drop in your jewelry and leave it to soak – be sure to keep your pieces apart, there’s no need to get your necklaces tangled together! You can agitate the pieces a little to make sure the soapy water gets into all the nooks and crannies, and for particularly stubborn grime, gently use a very soft brush (like a baby toothbrush) on the affected area. Try not to use a scrubbing motion, especially not on micropave stones, as this can loosen the prongs. Similarly, if you have an ultrasonic cleaner, it’s not advised to use this on micropave for similar reasons. Once it’s squeaky clean, rinse in clean water and dry thoroughly. We love to give our freshly rinsed jewelry a blowout with our hair dryer, to make sure it is thoroughly dry. Putting on wet jewelry will cause more buildup, and you might get waterspots!

We hope you find this post useful, and that your jewelry is sparkling like new! Keep an eye on the blog for more information about how to care for your jewelry (Tangled chains? Loose backings? No problem!) in the coming weeks.