Cleaning Your Jewelry at Home to Stay Healthy

It’s never been more important to practice good personal hygiene, and that includes cleaning the jewelry you wear every day. Although we have temporarily suspended our jewelry cleaning services, we’ve created these guidelines for you to follow at home:

Take off your rings! Many of you say you never take off your rings, but you should. Soap and water, and even hand-sanitizer, do not do an adequate job of cleaning rings underneath stones and around settings. To get into all the places where bacteria and viruses are lurking, you need to provide access to all parts of the ring, and that can’t happen when it’s being worn.

If your ring is too tight, spray Windex liberally on your finger and rotate or wiggle the ring gently over your knuckle. This will work in most cases.

Next, place your ring in a very warm solution of liquid dish soap and let it soak for a while to soften build-up. Twenty minutes at least. (Don’t do this for emeralds, opals, pearls, turquoise or other soft stones. Remove these items until you can have them professionally cleaned.)

After soaking, gently but thoroughly scrub the entire surface with a soft toothbrush that you have specifically designated for cleaning your jewelry. Child-sized toothbrushes are good for getting into tight spaces, underneath stones and between prongs. Rinse under running water, but close the drain first!

Inspect carefully and repeat as necessary. Repeat this process often.

For added insurance, dip your ring in rubbing alcohol and let it air dry.

The same procedure can be used for bracelets, as they are also prone to picking up contaminants from the surfaces we touch.

When in doubt about the safety of these steps on your specific piece of jewelry, don’t hesitate to call us, maybe even send a picture. We’re here to advise and help however we can!

Stay well, and please clean your rings!