Seven easy ways to keep your jewellery shining for longer

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but not when they’re cloudy! Same goes for silver and gold jewellery which can look tarnished or worn over time.

But you don’t have to have tired looking old jewellery – it can be cleaned up in a jiffy! Here’s 5 of our favourite jewellery cleaning tips.

1. Baking soda 
To remove built-up tarnish from your silver, make a thick paste with 1/4 cup baking soda and 2 tablespoons water. Apply with a damp sponge and gently rub, rinse, and buff dry. To polish gold jewellery, cover with a light coating of baking soda, pour a bit of vinegar over it, and rinse clean. Note: Do not use this technique with jewellery containing pearls or gemstones, as it could damage their finish or loosen any glue.

2. Tomato sauce 
If your silver or gold ring, bracelet, or earring has a smooth surface, dunk it in a small bowl of tomato sauce for a few minutes. If it has a detailed surface, use an old toothbrush to work the sauce into the crevices. To avoid damaging the silver, don’t leave the sauce on any longer than necessary. Rinse your jewellery clean, dry it, and it’s ready to wear.

3. Window cleaner
Use window cleaner to spruce up jewellery that is all metal or has crystalline gemstones, such as diamonds or rubies. Spray on the cleaner, then use an old toothbrush for cleaning. But don’t do this if the piece has opaque stones such as opal or turquoise or organic gems such as coral or pearl.

4. Beer 
Before you drink all your beer, it might be the perfect time to quickly clean your ring or bracelet, gold or silver. Pour a bit of beer (not dark ale) onto a soft cloth and gently polish your gold or silver. They’ll be sparkling again in no time.

5. Vodka
For diamonds and other gemstones (that are not crystals) that can’t be beer-washed, a little vodka would work like a charm. Drop your jewellery into a small bit of vodka for a few minutes and wipe it with a soft cloth to see the sparkle return to your precious gems.

6. Soda water
Give your precious and semi-precious gemstone baubles soda/tonic water bath. Soak your precious items in a glass of soda water overnight and wipe dry.

7. Shampoo and water
There’s very few cleaning methods that tackle cleaning of porous materials like pearls and turquoise, even though these are some of the pieces that can easily lose their lustre. Whether real, cultured, or faux pearls, they must be cleaned with care. First lay the strand on a soft cloth. Dip a clean, small makeup brush into a mixture of warm water and a little shampoo, and go over each pearl. To finish, rinse the pearls with a clean, well-wrung damp cloth. Let the strand dry flat to prevent the string from stretching.

Tell us, do you have any other jewellery cleaning tips to add?