How To Clean Vintage Jewelry

If you love vintage jewelry, then it's a good idea to know how to clean it as well, so that it's always looking its best. But keep in mind that vintage jewelry is meant to look vintage. It's meant to have a little patina which has developed over the years. This is the beauty of vintage jewelry. If you clean your vintage jewelry too much, it might end up losing the patina completely and will look brand new. It will lose that special vintage/antique look. Here are a few tips to help you clean vintage jewelry:

How To Clean Vintage Jewelry At Home

Rather than taking your vintage jewelry to a jewelry store to get cleaned, why not try to do it yourself? In this section we will teach you how you can easily clean your vintage jewelry at home.

Soap And Water

The first thing you should try on vintage jewelry is just cleaning it with a gentle soap and water. You can use any gentle soap that you might use on your skin, mix it with water and leave the jewelry in it for a few minutes. Then brush the jewelry gently with a toothbrush and rinse. The key is to keep things gentle so that you don't remove the patina completely or loosen the stones. But if one cleaning isn't enough, you can try cleaning again.

Purchase An Ultrasonic Machine

If you are looking for a way to clean your ring like a pro, you can always use an ultrasonic machine to clean vintage jewelry, but don't use it for too long. Keep the cleaning quick or else you might end up damaging the jewelry.

Try Store-Bought Solutions

Many products that are advertised for cleaning jewelry contain ammonia which is very strong. If you're not satisfied with your home cleaning or cleaning in an ultrasonic machine, you can try some store-bought jewelry cleaners. But keep in mind how strong they are, and don't use them for too long. Plus, make sure that you get the right type of cleaner for the type of jewelry that you have. There are different cleaners for gold, silver, platinum etc. Err on the side of caution by using less of the solution and just give the jewelry a quick cleaning.

Post-Cleaning

Remember to wash out all the soap when you clean jewelry at home. And don't put your jewelry away before it dries. Additionally, you can also get a polishing cloth which will add some shine back to your vintage jewelry.

Get Your Vintage Jewelry Professionally Cleaned

If you have tried cleaning your jewelry at home but still can't seem to get it perfect, then you may need to take it to an expert. It is a good idea to look online for a local professional who specializes in vintage jewelry. The reason for this is that they will have all the knowledge needed to make your vintage jewelry shine, without damaging it or losing its vintage style.


Contact Addessi Jewelers to learn more about cleaning your vintage jewelry at home.