Gold lovers, I need your help!

[Imdanny]

My ring is 10 months old and I noticed it had very small scratches and seemed dull.

I wanted it to look new forever- waaaah! But moving on...

SO bought me "jewelry wipes" (brand is "Connoisseurs") and the directions say you can use it on gold...

SO had to do it because I didn't want to wear the gold away and I almost had a panic attack until he agreed to stop and give it back to me.

I couldn't see any scratches and the dullness was gone.

I have a couple of questions.

1. It had tarnish that came off on the white jewelry wipe. Was this dirt or tarnish? I didn't know gold tarnishes?

2. How safe is this? Will it wear the gold away? How often should I do it?

3. How do you clean/ polish your gold rings? How often do you do it?

Thanks!

 

[distracts]

1. It had tarnish that came off on the white jewelry wipe. Was this dirt or tarnish? I didn't know gold tarnishes?

2. How safe is this? Will it wear the gold away? How often should I do it?

3. How do you clean/ polish your gold rings? How often do you do it?

1. It was probably metal. Gold alloys can tarnish if they have a high enough amount of tarnishy metal in the alloy - for instance, 10k rose gold tarnishes a lot more than others because of the high amount of copper. So I doubt yours was tarnished at all. Now that I've typed the word "tarnish" a lot it looks really ridiculous.

2. Polishing is always wearing the gold away because you actually "remove scratches" by removing the metal around the scratches until they are all the same level. Do it as needed/as you want to, but doing it more will wear away more metal.

3. I clean them in jewelry cleaner every week (or roughly every week's worth of wear - so rings that get worn less get cleaned less, but I do clean them roughly every 7-10 wears). I polish gold rings roughly every 5-10 years, depending on the wear. I polish platinum rings every 1-3 years, depending on the wear. I find that cleaning regularly in liquid jewelry cleaner (since your ring is gold, I'd get ammonia-free and change it out every six months) makes little scratches MUCH less noticeable, which means you don't need to polish as often.

 

[rosetta]

I too am hesitant to polish my gold rings, due to metal loss. Have you ever seen very old gold rings? They can be worn much thinner than they started off.

Platinum I'm much happier to polish more often.

 

[Imdanny]

1. It was probably metal. Gold alloys can tarnish if they have a high enough amount of tarnishy metal in the alloy - for instance, 10k rose gold tarnishes a lot more than others because of the high amount of copper. So I doubt yours was tarnished at all. Now that I've typed the word "tarnish" a lot it looks really ridiculous.

2. Polishing is always wearing the gold away because you actually "remove scratches" by removing the metal around the scratches until they are all the same level. Do it as needed/as you want to, but doing it more will wear away more metal.

3. I clean them in jewelry cleaner every week (or roughly every week's worth of wear - so rings that get worn less get cleaned less, but I do clean them roughly every 7-10 wears). I polish gold rings roughly every 5-10 years, depending on the wear. I polish platinum rings every 1-3 years, depending on the wear. I find that cleaning regularly in liquid jewelry cleaner (since your ring is gold, I'd get ammonia-free and change it out every six months) makes little scratches MUCH less noticeable, which means you don't need to polish as often.

Thanks for the tip!

My ring is 18 kt yellow gold. What was on the cloth was black. So you think this was gold, and not an alloyed metal? I want to make sure I understand what you're saying.

What is the definition of "tarnish"? I'm unclear about that.

 

[Imdanny]

I too am hesitant to polish my gold rings, due to metal loss. Have you ever seen very old gold rings? They can be worn much thinner than they started off.

Platinum I'm much happier to polish more often.

Yes!

I've seen old gold rings where the part worn on the bottom of the finger is almost almost gone. It would ruin my ring which is just a plain gold band.

Now I'm wondering how much the amount of hours per day a gold ring affects the rate at which they wear. Anyone have an opinion?

I'm torn between wearing it and not wearing it which is silly because one wants to wear a plain gold band.

 

[Monnyjay]

Imdanny my 18ct solid gold wedding band is almost 25 years old, it really hasn't worn much at all except for
were my engagement ring has been against it.


A lot of people would probably be horrified but I clean it with Brasso and or Silvo, just a small dab on a soft cloth and I gently rub it on. Then I get morning fresh in warm water and swish it around a bit and dry it off with a soft cloth. It cleans it beautifully and I have been
doing this way for years.

 

[chrono]

I have 22kt gold and it tarnishes. It becomes blackish over time. My rings are fine but not my bracelet and anklet which are exposed to a lot of dirt and sweat. A quick light hand polish should only remove the tarnish on the surface of the metal, which makes it buttery yellow and shiny new again.
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/wgc-gold-karat-tarnish.htm

However, you mentioned scratches and that those are now no longer visible. It sounds to me as though the metal must have been polished away in order to look smooth again. Either that or the fact that because the tarnish is now removed, the scratches are less visible because it blends in better with the metal instead of being dark?

 

[JewelFreak]

Danny -- Wikipedia: "Tarnish is a product of a chemical reaction between a metal and a nonmetal compound, especially oxygen and sulfur dioxide. It is usually a metal oxide, the product of oxidation. Sometimes it is a metal sulfide."

Gold is inert, therefore if what you're seeing is tarnish, it's the alloys ( 25% in 18K yellow gold, silver, some copper) oxydizing. Could also be dirt, or both. I clean my gold in liquid jewelry cleaner -- actually, mild soap & water would do as well probably. Once in a while I put it in my ultrasound cleaner (for items without stones) & it comes out shiny as the day it was born.

Antique gold pieces develop a patina that is often much admired; it's actually surface tarnish, probably of the copper content. It looks lovely.

Since 18K is softer than 14K, some scratching is inevitable. It's proof of the higher gold content!

Any ring will show wear -- imo that means it's been loved. Polishing will not make it fragile -- maybe in 50 yrs it will become a tiny bit thinner -- demonstrating that it was part of someone's entire life & love. My great-great-grandmother's wedding ring is a flat 18K band about 3mm wide -- it's SO thin, irregular in places -- and speaks to me of hands doing work over a long life and the love in an enduring marriage.

Keep it as nice as you wish without worry, and if it doesn't look like it just popped out of the box, it only reflects SO's & your good constructive lives together. Good juju!

--- Laurie

 

[Imdanny]

Imdanny my 18ct solid gold wedding band is almost 25 years old, it really hasn't worn much at all except for
were my engagement ring has been against it.


A lot of people would probably be horrified but I clean it with Brasso and or Silvo, just a small dab on a soft cloth and I gently rub it on. Then I get morning fresh in warm water and swish it around a bit and dry it off with a soft cloth. It cleans it beautifully and I have been
doing this way for years.

Monnyjay, 25 years... that's great!

I'm sorry but what are Brasso and Silvo made of?

 

[chrono]

Per Wiki
The label of Australian Brasso lists "Liquid Hydrocarbons 630g/L; Ammonia 5g/L", whereas the Material Safety Data Sheet for Brasso in North America lists: isopropyl alcohol 3-5%, ammonia 5-10%, silica powder 15-20% and oxalic acid 0-3% as the ingredients.[2] However, the Australian version contains kaolin and quartz instead of silica for abrasives.[3]

The online data sheet for Brasso wadding in the UK lists the ingredients as C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, C14-18 and C16-18 unsaturated Fatty acids, Kaolinite, Aqua, Ammonium Hydroxide and Iron Hydroxide. Brasso liquid lists a slightly different mix; C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, Kaolin, C12-20 Saturated and Unsaturated Monobasic Fatty Acids, Aqua and Ammonium Hydroxide. Also available are ingredients in a discontinued recipe for Brasso. Wadding: C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, Ammonium Tallate and Colorant. Liquid: C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, Kaolin and Ammonium Tallate.[4]

 

[Imdanny]

I have 22kt gold and it tarnishes. It becomes blackish over time. My rings are fine but not my bracelet and anklet which are exposed to a lot of dirt and sweat. A quick light hand polish should only remove the tarnish on the surface of the metal, which makes it buttery yellow and shiny new again.
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/wgc-gold-karat-tarnish.htm

However, you mentioned scratches and that those are now no longer visible. It sounds to me as though the metal must have been polished away in order to look smooth again. Either that or the fact that because the tarnish is now removed, the scratches are less visible because it blends in better with the metal instead of being dark?

Thanks for the link!

I'm not sure what happened because he did it. I could make myself do it. to do iit. He told me it was tarnish. I was surprised.

I really couldnt say because this is the first time I've done this. The scratches were tiny and could only be seen by holding the ring in sunlight or under the iphone camera flash/ flashlight. They could still be there. I'll look because I'm thinking I want to use one of these wipe things again. Interestingly enough I have had moments where I thought the ring was gouged and it was in fact a shadow. LOL!

We agreed the next time I'm actually going to it myself. That was too stressful. He said it just took off tarnish. I thought I'll do some research before I decide when and how to take care of it. I'm glad I did. This is very helpful and interesting.

 

[Imdanny]

Per Wiki
The label of Australian Brasso lists "Liquid Hydrocarbons 630g/L; Ammonia 5g/L", whereas the Material Safety Data Sheet for Brasso in North America lists: isopropyl alcohol 3-5%, ammonia 5-10%, silica powder 15-20% and oxalic acid 0-3% as the ingredients.[2] However, the Australian version contains kaolin and quartz instead of silica for abrasives.[3]

The online data sheet for Brasso wadding in the UK lists the ingredients as C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, C14-18 and C16-18 unsaturated Fatty acids, Kaolinite, Aqua, Ammonium Hydroxide and Iron Hydroxide. Brasso liquid lists a slightly different mix; C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, Kaolin, C12-20 Saturated and Unsaturated Monobasic Fatty Acids, Aqua and Ammonium Hydroxide. Also available are ingredients in a discontinued recipe for Brasso. Wadding: C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, Ammonium Tallate and Colorant. Liquid: C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, Kaolin and Ammonium Tallate.[4]

Thanks, Chrono!

 

[Imdanny]

Danny -- Wikipedia: "Tarnish is a product of a chemical reaction between a metal and a nonmetal compound, especially oxygen and sulfur dioxide. It is usually a metal oxide, the product of oxidation. Sometimes it is a metal sulfide."

Gold is inert, therefore if what you're seeing is tarnish, it's the alloys ( 25% in 18K yellow gold, silver, some copper) oxydizing. Could also be dirt, or both. I clean my gold in liquid jewelry cleaner -- actually, mild soap & water would do as well probably. Once in a while I put it in my ultrasound cleaner (for items without stones) & it comes out shiny as the day it was born.

Antique gold pieces develop a patina that is often much admired; it's actually surface tarnish, probably of the copper content. It looks lovely.

Since 18K is softer than 14K, some scratching is inevitable. It's proof of the higher gold content!

Any ring will show wear -- imo that means it's been loved. Polishing will not make it fragile -- maybe in 50 yrs it will become a tiny bit thinner -- demonstrating that it was part of someone's entire life & love. My great-great-grandmother's wedding ring is a flat 18K band about 3mm wide -- it's SO thin, irregular in places -- and speaks to me of hands doing work over a long life and the love in an enduring marriage.

Keep it as nice as you wish without worry, and if it doesn't look like it just popped out of the box, it only reflects SO's & your good constructive lives together. Good juju!

--- Laurie

Laurie, thanks! Your posts speak to my heart. I love the story of your great-great-grandmother's ring. I worry too much. SO, Juju, and I send our warmest regards.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Oh please wear your beautiful ring! How I love mine! I don't mind a little soft glow from it being worn--I know they are scratches of "appreciation"!

P.S. I will be in Maui this summer for a month. Will you be around?

cheers--Sharon

 

[Monnyjay]

Imdanny my 18ct solid gold wedding band is almost 25 years old, it really hasn't worn much at all except for
were my engagement ring has been against it.


A lot of people would probably be horrified but I clean it with Brasso and or Silvo, just a small dab on a soft cloth and I gently rub it on. Then I get morning fresh in warm water and swish it around a bit and dry it off with a soft cloth. It cleans it beautifully and I have been
doing this way for years.

Monnyjay, 25 years... that's great!

I'm sorry but what are Brasso and Silvo made of?

That's good Chrono stepped in with the chemical ratios/data! Hopefully, it doesn't cause any harm, I use the tiniest amount.

Imdanny, there is no need to worry about wear and tear, yellow gold to me looks better as it ages and as someone else mentioned it just
gets a little thinner. Mine will take a very long time to wear out, it weighs a tonne (can't remember grams off hand) and it is approx
9 or 10 mil wide. If you go back through my posts you will see it, (can't attach) it has a heart shaped diamond bezel. I hardly ever
take it off (only if gardening).

So, enjoy wearing your lovely Cartier and show that baby off!

 

[HopeDream]

I've heard that gold is soft, so it will tend to pick up bit of harder things that will "moosh" into it over time (like how small rocks can get stuck between the rubber treads on your shoes) I think part of cleaning your ring must have dislodged the bits of microdust your rig had picked up.

I've also heard that because gold is soft but dense, dings and dents will move metal to the sides of the indent (deforming the ring on a micro level), but because gold is so dense the material stays, rather than being carried away (like if you were to dent playdough). polishing the ring can move the bits of deformed gold back into place.

The higher the karat of gold the stronger these properties will be.

If you test gold on a streak plate ( scratch gold against a rough peice of tile/ceramic - a common mineral test in geology) you know it's real gold because the streak will be yellow,

If the tarnish/gunk/whatever your SO polished off your ring was grey/black/not yellow you know that whatever he's removing isn't gold, so don't worry. (If it is yellow, make him stop).

Gold rings worn next to eachother will start to wear when they pick up harder materials and then start to grind away at eachother. See the threads about we aring different metals/alloys next to each other for more details.