How to clean tarnish on 18k gold jewelry

[thejadewoman]

I''ve recently taken out some of my 18k gold jewelry pieces which have been languishing in storage for many years.

I noticed they have turned a much darker shade, sort of like a dark pink gold.

Is this oxidation going on? Can anyone give me some advice on how to clean the jewelry to restore the original color? Thanks!

 

[oldmancoyote]

Silver cleaning products work pretty well. I''d prefer wadding or other non-abrasive methods, but given silver is much softer than gold, pretty much anything will work fine.

 

[crown1]

you can get a product called never-dull that works well. it is a wadding like omc suggested but it is not just for silver. you can buy it in the automotive section at places like walmart. i also have had good luck with old pieces just using my ultrasonic. it is not one of the small plastic ones but a brand i bought after it was recommened by cflutist here on ps. i can not recall the brand just now.

 

[diamondringlover]

I have a polishing cloth for tarnish that I bought at the store and it cleans the tarnish well

 

[elle_chris]

I''ve never heard of 14k and higher gold tarnshing. Not sure if it''s oxidation as my mom has had my grandmothers ring for well over 10 years. Never wears it so it stays in the box. It''s still the same yellow color.

I''d just take it to a jeweler and have them clean it.

 

[frdsmth9]

The best way to clean them is with steam. other cleansers and polishes can leave a film. There is a way to do it yourself, without the help of a specific jewelry cleaner. Boil some water on the stove and place a veggie stemer on top and place your jewelry in the steamer and let it steam for about 20 minutes.


That''s ok for Diamonds, Rubies and Sapphires but really BAD for emeralds, pearls, opals and a number of other stones. They might discolor, loose oil (emeralds), crack or simply fall off (glued pearls). The safest way for delicate stones is to use a tooth brush and soap and lukewarm water. Be careful about going from hot to cold water as the stone may fracture internally (such as Tanzanite).

 

[thejadewoman]

Thanks for all your helpful responses!

I ended up getting a silver polishing cloth (which I reckon is impregnated with polish) and it did the trick.

Does this method actually remove a film of gold?

I am also wondering why some of my 18k gold tarnishes and to varying degrees, and some don''t at all. One piece literally turned into a deep copper color...I now wish I''d taken a picture of it before cleaning. Does it mean the gold content is suspect? They were from different but reputable sources.

 

[oldmancoyote]

Yes, the polishing cloth probably did remove an infinitesimal amount of metal - but short of using electrolysis to turn the oxides and sulphides back into the original metal, any method would have, and the amount really is very tiny. If it''s any consolation, you probably removed more copper and silver than gold proper.

As to why some pieces tarnish more easily than others, it depends on what alloy has been used and the condition they are kept in (humidity, presence of sulphur in the atmosphere, etc.). However, if you find that objects marked 18k tarnish easily - i.e. in less than a few years when kept in a dry, dark environment and not in direct contact with air - I''d be curious as to whether the gold content is all that it is supposed to be.