Gold jewelry will lose its luster over time. The metal becomes dark, dull. In order for gold products to always have an attractive appearance, they must be cleaned regularly. You can provide this work to jewelers, or you can do everything yourself. How gold is refined, we consider in the article.
Jewelry is made from various types of gold, they differ in shade. Yellow gold is considered the most popular. To clean it, you can buy a special tool in a jewelry store.
And if there is no special tool, how can they purify gold? Cheaper methods are also available ; the end result will be no worse. Consider the most popular of them.
Hydrogen peroxide
How to clean gold at home with this tool? You will need:
- water - 1 cup;
- peroxide - 50 ml;
- ammonia - 1 tsp;
- liquid soap - 1 tsp.
The components are mixed and placed in a ready-made solution of gold for 20 minutes, and then thoroughly washed in clean water, dried. The decoration becomes clean, as with a purchase.
Ammonia
How to clear gold from black? To do this will allow ammonia. Ammonia can also clean other people's gold, since jewelry bought from a hand often does not shine.
To tidy the metal, you will need:
- warm water - 200 ml;
- ammonia 10% - ½ tsp;
- shampoo - 1 tsp.
The components must be mixed and put gold in this solution for several hours. Such a procedure should be carried out in a well-ventilated area so as not to inhale a pungent odor. After the jewelry is wiped with a dry cloth.
But this method is not suitable for processing jewelry with precious stones - they fade.
Detergent
How to clean gold from iodine? You can use dishwashing detergent.
Pour a glass of water into a small pot, add a few drops of detergent and put decorations. Bring the water to a boil, boil for another 10 minutes, then remove, rinse and dry.
Salt
And with what else can gold be refined? Salt will help:
- It is necessary to prepare a solution of hot water (150 ml) and salt (60 g). Put gold jewelry in it. Leave for a few hours.
- Then remove, rinse under cold water and dry with a towel.
Salt is an effective remedy for pollution, decorations gain their original beauty and luster. The method is suitable for different types of jewelry, including stones.
Foil
You can try to clean the gold with soda. For this, foil and water are still needed. 50 g of soda are dissolved in hot water (500 ml). The foil is placed on the bottom of a deep container. Top with decorations and pour a solution of soda. Leave for 10 hours, then washed in cold water and wiped dry.
What if nothing helps?
If the above methods do not help, the dirt may have deeply eaten. How is gold refined in this case? Need mechanical cleaning.
You need to act very carefully. To avoid scuffs and scratches, do not use abrasive products, there are more sparing ones. These are special pastes for cleaning. A small amount is applied to the toothbrush with soft bristles and smoothly carefully treat the surface of the product. After a while, the paste is removed with a napkin, the gold is wiped with alcohol. After that, you need to wash it with water and wipe dry.
Folk remedies
How is gold still refined? The following methods are effective:
- The napkin is moistened in onion juice or vinegar and wiped with gold products. Leave for 2 hours. After which they must be rinsed with clean water and dried.
- Helps to eliminate dirt on jewelry and ordinary lipstick. Titanium dioxide, which is part of it, will help in this. Lipstick lubricates a cotton pad and process jewelry. After a while, wipe with a clean cloth.
- You can clear yellow gold with sugar. It is enough to dissolve one teaspoon in a glass of water and put decorations. After 3 hours, they must be removed and wiped dry.
- A mixture of petroleum jelly, honey, soap and water helps. The components must be mixed in the same amount and surface treated products. But for jewelry with stones this method will not work.
- Mustard powder provides an excellent effect. They wipe the surface.
White gold
Yellow gold refining methods are not suitable for white. This material is more prone to scratches, therefore, requires more accurate processing.
You can try the following:
- Only soft materials are used for cleaning. The surface of such jewelry is treated with rhodium. This is a rare platinum group metal. It is quickly erased, so the treatment is carried out with a soft pile cloth.
- Use a solution of water and ammonia. Precious products are kept in it for an hour, and then wiped with a dry cloth. It is advisable not to leave moisture on such gold, as this can ruin the metal.
- Powders and pastes are not suitable for cleaning.
- There is another recipe for removing contaminants. Beer (2 tbsp. L.) Is mixed with egg yolk. Gold jewelry is treated with this mixture using a soft cloth.
With precious stones
Now it is known how gold is refined. But these methods are not suitable for cleaning products with stones. Such products may not tolerate moisture. Special tools needed:
- Dirt is removed with cotton swabs soaked in cologne, and the frame is rubbed with a soft toothbrush dipped in soapy water.
- Before cleaning, you need to see how the stones are fixed. If they are glued, then water should not be used. To do this, you can choose an alcohol solution, it cleans grease spots well. Then you should wipe the surface with a damp cloth and dry.
- Jewelery with diamonds is cleaned with ammonia. They need to be placed in a solution (6 drops per 200 ml of water) for half an hour. Then wipe with a cotton swab and blot with paper.
- For cleaning, gasoline is used. Toothbrushes with soft bristles need to be moistened with gasoline and treated with jewelry.
A hardness factor is used for gemstones. Knowing this indicator, you can choose the appropriate method of purification. Turquoise, malachite, opal, apatite are considered soft stones. They do not tolerate prolonged contact with moisture.
For high-quality cleaning of products with precious inserts, a regular soap solution is suitable. Rinse the jewelry in it for several minutes, then wipe it dry. Vinegar and ammonia are not suitable for amber, pearls, coral. But you can use the following methods:
- Alcohol and water are diluted in a ratio of 1: 1. This solution is suitable for high-quality cleaning.
- Pearl processing is carried out with a soap solution. Dip a soft brush into it and wipe the pearls. The product must dry naturally. The golden cut is wiped with a cloth without touching the stone.
- Coral and amber are treated with suede or flannel fabric.
Shoe Gold Chain
Gold chains are pretty popular jewelry. But over time, they can darken, accumulate dirt. The following methods are used for cleaning:
- It is necessary to prepare a solution of warm water and laundry soap. A gold chain is placed in it for several hours. Then, with a hard-bristled toothbrush, the surface must be treated. Then the decoration is washed with cold water and laid out on a towel to dry.
- To remove old stains, the above procedure is repeated several times or using deep cleaning. To do this, you need ammonia (25%). In a container, place the chain and fill with ammonia, leave for 2 hours. Then rinse with water and dry.
- An excellent effect is the use of a mixture of chalk, liquid paraffin, soap, water. The components must be mixed in equal proportions. In the resulting solution, moisten the cloth and wipe the entire chain. Then rinse in clean water and dry. The chain will get its original shine.
Care
You can use special products that cleanse the gold and help restore the jewelry to its original appearance. They are found in the form:
- solution;
- cleaning paste;
- spray;
- wet and dry wipes.
The choice of funds depends on the type of gold and the presence of precious stones. In this case, it is possible not only to qualitatively clean gold items, but also to prevent surface damage.
Cleaning rules
All of these methods can be harmful if they are used for other purposes. Common mistakes include:
- surface treatment with a stiff brush with an abrasive agent;
- cleaning precious stones and gold with one and the same tool, especially if it is not intended for stone processing.
Thus, it is necessary to eliminate pollution from gold carefully, choosing suitable means. And if there are dark spots or dirt that cannot be washed, it is preferable to entrust such treatment to a professional. In this case, you don’t have to worry about the quality of work and the final result.