How to clean jewelry?

How to clean jewelry?

Over time the sweat from your skin, air born contaminants, moisture and corrosion will tarnish the shine and luster of your jewelry. Actually the ways to clean them are not complicated as you may thought. The point is, different metals and stones require different cleaning techniques, so please ensure you are following the relevant instructions.

Cleaning gold jewelry:
Soak for 15 minutes in two cups warm water and a few drops of a mild dishwashing liquid, like Joy.
Softly scrub with a soft-bristle toothbrush.
Rinse with warm water again, and dry it with a soft cloth.

Cleaning diamond jewelry:
Soak the ring in hot water for 10 minutes.
Fill a small dish – such as a contact lens dish – with window cleaner.
Put the jewelry in the dish containing the window cleaner.
Let the ring soak for at least 10 minutes.
Dip an old toothbrush in window cleaner and scrub ring thoroughly for several minutes.
Refill the sink with hot water and soak the ring for a few minutes longer.
Continue scrubbing with the toothbrush, now under a flow of hot water.
Rinse well under hot water.

Cleaning silver jewelry:
Rinse in warm water and pat dry.
If silver is tarnished, use a silver-polishing cloth or a jar of silver-cleaning fluid, such as Goddard’s Silver Dip (you may find them at drugstores).
(Silver cleaner won’t harm gold and platinum, but it won’t clean them, either.)
For jewelry with intricate designs, use a silver-cleaning paste, which can get into small crevices.
(DO NOT use toothpaste or other abrasive cleaners, which will scratch the plated layer.) Wipe with a clean, soft cloth.

Cleaning pearl jewelry:
Rub each pearl individually with a soft, clean cotton cloth dampened with a solution of two cups warm water and a few drops of a mild dishwashing liquid, like Joy.
(Soaking strands of pearls can cause the string to stretch.) Let air-dry overnight.

This article from: http://ilovejewelry.blog.com/2010/05/27/how-to-clean-jewelry/