All The Tips You Need To Keep Your Gold-Plated Jewelry Looking Good As New

If you are looking for a way to make a sparkling statement with any look, turn to gold jewelry. These pieces will elevate your look while adding a touch of classic glamour. Although pure gold pieces may cost you a small fortune, gold-plated jewelry may be a bit more wallet-friendly. Even though they still contain gold, gold-plated jewelry doesn't contain as much gold which lowers the cost significantly.

Despite the lower cost, gold-plated jewelry should still be taken care of properly to prevent tarnishing or rusting. According to Frost NYC, gold-plated jewelry could last around two years before tarnishing. However, this can either be extended or shortened depending on multiple factors just as the amount of wear and care.

Like any piece of accessories or jewelry, taking care of it properly is important for it to keep its quality and appearance. Although it's difficult for gold-plated jewelry to last forever, there are still some steps you can take to be able to extend the life of your jewelry.

While taking care of your jewelry you want to make sure that you are keeping them dry and clean.

According to Quick Jewelers Repair, wearing your jewelry in the shower or while handling any type of liquid is a rapid way to tarnish the items. Showers are dangerous to jewelry because of the chemicals in your shampoos and body washes that can damage your jewelry. Apart from the chemicals in these products, the humidity of the shower also causes the metals to tarnish. When gold jewelry begins to tarnish it will turn into different colors ruining the appearance.

One of the last places you want to wear your jewelry is when you go out for a swim. Quick Jewelers Repair mentions how chlorine can ruin even a strong metal such as gold, making it essentially the quickest way to ruin gold-plated jewelry.

Along with these settings, you want to avoid wearing jewelry while doing simple activities such as washing dishes or cleaning the house since most cleaning products will also contain chemicals that will erode the metal.

When you have a favorite piece of jewelry, it can be difficult to want to take it off. However, one of the best things you can do for your jewelry is constantly rotating them or giving them a break.

Calla Gold Jewelry recommends constantly giving a break to your jewelry as your PH levels and oils are enough to cause tarnishing on your pieces. When you are sleeping, you tend to sweat and release body oils that can be detrimental to the appearance of these jewelry pieces. This is why you want to avoid sleeping with jewelry on. It's important to note that besides getting oils and sweat on your items, sleeping with your items can cause them to break or snag onto bed sheets or pillow cases.

Keeping your jewelry on a rotation lets your pieces breathe and body sweat or oils dry out instead of damaging the metal. As Olive + Piper states, anytime you sweat can cause this tarnishing and diminish your jewelry pieces, including when wearing them out on a hot day or when working out. If you find that you have sweat or oil on them, be sure to quickly wipe them down before storing them.

Before you go and throw your gold-plated jewelry into the nearest available drawer, be sure you are storing them correctly.

Cult of Sun Jewelry recommends keeping the original pouch that your jewelry arrives, if possible, and storing your jewelry in there. Keeping them in the soft pouch helps them from getting scratched with other pieces or tangled. Having your jewelry saved into individual bags lets you store them without occupying too much space. Cult of Sun also recommends placing your jewelry in a cool and dry place. If you place your gold-plated pieces in direct sunlight, they will start to erode due to the heat and light. Storing your jewelry near water also opens the possibility of your pieces getting exposed to humidity. Being stored in a humid place will quicken the tarnishing process.

Gold Plating also suggests placing your jewelry into a small plastic bag, if you do not have the original soft bag. Putting them into a closed plastic bag limits the oxygen to which the jewelry pieces are exposed. Besides protecting them from getting scratched by other pieces, the plastic bag helps keep them shiny and new.

While you can also use a jewelry organizer, remember to limit the number of pieces you place into one spot as you don't want them to get tangled or rub against each other.

Despite all the precautions you can take with jewelry, they can still get dirty. Cleaning your jewelry pieces also brings out their shine and should happen frequently. Lexi Jordan Jewelry suggests minimally wiping down your jewelry after each wear to remove oils and dirt. If you happen to get drops of alcohol or other chemicals on the ring, you should deep clean them as soon as possible.

To properly clean your jewelry, Estella Bartlett recommends soaking your jewelry in a bowl of mild soap mixed with warm water. Leave your pieces in the solution for a few minutes before taking them out and wiping them down with a soft cloth. Estella Bartlett also reminds us to use a small bristle brush to tackle any engravings or hard-to-reach areas where dirt can hide. Once you've wiped down the pieces, rinse off any remaining soap in warm water and clean them off with a lint-free towel before placing them into storage.

Before you place them back into storage, double check the pieces are dry, as the water can damage the metals.

Just like with water, products such as perfumes and makeup can be bad for gold-plated jewelry. Heart of Gold Jewelry states that it is recommended to put on your jewelry until after your lotions and perfumes have absorbed into the skin. Heart of Gold adds that perfumes have chemicals in them that can cause oxidization and turn the gold black

Because you are directly spraying perfume onto areas where you are wearing jewelry, it is as if you are directly spraying your jewelry with harmful chemicals. This same warning goes for makeup, hair sprays and any type of body care product that can be accidentally sprayed onto them.

Alexandra Kathlyn Accessories explains that since gold-plated usually means that it is only coated with a thin gold layer, meaning it doesn't have as much gold to protect it. All of these makeup products and perfumes' chemicals will create this oxidization if exposed to it.