To keep its shine, you should clean your jewelry regularly with a solution of 10-parts warm water and 2-parts dish soap. A few extra tips: Soaking is the key: per Real Simple, you should soak your gold jewelry pieces for 3 hours and then scrub them gently with a very soft brush.
It is a common myth that toothpaste is a good way to clean your jewellery. This is actually false. Toothpaste can damage your diamonds, gemstones, gold and silver. Toothpaste is abrasive and has a hardness of around 3/4 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness.
Vinegar. Cleaning your gold and gemstone jewelry couldn't be easier with white vinegar. Simply drop the jewelry into a jar of vinegar and let sit for 10 to15 minutes, agitating occasionally. Remove and scrub with a soft-bristled toothbrush, if necessary.
Baking soda is an excellent DIY cleaner perfect for cleaning precious metals like gold, silver, and gold-plated and silver-plated jewelry. You can even use it on costume jewelry to keep your jewelry pieces shiny.
If your gold is tarnished, you can usually clean it with dish soap and water. Grab a small bowl and fill it with 1–2 cups (240–470 ml) of warm tap water. Then, squirt a few drops of dish soap into your warm water and mix it for 10-15 seconds with a spoon.
Over time, there is a chance that your 10K gold jewelry might tarnish a bit. The tarnish is due to the metal alloy in its composition. However, you can bring back the shine by buffing it out carefully. Taking care of this gold is as simple as taking care of your other gold jewelry.
Dish Detergent & Warm Water
The best homemade jewelry cleaning solution is a mixture of a few drops of Dawn dish detergent in warm, not hot, water. Let the piece sit in the solution for a few minutes, longer if it's very dirty, then gently scrub with a new, baby-size, soft toothbrush.
But just like with 14k solid gold, we recommend keeping it away from chemicals (like the ones found in hot tubs, chlorine pools and harsh cleansers!) as it can dull the shine of your gold. You can always clean and polish your 10k solid gold pieces, though, to get them looking new again.
Since 10k gold has a percentage of pure gold, 10k gold is worth anything that a professional jeweler deems valuable. Keep in mind though, the more wear and tear there is decreases the value of any real gold item.
The cons of 10k gold
Unlike 14k gold, 10k gold is quite dull in color appearance because of its low percentage of gold. In order to make up the full composition of the piece of 10k gold jewelry, the piece usually has nickel alloys mixed in.
If your jewelry is made of pure gold, there is nothing you should worry about when it comes to getting your jewelry wet. Whether it is a gold necklace, bracelet, ring, or earrings, if they are 10K, 14K, 18K, or 22K, gold will not get affected by water.
Never use toothpaste, baking soda, or a commercial metal cleaner on gold. If you use these abrasives, you may scratch the gold. Never use bleach.
3) Windex and Hydrogen Peroxide
While not every household stores hydrogen peroxide, you can pretty much find Windex or another generic window cleaner in every home. These two partners in crime can easily help you clean your gold or silver diamond ring.
10k, 14k, and 18k Breakdown
Because pure gold is naturally yellow in color, the higher the karat, the more yellow the metal will appear.
Jewelers use ultrasonic cleaners with high frequency sound waves and chemicals, which create bubbles that latch on to the dirt on the diamond. The high frequency sound waves pull the dirt away from the stone and bring them up to the surface.
Mix 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup warm water. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ammonia based household cleaner (like a glass cleaner such as Windex) Soak your jewelry in the solution for about 5 minutes & then gently scrub with a soft-toothbrush. Air dry or carefully towel-dry with paper towel or regular cloth.
Most standards around the world identify anything with less than 41.7% or 10 karats of gold as fake. The most reliable way to identify whether your item is real gold, or not, is to have it appraised by a certified jeweler.
Solid Gold (10k, 14k)
Solid gold is a great choice if you're looking for a lifetime piece you can wear everyday and everywhere - yes, even in the shower! Polish with a soft cloth.
Gold also tarnishes while it does not rust underwater. It will lose its shine if it is exposed to water and certain chemicals on a regular basis. Yes, you can shower with a 10K gold chain, but it's best not to do this frequently.
Tarnish occurs on gold jewelry when the gold is exposed to air and oxidizes. Tarnish is a natural occurrence on all gold that is not pure. Some folks like the look of aged, tarnished 10K and 14K gold (called a patina).
Gold jewelry should be gently cleaned weekly to keep it looking shiny and new. All you need to clean most gold jewelry is warm water, dish soap, and a soft-bristled toothbrush.
Why does the gold turns black? Gold turns black when some base metals alloyed with the gold react with or even to oxygen it can eventually discolor or even tarnish your gold jewelry. This Oxidation is working as a chemical reaction in which the electrons are lost.