I sometimes get asked the best way to clean certain types of jewelry so I’m going to share some of my tips. I tend to use more natural methods or thing around the house but if you have jewelry cleaner on hand that will work well.

The Toothpaste Method.

Works best for: Silver jewelry (not chains)

How: Take non-bleach toothpaste and wipe some onto a rag, cloth, or old toothbrush and rub jewelry. Once all the tarnish is gone, rinse and dry. If the tarnish is stubborn you may want to repeat.

The Foil/Baking Soda Method.

Works best for: Silver jewelry including chains and gold-filled jewelery

How: Place a piece of foil shiny side up at the bottom of a bowl. Place jewelry to be shined up on top and sprinkle with baking soda. Pour boiling water on top. It’s important that the jewelry be touching the foil. Repeat as needed. Use tongs to pull jewelry out, rinse, and dry.

If you just need to buff the jewelry I include a small polishing cloth with all of my orders to keep the piece looking shiny and new.

Note: 14k gold may never tarnish (how cool is that!) but if it needs a bit of shine I recommend a polish cloth.

Let me know if you have any questions about specific pieces and I’ll do my best to answer them. Do you have a great at home jewelry cleaning tip? If so please share in the comments below.

Bonus tips: I would recommend storing sterling silver in little plastic bags when not wearing. This helps to keep the air from tarnishing your pieces.