Hello Bling Lovers,
Recently members of a jewelry collecting, selling group have been talking about cleaning their rhinestone jewelry. One member used a cleaner called Awesome. He got the piece he was cleaning wet with the solution. He ended up with some of the metal finish/coating come off of the jewelry.
Other members have used Jewelry Joose. (This product is difficult to find) and have gotten the jewelry wet with it. A substitute for Jewelry Joose is a solution of Ivory dish soap.
The problem with any of solutions is getting the jewelry wet. If the rhinestones are foil backed or if the gold or silver is a coating or plate you may end up damaging the pieces. On the other hand dirty jewelry is not attractive and if you want to sell it you must clean it up.
How? To begin, take a soft cloth and gently wipe the piece. You will be amazed at the difference this can make. Then take a Q-tip and try a little alcohol. The alcohol evaporates quickly and cuts through some types of grime. I also use a tad bit of ammonia on a Q-tip if there is greasy dirt.
I admit I have “soaked” pieces in jewelry cleaner with good results. I have scrubbed the soaked pieces with a small brush. But these are pieces with rhodium metal and rhinestones that are not foil backed. I also use a blow dryer to make sure I get the piece totally dry. I leave the piece setting on a towel for a day or two and then repeat the blow drying. I do not want water trapped between the metal and the rhinestone.
I use this for extremely dirty pieces and for limited types or rhinestone jewelry. Hope it is helpful to hear what I do. Take care and research before you make your cleaning choices. Take care, bling lovers! Bernie
Bernie's Vintage Blog 