How to care for silver and gold jewellery: tarnish, cleaning and storage

Precious metals are durable, but they are not maintenance free. Silver darkens, gold scratches, plating wears through, and stones can loosen or be damaged by the wrong cleaner. Most of that is avoidable with a little knowledge of what is happening and why.

This guide explains tarnish, how to store and clean silver, gold and plated pieces, which gemstones need special care, and when a jeweller should look at your piece. If the person who made your jewellery gave you care instructions, follow those first. They know the metal, the stones and any treatments.

The advice here comes from conservators and gemmological sources: the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), which advises museums on caring for silver, and GIA, the Gemological Institute of America.

Key takeaways

• Tarnish is a thin layer of silver sulphide caused by sulphur gases in the air, and the CCI says it speeds up as humidity rises; it recommends keeping silver below 50% relative humidity.
• Store silver wrapped and sealed, away from wool, felt and rubber, which the CCI lists among sources of sulphur.
• For most gold, silver and many stones, GIA's safest method is warm water, a few drops of mild dish soap and a soft brush kept only for jewellery.
• Every polish removes a little silver, so the CCI advises polishing gently and only when necessary.
• GIA says ultrasonic cleaners are unsuitable for fracture-filled, oiled, coated, heat-treated, heat-sensitive and organic gems, including emerald, opal, tanzanite and pearl.
• Have rings checked by a jeweller regularly; claws wear and stones can work loose.

Why silver tarnishes

The CCI explains that silver reacts with sulphur-containing gases in the air, mainly hydrogen sulphide, to form silver sulphide. On sterling silver, the copper in the alloy forms copper sulphide too. As the layer thickens, it passes through yellow, red-brown and blue before it looks black, which is the true colour of silver sulphide.

How fast this happens depends on what is around the silver. The CCI's list of sulphur sources includes eggs and some other foods, wool and wool felt, rubber (including rubber bands and latex gloves), some paints, clays and glues, and poor-quality plasterboard. To show how strong the effect can be, it notes that silver kept near a freshly boiled egg in a closed container tarnishes within minutes rather than months. Humidity matters too: for the same level of hydrogen sulphide, tarnish forms faster in damp air.

Skin matters too. The CCI notes that salts and oils from hands can mark silver and leave fingerprints, which is why museum staff handle it in clean cotton gloves. You do not need gloves for a ring you wear, but a quick wipe with a soft cloth before you put a piece away removes those residues before they settle in.

Tarnish is not damage in itself. It sits on the surface and can be removed. The damage usually comes from removing it too often or too harshly.

Storing silver and gold

The CCI's storage advice for museum silver translates well to a jewellery box:

• Wrap each piece in acid-free, sulphur-free tissue, or in a tarnish-inhibiting cloth.
• Seal pieces in a polyethylene bag, ideally with a sachet of silica gel to keep humidity down and activated charcoal to absorb gases.
• Keep silver away from wool, felt and rubber.
• Do not lacquer or wax jewellery to stop tarnish; the CCI notes that uneven coatings can make tarnish worse.

Store pieces separately so they do not scratch each other. GIA notes that a diamond can be scratched by other diamonds, so pieces with diamonds should not be stored loose together. Separate compartments or individual pouches solve that.

Cleaning by metal

Everyday cleaning

GIA's general advice is to wipe jewellery with a soft cloth to remove dust and skin oil, which it says is safe for any gem or metal. For a deeper clean, it recommends warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush kept only for jewellery, which it calls the safest choice for most gems, including delicate and porous stones. Rinse in clean water and dry with a soft cloth. Put a bowl or a plug in the sink first; GIA warns against cleaning over an open drain.

Silver

For tarnish, the CCI recommends products made for silver, not general metal polishes, which remove more metal. A silver polishing cloth is the gentlest option and works well for light tarnish. It also notes:

• Many commercial polishes contain ammonia, which can dissolve copper from sterling silver and leave green residue in crevices.
• Old, dried-out polish becomes more abrasive, so keep containers closed.
• Chemical dips work fast but are acidic. They damage niello, the black inlay found on some silver, and must never be used on pieces with sealed hollow parts, because the liquid gets in and cannot be washed out.

Some silver is darkened on purpose, a finish often called oxidised. Polishing or dipping will remove it. If you are not sure whether the dark areas are tarnish or a finish, ask the maker.

Gold

Gold does not tarnish the way silver does, but lower carat golds contain more of other metals, and every gold alloy scratches with wear. GIA suggests commercial jewellery cleaners are fine for most gold pieces, with the important exception of the stones set in them. Warm soapy water and a soft brush are enough most of the time. GIA advises avoiding chlorine and other bleaching agents, so take rings off before a chlorinated pool or cleaning with bleach.

Plated pieces

Plated jewellery has a thin layer of gold, rhodium or another metal over a different metal underneath. UK assay office guidance limits plating applied to hallmarked articles to no more than 2 micrometres, and gold plated silver must be described as silver with the words "gold plated". Because the layer is thin, abrasive cloths, polishes and dips can wear through it. Clean plated pieces with a damp soft cloth and a little mild soap, dry them well, and accept that areas that rub, such as the underside of a ring, will wear first.

Stones that need special care

The metal is often the easy part. GIA's guidance on ultrasonic cleaners is the clearest summary of which stones are at risk. It advises against ultrasonic cleaning for:

Category	Examples given by GIA
Fracture-filled stones	Filled diamonds and emeralds
Organic materials	Pearl, coral, amber, jet, shell cameos
Oiled, impregnated or coated stones	Emerald, lapis lazuli, malachite, opal
Heat-treated stones	Star ruby and star sapphire; caution with transparent ruby and sapphire
Heat-sensitive stones	Tanzanite, moonstone, opal, topaz, turquoise, zircon, kunzite, fluorite, iolite

GIA also warns that ultrasonic vibration can loosen stones, so settings should be checked before and after. Its 2015 cleaning guide adds that ammonia-based cleaners are unsuitable for organic or porous gems such as coral, pearl and turquoise. For any of these stones, use a soft cloth, or warm soapy water applied briefly with a soft brush, and do not soak them. If you do not know whether your stone has been treated, the maker or the grading report should say. If neither does, treat it as delicate.

Do not use steam cleaners at home unless your jeweller has told you the piece can take it.

When to have claws and settings checked

Claws (prongs) are thin, and they wear down with every knock. GIA says a diamond should be professionally cleaned and re-examined from time to time, because stones can be chipped or come loose. It does not give an interval. Many jewellers suggest roughly every six months for a ring worn daily: Schiffman's, for example, recommends a professional inspection every six months and a self-check each month.

Between visits, check for:

• a stone that looks loose or moves in its setting;
• claws that are bent, broken or turned out of line;
• a missing small stone in a pavé or channel setting.

If you notice any of these, stop wearing the piece and take it to a jeweller. Repairing a claw costs far less than replacing a lost stone.

Keep the care notes with the piece

Care depends on details you will forget: the metal and fineness, whether a stone is treated, whether a finish is deliberate. Keep the maker's notes with the jewellery, or make a care card with the care card tool. Our guide to care cards for handmade objects explains what to include.

Sources

• Silver: care and tarnish removal, CCI Notes 9/7, Canadian Conservation Institute: tarnish as silver sulphide, storage, polishes, ammonia, dips, niello, hollow parts, electrochemical cleaning, polishing removes silver
• Understanding how silver objects tarnish, Canadian Conservation Institute: hydrogen sulphide, copper sulphide on sterling, list of sulphur sources, boiled egg demonstration, humidity, below 50% RH, colour progression
• Gems and ultrasonic cleaners, GIA 4Cs: gems unsuitable for ultrasonic cleaning, loosening of stones, warm soapy water for delicate gems
• Holiday buying guide: how to clean jewelry, GIA 4Cs: soft cloth, warm soapy water and soft brush, gold and silver cleaners, avoid chlorine, bleach, toothpaste and abrasives, ammonia and porous gems, open drains
• Diamond care, GIA 4Cs: diamonds can be scratched by other diamonds, professional cleaning and re-examination from time to time
• How often should I have my engagement ring checked?, Schiffman's: six-monthly inspection, monthly self-check, signs of worn prongs
• Hallmarking guidance notes, Assay Offices of Great Britain (November 2022): plating limit of 2 micrometres after hallmarking, describing gold plated silver