How to Clean Brass, Silver and Vintage Jewelry

Polish on, polish off.

Friends and customers have asked me how to keep their vintage jewelry clean.

If you are one of those lucky people who only wear gold jewelry, yours is an easy task. Simply rub your jewelry with a soft cloth on occasion and it will maintain its shine indefinitely!

 If your jewelry has gemstones of any sort soak it first in a mixture of ½ cup each of sudsy ammonia and tap water plus a drop of dawn dishwashing detergent. Then using an old soft toothbrush, gently scrub the gemstones both from the front and underside of the setting and rinse with warm water. Dry with a soft cloth and you are ready to go.

The more you wear your jewelry, the easier it is to keep clean. Wouldn’t it be nice if this rule applied to other things like tack and clothing? This is especially the case for sterling silver. Left alone, silver will tarnish fairly quickly, however when worn on a regular basis the natural oils of your skin provide a layer of protection that wards off tarnish for a period of time. To further benefit from this simple trick, make a habit of rubbing your silver between your thumb and forefingers from time to time. This also works with brass and bronze.

 If your jewelry has tarnished more than can be cleaned by simply rubbing with your fingers or a soft cloth, its time to bring in the big guns. A small amount of silver polish on either your fingers or a soft cloth will usually clean tarnished silver and brass fairly quickly. Remember to wash off the remaining residue with warm soapy water afterwards and dry with a soft cloth.

For brass or bronze that is more stubborn, use the method above with brass verses silver polish.

Happy cleaning!