Gold plated jewelry tarnished - what can I do?

Your gold-plated jewelry has tarnished and now you're wondering how to get your timeless favorite piece chic again? Many know the problem! The good news: tarnished spots can usually be removed again. We reveal the best way to do this and give tips so that it doesn't come to that in the first place.

Prevention is better than follow-up care — nothing starts like this

First things first! To prevent this from happening in the first place, you should clean your gold-plated jewelry every time you wear it. It is best to use a soft cotton cloth for this. Make sure that there are no dust or dirt particles on the cloth that could damage your favorite piece. After careful rubbing, it is best to store your piece of jewelery in a small box, a jewelery bag or wrap it in one of our pretty Furoshikis . By the way, you should follow this rule: jewelry is always put on last and taken off first! This avoids contact with cosmetics. Even before swimming: Ciao favorite piece, see you later. Chlorine and salt water are not the best friends of your gold plated piece.

What luck: taking care of your gold-plated jewelry so that it doesn't tarnish so quickly is exactly the wrong tactic! If you rarely wear your gold-plated jewelry, this promotes oxidation, which is responsible for the dark spots. Because: Friction on clothing, skin and surfaces reduces the start-up process rather than speeds it up.

Clean tarnished gold-plated jewelry

The following also applies to gold-plated jewelery that has already tarnished : never use rough or dirty cloths. At first glance, a rough cloth can suggest that it would "remove" the unsightly discolouration. However, this is not the case and it also unnecessarily damages the delicate gold plating. Even sharp cleaning agents or conventional polishes have no place (really nothing) on ​​your piece. No matter how robust the alloy, chemicals of any kind are simply too intense. Even if they seem to help at first: In the long run, the material is attacked, becomes much more sensitive and tarnishes faster. The damage may then be irreversible.

Cleaning gold-plated jewelry – home remedies can also help

Can gold tarnish? Yes! Jewelery that does not tarnish is practically an impossibility. Since it is always a matter of mixed materials, both gold-plated and solid gold jewelery are never completely tarnish-proof. In particular, rose gold-plated jewelry is more sensitive here than yellow gold-plated pieces. This is due to the material mixture of gold, copper and sometimes silver and says nothing about its quality. Fortunately, there are home remedies that can help with stubborn discoloration. You are now asking yourself: "What is the most effective way to clean gold jewelry?" Here are a few tried and tested options:

baking soda and water

Thanks to the fine grinding particles it contains, baking powder or baking soda are suitable for cleaning your tarnished gold jewelry . To do this, mix baking powder or baking soda with a little warm water to form a paste. Spread the mixture on your favorite piece with a cloth. Similar to the silver cleaning cloth, the same applies here: Do not exert too much pressure! The particles contained in the mass have an abrasive effect and can gently clean.

gold polishing cloth

You may have a silver cleaning cloth handy in your cleaning supplies. Here you can simply check whether it is also suitable for gold jewellery. Otherwise, gold polishing cloths, which you can get online or at the drugstore, are the most suitable alternative. You rub them carefully over your tarnished gold-plated jewelery and gently remove the oxidized layer.

ultrasonic tank

Another cleaning way when gold plated jewelry has tarnished ? An ultrasonic tank! But that should really only be considered if home remedies such as baking powder and gold cleaning cloth are not enough. The rapid vibration of the ultrasound cleans even hard-to-reach places on the piece of jewellery. You can get such a device in specialist shops or online. Or you can come to our store. We are happy to clean your jewelery for you on site!

Attention: Not all pieces of jewelery are suitable for cleaning with an ultrasonic device. Especially if you want to clean tarnished gold jewelry that is decorated with stones, you should first check (or ask the retailer) whether the jewelry is suitable for an ultrasonic bath.

Gold-plated jewellery: started yesterday!

As you can see - there are many ways to optically save your tarnished gold-plated jewelry. It is best to read our blog article on cleaning silver jewelry right away. Would you like to read more about the different recycled materials and our sustainable approach? Then you might be interested in our blog article on recycled gold and silver .