Like silver or gold, gold-plated jewelry has the disadvantage of darkening if not regularly cared for. After a certain period of use, your jewels will certainly need to regain their lustre. There are several remedies and methods for cleaning gold-plated jewels to restore their original appearance. Find out how your Planetys jeweler can help you maintain your gold-plated jewels to prolong their life. We’ll also show you how to tell the difference between gold and gold-plated jewelry.
What is gold plating?
Gold plating is a technique used in the jewelry industry to coat various materials with a layer of gold to give them a golden appearance. Gold-plated jewelry is often considered to be of little value, but this is a misconception.
In fact, since its inception, gold plating has been used in the design of luxury objects. Not only in jewelry, but also in interior design and watchmaking.
All types of jewelry – rings, bracelets, earrings – can be gold-plated. Either chemically or with gold leaf, depending on the thickness of the plating.
How to tell the difference between gold-plated and gold jewelry?
Differentiating between gold-plated and gold-plated jewelry is generally straightforward once you’ve familiarized yourself with the usual recognition methods.
Gold-plated jewelry most often contains a square hallmark, which makes it easy to distinguish it from a solid gold jewel.
Apart from this distinguishing feature, you can also perform certain tests to easily distinguish a gold-plated jewel from a gold jewel:
The magnet test
The magnet test is one of the most widely used tests for making this distinction. It simply involves placing a magnet close to your jewel, and observing its reaction to the force of attraction.
If the jewel is made of genuine gold, it will not be attracted to the magnet because this material is not a magnetic metal. On the other hand, in the case of gold-plated jewelry, you will observe a movement towards the magnet due to the force of attraction exerted on the metal inside.
The nitric acid test
The nitric acid test is another test that can help you tell the difference between these two types of jewelry. It involves placing your jewel in a stainless steel container, and then adding nitric acid. Thanks to its oxidizing properties, nitric acid causes a chemical reaction on certain materials such as silver and copper, but not on gold.
So, when you see a whitish or greenish reaction after adding this acid, you can deduce that the jewel is not genuine gold. If this were the case, you would not observe any reaction of your jewel to the acid.
Although this test is one of the most reliable, it should preferably be carried out in a jewelry store, under very specific conditions. This is because nitric acid can have harmful effects on the respiratory tract and skin.
However, if you have to do it at home, you need to make sure you are properly protected to avoid injury.
Proper care for your gold-plated jewelry
To help you maintain your gold-plated jewelry successfully, Planetys offers you a few practical tips to apply on a daily basis. First and foremost, we recommend that you systematically store your jewelry in a safe place after removing it.
You should also be sure to remove them whenever you come into contact with water. In fact, repeated exposure to water is one of the fastest factors in the deterioration of gold-plated jewelry.
Mistakes not to be made
To avoid damaging the gold coating on your gold-plated jewelry, there are a number of mistakes you should never make. These include
- –exposing your bracelet, ring or necklace to salt, sea air, shampoos and shower baths, as well as to any household product containing or not bleach,
- – exposing your jewelryto high-risk situations, such as sports or carrying heavy objects,
- – neglectingto store your accessories systematically and carefully.
You should also avoid wearing your jewelry to bed, to prevent it coming into contact with body sweat, which can also damage it.
How to clean your gold-plated jewelry
Most products for cleaning gold-plated jewelry are available at home.
Water and methylated spirits
Mix equal quantities of mineral water and methylated spirits, and soak a cloth to clean your jewel.
Rinse with water and rub with a microfiber cloth until perfectly polished, removing all moisture.
Water and ammonia
Mix a container of water with a few drops of ammonia, and soak a cloth to gently clean your jewelry. Rinse with water and dry immediately afterwards.
Water and baking soda
Mix water with baking soda powder to form a paste, which you can then coat to clean your jewel. Polish with a soft-bristled toothbrush, rinse and dry.
Lemon and white vinegar
Soak a cloth in lemon or white vinegar and gently polish the surface of your gold-plated jewelry with circular movements. Rinse and dry.
Toothpaste
To use toothpaste to clean gold-plated jewels, follow the same procedure as for water and bicarbonate.
Simply coat the jewel with the toothpaste of your choice, rub gently, rinse and then dry.
Flour
Coat your hands with flour and rub the jewel with your fingers until it regains its beautiful shine. Then use a microfiber cloth or chamois to polish and shine again.
Breadcrumbs
Fill your hands with fresh breadcrumbs and insert the jewel. Simply rub gently until it regains its perfect shine.
The onion
Using a slice of onion cut in half, rub the jewel and rinse with water. Then wipe with a dry cloth and leave to dry.
